Old Powder Man
A Novel
Joan Williams
- The
- vivid
- and
- absorbing
- story
- of
- a
- man
- whose
- unwavering
- pursuit
- of
- success
- leaves
- him
- searching
- for
- the
- true
- meaning
- of
- lifeRaised
- in
- rural
- Arkansas
- during
- the
- Great
- Depression,
- Frank
- “Son”
- Wynn
- leaves
- home
- at
- age
- fourteen
- to
- seek
- his
- fortune.
- Handsome,
- charismatic,
- and
- headstrong,
- he
- eventually
- becomes
- a
- powder
- man,
- selling
- dynamite
- up
- and
- down
- the
- Mississippi
- River.
- With
- a
- single-minded
- determination,
- he
- expands
- his
- business
- at
- every
- opportunity,
- foreseeing
- the
- crucial
- role
- his
- product
- will
- play
- in
- constructing
- dams
- and
- levees
- to
- bring
- the
- region’s
- annual
- flooding
- under
- control.
- Step
- by
- step,
- over
- the
- course
- of
- a
- long
- and
- challenging
- career,
- Son
- outmaneuvers
- his
- competitors
- and
- achieves
- a
- level
- of
- prosperity
- far
- removed
- from
- his
- humble
- beginnings.
- He
- is
- the
- quintessential
- self-made
- man—impressive
- and
- exasperating
- in
- equal
- measure,
- the
- cheerful
- expression
- he
- wears
- to
- greet
- customers
- masking
- the
- giant
- chip
- on
- his
- shoulder.His
- health
- failing,
- Son
- retires
- and
- finds
- that
- all
- those
- years
- of
- striving
- have
- built
- a
- wall
- between
- him
- and
- his
- family.
- His
- wife
- has
- never
- forgiven
- him
- for
- not
- coming
- home
- for
- the
- birth
- of
- their
- daughter.
- A
- young
- woman
- now,
- Laurel
- is
- barely
- more
- than
- a
- stranger
- to
- her
- father.
- As
- his
- condition
- worsens
- and
- his
- past
- accomplishments
- lose
- their
- luster,
- Son
- must
- ask
- himself
- if
- a
- lifetime
- of
- success
- came
- at
- too
- great
- a
- price.
- With
- Laurel
- at
- his
- bedside,
- he
- has
- one
- last
- chance
- to
- connect,
- to
- create
- something
- of
- true
- and
- everlasting
- value.
- Will
- he
- be
- brave
- enough
- to
- take
- it?A
- rich
- and
- satisfying
- portrait
- of
- one
- man’s
- life
- from
- beginning
- to
- end,
- Old
- Powder
- Man
- affirmed
- Joan
- Williams’s
- reputation
- as
- one
- of
- the
- most
- skillful
- and
- psychologically
- astute
- novelists
- of
- her generation.
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