Jane Smiley

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Derek Shapton

A close-up of Jane Smiley.

Jane Smiley

The title character in Jane Smiley’s latest novel, Lidie, first appeared in the 1998 bestselling historical novel, The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton. In that book, no-nonsense Lidie tracks down the killers of her abolitionist husband in the Kansas Territory in 1855. Now, two years later, she’s back for more travels and adventures in this stand-alone sequel. Lidie returns to her hometown of Quincy, Ill., and befriends her self-assured and mischievous niece, Annie. Circumstances lead them to Liverpool, England, where they each attempt to find fulfillment during a volatile era. We should also note that Smiley won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for 1992’s A Thousand Acres. Smiley will discuss her work at this Wisconsin Book Festival event.

media release: You may remember Lidie as the heroine from Smiley’s 1998 New York Times bestseller, The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton. LIDIE marks the character’s first comeback in two decades and can be read entirely on its own or as a standalone sequel. This novel follows Lidie and her niece, Annie, as they flee a divided America towards a hopeful future and away from a troubled past.

Christmas, 1857. America’s future is precarious; civil war looms on the horizon. After her abolitionist husband is murdered in the lawless Kansas Territory, Lidie Newton returns, in mourning, to her hometown of Quincy, Illinois. But her sisters have little comfort to offer, and Lidie is haunted by the memories of her failures—until she takes an interest in her niece, Annie. Beautiful, self-assured, and mischievous, Annie sticks out in Quincy. She becomes an actress at the local theater, and when she is offered the opportunity to perform abroad, she decides to run away. But travel is dangerous for a young unmarried woman, so Lidie, armed with her pistol and her wit, goes with her.

The two women embark on a perilous journey across the Atlantic, rushing toward an unknown future in England. Once they arrive in Liverpool, they vanish into new roles in the household of Annie’s benefactor, Mr. Mallory Cunningham. Annie takes a stage name and finds her way to a career, while Lidie becomes her lady’s maid. But will either of them be content with her new lot in life?

Exuberant and riveting, a sly commentary on truth and beauty and fulfillment that resonates with our times, LIDIE delivers a panoramic portrait of a volatile era and the headstrong women trying to live an honest life in it.