Promotional Information

This beautiful, literary commercial novel in the vein of PREP will be an exciting, stand-out debut launch for Tinder Press

About the Author

Anton DiSclafani, 30, was raised in northern Florida, where she rode horses, competing nationally. She graduated from Emory University, and received her MFA from Washington University. She currently lives in St. Louis, where she teaches creative writing at Washington University.

Reviews

'I fell completely under the spell of Anton DiSclafani's amazing first novel and was gripped by its lush and dreamy evocations of Southern decorum, family secrets, and boarding school rituals. DiSclafani is wildly talented, and this is a sexy, suspenseful, gorgeously written book'
*Curtis Sittenfeld, bestselling author of AMERICAN WIFE*

'DiSclafani's pitch-perfect details of time and place effortlessly drew me into this fantastic novel's authentic and alluring world'
*Laura Moriarty, author of THE CHAPERONE*

'The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls is so sexy, smart, and vividly drawn that I was surprised to remember that this novel is Anton DiSclafani's first. With such a big-hearted and atmospheric book, Ms. DiSclafani's talents should be celebrated far and wide'
*Lauren Groff, author of ARCADIA*

A fierce and tender portrait of a young woman caught amidst the converging crises of her family, her country, and her own complicated desires... It's a beautiful novel
*Aryn Kyle, author of THE GOD OF ANIMALS*

'A clever and compelling coming-of-age novel'
*Glamour Magazine*

Young, beautiful, and privileged, Thea Atwell lives on a sprawling ranch in Florida. She loves her twin brother, her parents, and, most of all, her horses. But while she intuitively understands the equestrian life, social isolation and unusual family dynamics have left her confused. She yields to her youthful desires and ends up in trouble with a boy, with disastrous consequences that compel her parents to send her to a horse camp for girls in the Blue Ridge Mountains. There, Thea learns how to navigate a complex yet nurturing social environment, one that allows her to acquire the life lessons she so desperately needs. Even as the Great Depression compounds the shattering of Thea's once predictable world, she ultimately finds the measure of her own strength. VERDICT Engrossing, empathetic, and atmospheric, this debut will resonate with readers as the author eloquently portrays the inevitable missteps in coming of age. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, 12/7/12.]-Susanne Wells, Indianapolis, IN (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The setup for this debut novel is delectable: it's 1930, the country is tumbling into depression, and 15-year-old Thea has done something bad enough to get her sent from Florida to an elite year-round "camp" in North Carolina where, at least at first, the effects of the economy are kept at bay while affluent Southern girls become "ladies." DiScalfani, who grew up around horses, is at her best when recreating the intuition and strength of girls in the saddle. Otherwise Thea's narration feels flattened by history and the characters she encounters never achieve dimensionality. The build toward the revelation of Thea's crime is drawn out, sapping the reveal of drama, but the account of Thea's emerging sexuality provides meaningful reflections on the potency of teenage desire. Here too, however, DiScalfani seems distanced from her characters, relying on declarations such as "I was not weak," "I was angry," and "I was glum" when exploring the tension of conflicting feelings. Though there are many twists and turns, the prose numbs the pleasure of reading about even the most forbidden of Thea's trysts. Agent: Dorian Karchmar, WME Entertainment. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.