Blanche on the Lam: Difference between revisions
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'''Blanche on the Lam''' is a [[Mystery fiction|mystery]] [[novel]] by author [[Barbara Neely]].<ref>Neely, Barbara. ''Blanche on the Lam''. New York: Penguin Books, 1992.</ref> The book won the [[Agatha Award]] and the [[Anthony Award]] for Best First Novel, and the [[Macavity Awards|Macavity Award]] for Best First Mystery.<ref>Bertens, Hans, D'haen, Theo. (2001). "Introduction". ''Contemporary American Crime Fiction''. Palgrave.</ref> The series continues with ''Blanche among the Talented Tenth'' (1994), ''Blanche Cleans Up'' (1998), and ''Blanche Passes Go'' (2000).<ref>"Barbara Neely." (2003).''Contemporary Authors Online''. Detroit: Gale. Literature Resource Center.</ref> |
'''Blanche on the Lam''' is a [[Mystery fiction|mystery]] [[novel]] by author [[Barbara Neely]].<ref>Neely, Barbara. ''Blanche on the Lam''. New York: Penguin Books, 1992.</ref> The book won the [[Agatha Award]] and the [[Anthony Award]] for Best First Novel, and the [[Macavity Awards|Macavity Award]] for Best First Mystery.<ref>Bertens, Hans, D'haen, Theo. (2001). "Introduction". ''Contemporary American Crime Fiction''. Palgrave.</ref> The series continues with ''Blanche among the Talented Tenth'' (1994), ''Blanche Cleans Up'' (1998), and ''Blanche Passes Go'' (2000).<ref>"Barbara Neely." (2003).''Contemporary Authors Online''. Detroit: Gale. Literature Resource Center.</ref> |
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==Plot Summary== |
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It's hard enough making ends meet on the pittance Blanche White earns doing day work for the genteel Southern families of North Carolina. But when her fourth bad check lands her a jail sentence, Blanche goes on the lam. |
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Inadvertently, she finds work at the summer home of a wealthy family, the members of which have plenty of their own secrets. And when a dead body is discovered, Blanche finds herself the prime suspect. Using her wit and intelligence—not to mention the remarkably efficient old-girl network among domestic workers—she gets to work uncovering the real killer before she lands in more hot water. |
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:''Blanche on the Lam'' opens with Blanche standing in front of a judge, pleading her case over some bad checks. Barely listening to Blanche's request, the judge sentences her to thirty days in jail. In the midst of some courthouse confusion Blanche escapes and seeks refuge at a home of a wealthy family for whom she was scheduled to work as a housecleaner. On the job, she joins the family and retreats to the countryside expecting a simple life, but instead finds herself in the middle of a mysterious mess of murder and deception. |
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==Characters== |
==Characters== |
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Revision as of 07:22, 28 October 2011
 Dust-jacket illustration of the first U.S. edition | |
| Author | Barbara Neely |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Detective fiction |
| Publisher | St. Martin's Press |
Publication date | 1992 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover & Paperback) |
| Pages | 180 pp (first edition, hardcover) |
| ISBN | 0-312-06908-1 |
| Followed by | Blanche among the Talented Tenth |
Blanche on the Lam is a mystery novel by author Barbara Neely.[1] The book won the Agatha Award and the Anthony Award for Best First Novel, and the Macavity Award for Best First Mystery.[2] The series continues with Blanche among the Talented Tenth (1994), Blanche Cleans Up (1998), and Blanche Passes Go (2000).[3]
Characters
Major characters
Blanche White: She is the central character on Blanche on the Lam. She is a black woman, who is a housekeeper and cook, on the run from a jail term for a minor offense. She hides out as a domestic worker for a dysfunctional white family. According to Mildred Mickle, Blanche is "a domestic heroine, a very human, compassionate, and honest yet tricky figure."[4]
Critical reception
According to Elsie Washington in a review for Essence, the novel is considered "the first mystery by a black woman with a Black woman as the heroine".[5]
Neely scored major accolades with her first novel, winning the Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Awards for Blanche on the Lam. She also received an award from the Black Women’s Reading Club for the book.
See also
References
- ^ Neely, Barbara. Blanche on the Lam. New York: Penguin Books, 1992.
- ^ Bertens, Hans, D'haen, Theo. (2001). "Introduction". Contemporary American Crime Fiction. Palgrave.
- ^ "Barbara Neely." (2003).Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale. Literature Resource Center.
- ^ Mickle, Mildred. (2007). "A cleansing construction: Blanche White as domestic heroine in Barbara Neely's Blanche on the Lam." Obsidian: Literature in the African Diaspora. 8 (1), 73.
- ^ Washington, Elsie. (1992). "Book marks". Essence. 22 (12), 54. ISSN 00140880 Parameter error in {{issn}}: Invalid ISSN.
Further reading
- Bailey, Frankie Y. (1999). "Blanche on the Lam, Or The Invisible Woman Speaks" In Kathleen Gregory Klein (Ed.), Diversity and Detective Fiction (pp. 186-204). Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State University Popular Press. ISBN 0-87972-795-0.
- Champlin, Charles. (1992, March 8). Los Angeles Times Book Review, 8.
- Collette, Ann. (2000). "Damn, She Done It". Ms. Magazine.
- Harris, Trudier. (1992). "Neely, Barbara. Blanche on the Lam." Obsidian II 7.1-2, 143.
- Hathaway, Rosemary V. (2005). "The Signifyin(g) Detective: BarbaraNeely's Blanche White, Undercover in Plain Sight". Critique. 46 (4), 320-332. ISSN 00111619 Parameter error in {{issn}}: Invalid ISSN.
- Kirkus Reviews. (1991, December 15), 1560-1561.
- Publishers Weekly. (1992, January 20), 50.
- Wesson, Mimi. (1995). "Blanche on the Lam". The Women's Review of Books. 12 (4), 22.
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