It is 1953 and Pearlie, a dutiful young housewife, finds herself living in the Sunset District in San Francisco, caring not only for her husband's fragile health but also for her son, who is afflicted with polio. Then, one Saturday morning, a stranger appears on her doorstep, and everything changes. For six months in 1953 young Pearlie Cook struggles to understand the world around her, and most especially her husband, Holland. Pearlie's story is a meditation not only on love but also on the effects of war, with one war recently over and another coming to a close. Set in a climate of fear and repression-political, sexual, and racial-The Story of a Marriage portrays three people trapped by the confines of their era, and the desperate measures they are prepared to take to escape it.
Reviews
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Actress Merkerson, known for her 15 years on "Law and Order," quietly presents Greer's story of Pearlie Ash, who is married to her high school sweetheart, Holland Cook. They settle down to a predictable life in San Francisco. Then a white man, Holland's previous employer and lover, Buzz Drummer, shows up, bringing chaos and self-doubt to Pearlie's world. The story builds with dramatic but controlled intensity against a backdrop of the 1950s, the Cold War, and the Rosenberg case. Merkerson keeps the story from becoming maudlin through the power of her convincing performance. She conveys the subtle strength that emerges in Pearlie's voice as the story reveals how she matures and triumphs over unexpected challenges. M.T.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
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