The Woman Who Tried To Be Good

by Edna Ferber, Lee Ann Howlett (Narrator)

Blanche Devine is a middle aged woman who has lived in the same small Midwestern town most of her life. She decides she wants to purchase a 'real' home in a pleasant neighborhood in the town. Because Blanche has a past as the town's 'scarlet' woman, many of the self-described good and respectable people do not want her as a neighbor. Edna Ferber wrote mostly about women and their place in society along with their plight when they did not follow society's norms. The themes of intolerance, sexism and hypocrisy in this story illustrate Ferber's keen eye regarding the human condition. Told from the viewpoint of an unnamed resident of the town, Ferber allows us glimpses of goodness despite the pervasive cruelty. (27 minutes)

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Classics

Audible Audio

First published January 1, 1913

About the author

Edna Ferber was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels were popular in her lifetime and included the Pulitzer Prize-winning So Big (1924), Show Boat (1926; made into the celebrated 1927 musical), Cimarron (1929; made into the 1931 film which won the Academy Award for Best Picture), and Giant (1952; made into the 1956 Hollywood movie).

Ferber was born August 15, 1885, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to a Hungarian-born Jewish storekeeper, Jacob Charles Ferber, and his Milwaukee, Wisconsin-born wife, Julia (Neumann) Ferber. At the age of 12, after living in Chicago, Illinois and Ottumwa, Iowa, Ferber and her family moved to Appleton, Wisconsin, where she graduated from high school and briefly attended Lawrence University. She took newspaper jobs at the Appleton Daily Crescent and the Milwaukee Journal before publishing her first novel. She covered the 1920 Republican National Convention and 1920 Democratic National Convention for the United Press Association.

Ferber's novels generally featured strong female protagonists, along with a rich and diverse collection of supporting characters. She usually highlighted at least one strong secondary character who faced discrimination ethnically or for other reasons; through this technique, Ferber demonstrated her belief that people are people and that the not-so-pretty people have the best character.

Ferber was a member of the Algonquin Round Table, a group of wits who met for lunch every day at the Algonquin Hotel in New York.

Reviews

[Valerie Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read to me by Kelly and Katai on Public Domain Theater

[laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

listening to this story, I was on the verge of tears.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to via the Public Domain Theater podcast.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so beautifully written. I’m actually really sad now. Blanche Devine is such a relatable character and I’m not sure what that says about me.
I can’t wait to read more of Edna’s work.

[Cindy DeLong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Makes a person think.

[Rishabh Jha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well ... The title says it all.
A woman who was very rich was seen hy others as very egoist. But what the didn't know was that she had a kind heart & was empathetic.

[Ta'mar Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

You never know how demonic and cruel your neighbors will be even when cautious and caring

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute story.

[Omnia · Rating 4 out of 5]

قصه قصيرة عن دور المجتمع في انتكاس الخطائين ورجوعهم عن طريق التوبة .

[Paul Stout · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the all-time best short stories. I love Edna Ferber's tales.

[Nocturnally Tacit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review coming up

[James Biser · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this book unsure what to expect, but the story was well told and the main characters became something new because of the situations they were subject to.