Monica Wood

A one-in-a-million story for anyone who loves to laugh, cry, and think about how extraordinary ordinary life can be. Not to be missed by readers who loved THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY, ELIZABETH IS MISSING or THE SHOCK OF THE FALL. Miss Ona Vitkus has - aside from three months in the summer of 1914 - lived unobtrusively, her secrets fiercely protected. The boy, with his passion for world records, changes all that. He is eleven. She is one hundred and four years, one hundred and thirty three days old (they are counting). And he makes her feel like she might be really special after all. Better late than never...Only it's been two weeks now since he last visited, and she's starting to think he's not so different from all the rest. Then the boy's father comes, for some reason determined to finish his son's good deed. And Ona must show this new stranger that not only are there odd jobs to be done, but a life's ambition to complete ...

The One in a Million Boy

An account of the 1963 death of the author's father describes how her mother, three sisters, and she were financially dependent on her father's wages and how their loss and Catholic faith resonated the experiences of the nation.

A Memoir from Mexico, Maine

When We Were the Kennedys

A Whole Lot of Inspiration (in a Little Bit of Space!) &break;&break;The Pocket Muse is your key to finding inspiration when and where you want it. With hundreds of thought-provoking prompts, exercises and illustrations, you'll immediately: &break;&break; Get started writing&break; Overcome writer's block&break; Develop a writing habit&break; Think more creatively&break; Master style, revision and other elements of the craft &break;&break;The rich variety of exercises will help you to create stories, focus on a single aspect of your writing, and encourage you to think about how and why you write in new and surprising ways. &break;&break;A truly unique book, The Pocket Muse is fun and effective. It will teach you, cheer you and inspire you to write as never before.

The Pocket Muse

A Novel

Meanwhile

She may be 104 years old, but Ona Vitkus is on a mission and it's all because of THE ONE-IN-A-MILLION-BOY... Monica Wood's unforgettable novel about a boy in a million and the 104-year-old woman who saves his family is not to be missed by readers who loved THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY, ELIZABETH IS MISSING or THE SHOCK OF THE FALL. 'A lovely, quirky novel about misfits across generations' Daily Mail 'A bittersweet story about finding friendship in the most unlikely of places' Good Housekeeping. The story of your life never starts at the beginning. Don't they teach you anything at school? So says 104-year-old Ona to the 11-year-old boy who's been sent to help her out every Saturday morning. As he refills the bird feeders and tidies the garden shed, Ona tells him about her long life, from first love to second chances. Soon she's confessing secrets she has kept hidden for decades. One Saturday, he doesn't show up. Ona starts to think he's not so special after all, but then his father Quinn arrives on her doorstep, determined to finish his son's good deed. The boy's mother is not so far behind. Ona is set to discover that even at her age the world can surprise you, and that sometimes sharing a loss is the only way to find yourself again. What readers are saying about ONE IN A MILLION BOY: 'Delightful, quirky and heart-warming' 'A richly layered novel of hearts broken seemingly beyond repair and then bound by a stunning act of human devotion' 'With heart-breaking and emotional moments intertwined with humour and love, THE ONE IN A MILLION BOY proves it's never too late to make new friends'

The touching novel of a 104-year-old woman’s friendship with a boy you’ll never forget...

The One-in-a-Million Boy

Description is most powerful when it's visible, aural, tactile. Make your descriptions fresh and they'll move your story forward, imbue your work with atmosphere, create that tang of feeling that editors cry for and readers crave. Monica Wood helps you squeeze the greatest flavor from the language. She segments description like an orange, separating its slices to let you sample each one. You'll learn about: Detail, and how you can use description to awaken the reader's senses of touch, taste, hearing, smell and sight Plot, from advancing story using only relevant description—and how to edit out sluggish, reader-stopping writing Style, and the use of description to create a mood that matches your story's content Point of view, how selecting omniscient, first person or third person limited narrative influences the descriptive freedom you have Creating original word depictions of people, animals, places, weather and movement Wood teaches by example, developing stories with characters in various situations, to show you how you can apply description techniques. You'll also see samples of work by such noted writers as Mark Helprin, Anne Tyler and Raymond Carver. And you'll find the dos and don'ts, lists and descriptive alternatives to common verbs and nouns, and tips for editing your work.

Elements of Fiction Writing - Description

A charming, deeply moving novel about second chances, unlikely friendships, and the life-changing power of sharing stories.

Our Reasons meet us in the morning and whisper to us at night. Mine is an innocent, unsuspecting, eternally sixty-one-year-old woman named Lorraine Daigle…

Violet Powell, a twenty-two-year-old from rural Abbott Falls, Maine, is being released from prison after serving twenty-two months for a drunk-driving crash that killed a local kindergarten teacher. Harriet Larson, a retired English teacher who runs the prison book club, is facing the unsettling prospect of an empty nest. Frank Daigle, a retired machinist, hasn’t yet come to grips with the complications of his marriage to the woman Violet killed.

When the three encounter each other one morning in a bookstore in Portland—Violet to buy the novel she was reading in the prison book club before her release, Harriet to choose the next title for the women who remain, and Frank to dispatch his duties as the store handyman—their lives begin to intersect in transformative ways.

How to Read a Book  is an unsparingly honest and profoundly hopeful story about letting go of guilt, seizing second chances, and the power of books to change our lives. With the heart, wit, grace, and depth of understanding that has characterized her work, Monica Wood illuminates the decisions that define a life and the kindnesses that make life worth living.

How to Read a Book

Voor de lezers van Het Rosie project en Het wonderbaarlijke voorval met de hond in de nacht Een verhaal voor iedereen die graag lacht, huilt en inziet hoe bijzonder het leven kan zijn! Juffrouw Ona Vitkus heeft haar hele leven - op drie maanden in de zomer van 1914 na - zo onopvallende mogelijk geleefd en haar geheimen streng bewaakt. De jongen, een scout met een fascinatie voor wereldrecords, brengt daar verandering in met zijn bezoekjes. Hij is elf. Zij is honderdvier jaar én honderdéén dagen oud (ze houden het samen bij). De jongen geeft haar het gevoel dat ze misschien tot wel speciaal is. Beter laat dan nooit... Maar wanneer de jongen ineens wegblijft, begint ze te denken dat hij toch niet zo bijzonder is als ze dacht. Wat kan anders de reden zijn van zijn plotselinge verdwijning? Nadat juffrouw Vitkus twee zaterdagen tevergeefs op de jongen heeft gewacht, komt de keer daarop niet hij maar zijn vader bij haar langs, vastbesloten om de goede daad waar zijn zoon aan was begonnen af te maken. Ona moet deze nieuwe vreemdeling duidelijk maken dat er niet alleen klusjes zijn om op te knappen, maar dat er ook een levenswerk te volbrengen is... Maar waar kan de jongen gebleven zijn?

Een buitengewoon gewoon leven

"“Monica Wood escreveu um livro ao mesmo tempo trágico e encantador, com uma amizade entre gerações que conserva a beleza mesmo depois da morte. A maioria dos leitores precisará de lenços de papel, mas o final os fará sorrir por entre as lágrimas.” – Shelf Awareness Quinn Porter é um guitarrista de meia-idade que nunca conseguiu deslanchar na carreira. Enquanto aguardava sua grande chance na música, foi um marido e pai ausente, e jamais conseguiu estabelecer um vínculo afetivo com o filho, uma criança obcecada pelo Livro dos Recordes e algumas peculiares coleções. Quando o menino morre inesperadamente, alguém precisa substituí-lo em sua tarefa de escoteiro: as visitas semanais à astuta Ona Vitkus, uma centenária imigrante lituana. Quinn assume então o compromisso do filho durante os sete sábados seguintes e tenta ajudar Ona a obter o recorde de Motorista Habilitada Mais Velha. Através do convívio com a idosa, ele descobre aos poucos o filho que nunca conheceu, um menino generoso, sempre disposto a escutar e transformar a vida da sua inusitada amiga. Juntos, os dois encontrarão na amizade uma nova razão para viver. Um menino em um milhão é um livro sensível, poético e bem-humorado, formado por corações partidos e aparentemente sem cura, mas unidos por um elo de impressionante devoção pessoal."

Um menino em um milhão

A heartwarming story of two sisters struggling to lay to rest childhood ghosts and rediscover the bonds that once united them--from the author of "My Only Story."

Secret Language

Offering a spectrum of writing prompts, photos, and advice for all types of writing including fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

Endless Inspiration for Writers

Pocket Muse 2

In this collection of nine interconnected stories, the community of Abbot Falls, Maine reacts to a near-retiree's endeavor to build an ark in his backyard, in an effort to find new meaning in life.

Ernie's Ark

Thirtysomething hairstylist Rita falls in love with a younger man, John Reed, a man troubled by a terrible, five-year-old crime, when his brother, Roger, had killed his wife and then himself, orphaning their toddler daughter, Aileen, in a story of love, sacrifice, and family bonds.

My Only Story

Eine zauberhafte Freundschaft und das Versprechen: Mit jedem Tag beginnt eine neue Zukunft. Warum ausgerechnet Ona? Als Quinn die 104-jährige Frau kennenlernt, fragt er sich, was sein zarter, verschlossener Sohn so an ihr mochte. Denn Ona ist kantig, eigensinnig, voller verstecktem Humor — und scheint so gar nichts mit der Welt eines 11-Jährigen zu tun zu haben. Doch jetzt ist der Junge tot, und Quinn voll Wut und Trauer. Nur Ona kann ihm zeigen, wie sein Sohn wirklich war. Quinn begibt sich auf eine ungewöhnliche Entdeckungsreise — zu Onas wilden Geschichten aus dem Leben, zurück zu dem letzten Wunsch seines Kindes und bis zu dem Punkt, an dem aus seiner tiefen Verzweiflung neue Hoffnung wächst.

Roman

Bevor die Welt erwacht

Warm, funny and heart-breaking, this short-story prequel to THE ONE IN A MILLION BOY - the book on everyone's lips - will make you laugh and cry with the turn of a page. If you loved The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and The Shock of the Fall, this is for you... There's someone you should meet. But, before you do... She's just turned one hundred. She doesn't want a birthday party. Or a TV interview. She's too busy practising for her driving test. And hoodwinking church visitors with magic tricks. She's Miss Ona Vitkus. And she's one in a million. What readers are saying about A WOMAN IN A MILLION: 'A touching story and so well told. Excellent book' 'The characters, the plot and the writing are something very special indeed' 'A wonderful short story about a remarkable woman. Ona has so much spirit, I immediately loved her'

A poignant novella about an extraordinary woman to make you laugh and cry

A Woman in a Million

ANY BITTER THING is a novel about how much we can and should forgive, by Monica Wood, the acclaimed author of THE ONE-IN-A-MILLION BOY. The perfect read for fans of Gail Honeyman's ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE and Joanna Cannon's THREE THINGS ABOUT ELSIE. 'If you liked THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES, try ANY BITTER THING' Glamour After surviving a near-fatal accident, thirty-year-old Lizzy Mitchell faces a long road to recovery. She remembers little about the days she spent in and out of consciousness, save for one thing: she saw her beloved deceased uncle, Father Mike, the man who raised her until she was nine, when she was abruptly sent away. Though her troubled marriage and broken body need tending, Lizzy knows she must uncover the details of her accident - and delve into the events of twenty years ago, when whispers and accusations forced a good man to give up the only family he had. What readers are saying about ANY BITTER THING: 'Another great story with wonderful characters' 'This writer, with her exquisite prose, weaves a gripping and grace-filled story of redemption. I will go back to this amazing book again and again. It shines' 'A beautiful story. The characters take on a life of their own. Pure human emotion, well written, very touching'

An evocative tale of love, loss and understanding

Any Bitter Thing

From award-winning novelist Monica Wood comes a masterful collection of three plays that shattered attendance records and captured hearts across New England. ​​​​​​​ In this powerful trilogy, Wood explores the complex bonds of family, the weight of secrets, and the transformative power of human connection. From a tense standoff between mill owners and workers during a bitter strike, to a skeptical professor's unexpected journey into the supernatural, to a family's loving deception of their miraculously recovered father, each play delves deep into the heart of human relationships. These acclaimed works feature: Papermaker: A labor dispute becomes personal when a mill owner and his daughter confront the human cost of their decisions The Half-Light: A rational college professor questions everything she believes about life and death after meeting an unusual psychic Saint Dad: Three siblings navigate love, guilt, and family bonds as they try to protect their father from a difficult truth Written by the 2024 recipient of the Sara Josepha Hale Award for excellence in New England literary arts, these plays have earned both critical acclaim and unprecedented audience attendance at Portland Stage.

Papermaker, The Half-Light, Saint Dad

Three Plays by Monica Wood

A beloved short story collection--now in a new paperback edition with a never-before published story and an afterword by the author.

The Abbott Falls Stories

One-in-a-Million Boy

Thirtysomething hairstylist Rita falls in love with a younger man, John Reed, a man troubled by a terrible, five-year-old crime, when his brother, Roger, had killed his wife and then himself, orphaning their toddler daughter, Aileen, in a moving story of love, sacrifice, and family bonds, by the author of Secret Language.

Monica Wood

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