num_pages: 223
description: The Morning and the Evening, originally published in 1961 and winner of the John P. Marquand First Novel Award, signaled the arrival of a writer of first-rate talent. Set in the small town of Marigold, Mississippi, The Morning and the Evening tells the story of Jake Darby, mute, and to most of his fellow townspeople, "not quite right in the head." At age forty, he is as innocent and trusting as a child. When his mother, with whom he has lived in a run-down farmhouse, dies, Jake is left at the mercy of the people of Marigold, and the tragic nature of what ensues forms the heart of this moving novel. The Morning and the Evening is a work of unusual maturity, warmth, and vision. It is Joan Williams' unerring understanding of human emotions - of our stumbling, groping search for love in a world that can be unspeakably cruel - that gives this novel its power and resonance.
title: The Morning and The Evening
titlecomplete: The Morning and The Evening
genres: Fiction
ratings_count: 56
places: Marigold, Mississippi
awards: awardedAt: -252432000000
name: National Book Award Finalist
category: Fiction
publisher: Dell