''We Were the Mulvaneys'' is a novel written by
Joyce Carol Oates, and was published in 1996. ''We Were the Mulvaneys'' was featured in
Oprah's Book Club
Oprah's Book Club was a book discussion club segment of the American talk show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', highlighting books chosen by host Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey started the book club in 1996, selecting a new book, usually a novel, for viewers ...
in January 2001.
The novel chronicles the Mulvaneys, a seemingly perfect family living in the small, rural town of Mt. Ephraim, New York, during the latter part of the 20th century. The Mulvaneys own a successful roofing business, and are obsessed with social status. However, an incident that is hushed up in town and never spoken of again shatters the family fabric and has tragic consequences.
Plot summary
Michael and Corinne Mulvaney are the parents of four children: Michael Jr., Patrick, Marianne, and Judd. Living in a picture perfect farm in
upstate New York
Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...
, the Mulvaneys own a successful roofing company; Michael Mulvaney is considered a serious businessman. Corinne is a bubbly, earthy mother, whose life revolves around the family unit. For nearly twenty years the Mulvaney clan thrives, admired throughout the small town of Mt. Ephraim for being a model family.
On
St. Valentine's night 1976, after prom, Marianne Mulvaney goes to a party where she becomes intoxicated and is raped by an upperclassman, whose father is a well-respected businessman and friend of Mr. Mulvaney.
Marianne's rape is the beginning of a tumultuous fifteen-year period. Her father, lost and angry, does not understand why his daughter will not press charges against her attacker. He can no longer look at his daughter the same way and sends her to live with a distant relative of Corinne's in
Salamanca
Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Herit ...
, New York. Marianne, moving haphazardly from place to place, continues to wait for her father to call on her, but he never does.
Michael Mulvaney Sr.'s casual drinking turns into full-fledged alcoholism. Gradually, his reputation as a respected businessman disintegrates. The Mulvaneys are forced into bankruptcy and must sell the farm. Eventually, Corinne and Michael split up. For the other family members, things continue to get worse. All three of the Mulvaney boys leave home angrily, never to return. One of them "executes justice" on his sister's rapist.
After many years, the Mulvaneys meet once again at a family reunion in Corinne's new home, which she shares with a friend. The family has extended to include spouses and children. Finally, the Mulvaneys come full circle and receive closure.
Film adaptation
The book was made into a
Lifetime Television
Lifetime is an American basic cable channel that is part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, a subsidiary of A&E Networks, which is jointly owned by Hearst Communications and The Walt Disney Company. It features programming that is geared toward ...
movie, also titled ''
We Were the Mulvaneys'', in 2002 starring
Beau Bridges (Michael Sr.),
Blythe Danner (Corinne),
Tammy Blanchard
Tammy Blanchard (born December 14, 1976) is an American actress. She rose to prominence for her role as teenage Judy Garland in the critically acclaimed television film '' Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows'' (2001), for which she received ...
(Marianne),
Jacob Pitts
Jacob Rives Pitts (born November 20, 1979) is an American television, film and stage actor. His most notable performances were as Cooper Harris in the film '' EuroTrip'' (2004), as Bill "Hoosier" Smith in the HBO miniseries '' The Pacific'' (2010 ...
(Patrick),
Thomas Guiry (Judd), and
Mark Famiglietti
Mark Famiglietti (born September 26, 1979) is an American actor, screenwriter, film producer and author. He is best known for appearing in television shows such as ''Hang Time'' and ''Young Americans''. He also appeared in '' Terminator 3: Rise ...
(Michael Jr.). The film was nominated for three
Emmys
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
.
External links
We Were the Mulvaneys TV MovieOprah's Book Club Feature
{{DEFAULTSORT:We Were The Mulvaneys
Fiction set in 1976
1996 American novels
American novels adapted into films
American novels adapted into television shows
Novels by Joyce Carol Oates
Novels set in New York (state)
Dutton Penguin books
Novels about rape