''The Widows' Adventure'' is a 1989

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...

novel written by Charles Dickinson, centered on two widowed sisters who embark on an unlikely trip from Chicago to Los Angeles, setting off a comic family odyssey of revelation and reconciliation.

Plot summary

Widows Ina and Helene, sisters from Chicago, set off on a drive to Los Angeles. There's one problem: Only Helene can drive, and she's blind. Beer-swigging Ina acts as her eyes. On back roads in the dead of night they travel across an America they never knew.

Reception

''The Widows' Adventures'' received positive reviews from critics.

Barbara Kingsolver Barbara Kingsolver (born April 8, 1955) is an American novelist, essayist and poet. She was raised in rural Kentucky and lived briefly in the Congo in her early childhood. Kingsolver earned degrees in biology at DePauw University and the Univers ...

of the Los Angeles Times stated “That most wonderful and increasingly rare sort of novel written by an author who loves his characters beyond measure.” Hilma Wolitzer of The New York Times wrote that the novel had "quirky freshness", and calling Dickinson "a writer of uncommon interest."

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

praised Dickinson's writing by saying "The characterization develops fully just soon enough to hook the reader, who may find this novel a refreshing change, as it examines the physical, emotional, and spiritual lives of two endearing but not perfect older women.”

Film adaptation

In 2008, Variety reported that Diane Keaton and

Jane Fonda Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress, activist, and former fashion model. Recognized as a film icon, Fonda is the recipient of various accolades including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, sev ...

had signed on to star in the

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...

of the novel, based on a spec script written by Jason Pomerance. The film was to be produced by Paul Brooks of Gold Circle Films.

References

External links

Official Website

The Widow's Adventures
at HarperCollins Publishers 1989 American novels American adventure novels William Morrow and Company books Novels set in Chicago English-language novels Novels set in the 1980s Books about women {{1980s-adventure-novel-stub