Blood Tie
1977 novel by Mary Lee Settle
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Blood Tie is a 1977 novel by American novelist Mary Lee Settle, published by Houghton Mifflin.[1] The novel, her eighth, won the 1978 National Book Award for Fiction.[2][3] With the award, Settle became the fourth woman to win the NBA in fiction out of 32 winners.[4]
First edition cover | |
| Author | Mary Lee Settle |
|---|---|
| Publication date | June 12, 1979 |
| Awards | National Book Award for Fiction (1978) |
The novel explores the going-ons of expatriates in a hotel in Ceramos on the Turkish coast.[5] The characters in the novel are generally unlikable, and their foibles become the central focus of the novel's plot.[5][6] Settle wrote the novel after returning to West Virginia, from time abroad, first in England then Italy.[3]
Reception
Though initial reception of the novel was less than positive, Settle won the National Book Award and critical consensus treats the novel as a turning point in her critical reception.[7] The New York Times was generally positive about the book, writing that Settle "has done a remarkable job of capturing the [expatriate] culture that is, in a sense, the most important character in her book."[5] George Garret in the Dictionary of Literary Biography called the novel "clearly a virtuoso work."[3]