Books by Virginia Pye


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#1 Bestseller in Southern Fiction!

Now Available from Koehler Books

 

“A fascinating and audacious novel about family, marriage, and a society in flux.” —Kirkus

Marriage and Other Monuments, a novel

In the summer of 2020, as social justice protests and the removal of Confederate monuments rock the city of Richmond, Virginia, the marriages of two estranged sisters also implode, eventually bringing them closer, while their husbands conspire in a racial reckoning their ancestors would never have dreamed of. Marriage and Other Monuments also shows how secrets within a marriage erode trust, and that for couples to evolve they must be true to who they are as individuals and as members of an imperfect society. READ MORE

“Marriage and Other Monuments is a riveting contemporary narrative that intertwines suspenseful family drama, powerful themes of social justice, and a plot ripped soulfully from the headlines. Pye tells a story of race, marriage, and politics ideal for book club discussions and sure to satisfy readers of every stripe.”
—Bruce Holsinger, Culpability, Oprah Book Club pick

“The personal is political in this smart, engaging novel as the sister’s marriages become entangled with new allegiances and both couples are forced to examine what truly matters for all time.”
—Alice Elliot Dark, Fellowship Point

“An engrossing, timely family saga, Virginia Pye’s Marriage and Other Monuments explores complicated truths about race and class—and love and desire—in the contemporary south, shining a brilliant light on the turmoil of 2020 through the lens of history.”
—Joanna Rakoff, My Salinger Year: A Memoir

“Superb. With startling command of craft, Virginia Pye delivers a novel in which small triumphs—of art and in life—become the abiding monuments, as love, and the failures of love, eclipse politics.”
—Alice Randall, Black Bottom Saints and The Wind Done Gone

“A marvelous tale…a moving drama…written with faith that justice can prevail if people of good will make it happen.”
—Christopher Tilghman, On the Tobacco Coast and Mason’s Retreat

In Marriage and Other Monuments, Virginia Pye vividly captures a pivotal moment in recent history and successfully applies the myriad of questions asked—the hows and whys and cause and effect—to the institution of marriage. Like history, her complicated and conflicted characters are left to the reckonings and consequences of their choices.”
—Jill McCorckle, Old Crimes and The Hieroglyphics

 

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READ an Excerpt from
The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann

2019 IPPY Gold Medal for Short Fiction“...a deeply moving meditation on the complexity and potential generosity of love.” —Kirkus Reviews

2019 IPPY Gold Medal for Short Fiction

“...a deeply moving meditation on the complexity and potential generosity of love.” —Kirkus Reviews

2015 Best Book Richmond Times Dispatch“Superb historical fiction!” —Historical Novels Review

2015 Best Book
Richmond Times Dispatch

“Superb historical fiction!”
—Historical Novels Review

2014 Literary Award for Fiction and Indie Next Pick“Terrific, tremendous, wonderful...a strong beautiful, deep book.”  —Annie Dillard

2014 Literary Award for
Fiction and Indie Next Pick

“Terrific, tremendous, wonderful...a strong beautiful, deep book.”
—Annie Dillard


Kirkus Reviews calls Marriage and Other Monuments, Virginia Pye’s recently published book, “A fascinating and audacious novel of family, marriage and a society in flux.” It is a #1 Amazon bestseller in New Southern Fiction. Virginia is the author of four previous award-winning books, including two post-colonial historical novels set in China, River of Dust and Dreams of the Red Phoenix, and the short story collection, Shelf Life of Happiness. Her last novel, The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann is a love story to writers and readers set in Gilded Age Boston. Virginia’s essays have appeared in The New York TimesLiterary HubPublisher’s WeeklyWriter’s DigestThe Rumpus, and elsewhere. She has taught writing at New York University and the University of Pennsylvania, and, most recently, at GrubStreet in Boston. Virginia is Fiction Editor of the literary journal Pangyrus and serves on the board of the Women’s National Book Association, Boston Chapter.