A River in Flood and Other Florida Stories

by Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Kevin M. McCarthy (Editor)

About Nine Florida Stories by Marjory Stoneman Douglas:

"Written as entertainment for a mass market . . . crammed with colorful characters, vivid incidents and palpable atmosphere. . . . A reminder of a Florida gone by or fast disappearing."--Orlando Sentinel

"Reflects the same concerns found in her better-known non-fiction work--a fascination with the beauty of Florida and a warning against its imminent destruction."--Tallahassee Democrat


In the pantheon of Florida writers, Marjory Stoneman Douglas (1890-1998) is cherished as the grande dame. Famous as the author of The Everglades: River of Grass, prolific as a writer, and passionate as an environmental crusader for almost a century, she became the nation's best link to a remarkable era in Florida history.

 The timeless themes of her stories in this new collection resonate with interest for readers today. Whether the subject is hurricanes, cockfighting, real estate deals, struggling immigrants, or corruption in the Everglades, Douglas wrote about it with distinction--and usually first. Originally published in the Saturday Evening Post during the 1920s and 1930s, the golden age of the short story, these nine works have never before been collected or available in one place.

 Kevin M. McCarthy, who edited the companion volume, Nine Florida Stories by Marjory Stoneman Douglas, offers an introduction to each story, explaining its significance, setting, unusual references, place in Douglas's works, and significance to the history of South Florida.

The stories:
"At Home on the Marcel Waves"
"Solid Mahogany"
"Goodness Gracious, Agnes"
"A River in Flood"
"The Mayor of Flamingo"
"Stepmother"
"You Got to Go, But You Don't Have to Come Back"
"High-Goal Man"
"Wind Before Morning"

Genres: Fiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published November 3, 1998

About the author

Marjory Stoneman Douglas (1890-1998) was an American journalist, writer, feminist, and environmentalist, known for her staunch defense of the Everglades against efforts to drain it and reclaim land for development. Moving to Miami as a young woman to work for The Miami Herald, Douglas became a freelance writer, producing over a hundred short stories that were published in popular magazines. Her most influential work was the book, The Everglades: River of Grass, which redefined the popular conception of the Everglades as a treasured river, instead of a worthless swamp; its impact has been compared to that of Rachel Carson's influential book Silent Spring.

Reviews

[Hal Brodsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Early short stories by the author of "River of Grass", these read like Fitzgerald's writing, but they are about Miami and South Florida in the very early 20th Century. Orinigally published in the Saturday Evening Post, these tales are not deep and the endings are always happy, but they provide a first hand glimpse into early Florida history that I have not found elsewhere. Here is the Miami version of the Party scene in the roaring 20s, here are fringe people struggling to like on the keys and hosting dog fights, here are the indifferent wealthy and the smugglers and river rats. This was a lot of fun to read.

[Alan Gerard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have become such a fan of Marjory Stoneman Douglas' writing. I love these short stories that put you in the days when south Florida was beginning to become the vibrant society we know today. "Stepmother" has moved into my top echelon of short stories I have read.