Bridgeport Bus

Mary Agnes Keely is finally leaving home, ditching her Irish Catholic upbringing, her widowed mother, and the emptiness of small-town life for the chaos of Manhattan. Her journey will alter many lives: Lydia, whose crazed husband is confined at Shay Acres; Stanley, the dreaming commercial artist who brings his eager body to her virginal bed; and a ragtag array of artists and poets. Choosing her own way, Mary Agnes taps hidden resources in a gradual process of creative self-discovery realizing triumphantly that "it was no great sin to be, at last, alone."Stylistically original, laced with Howard's characteristic irony and sharp wit, Bridgeport Bus illustrates why "Maureen Howard belongs on any list of the best American novelist practicing today" (Robie Maccauley, Chicago Sun-Times).Maureen Howard is the author of seven novels, including Grace Abounding, Expensive Habits, and Natural History, all of which were nominated for the PEN/Faulkner Award. She has taught at a number of American universities, including Columbia, Princeton, Amherst, and Yale, and was recently awarded the Academy Award in Literature by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She lives in New York City.