BOOK-OF-THE-MONTH CLUB NEWS - A Note About the JULY Selection

Sep 29, 2026

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Editorial note introducing the July selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club, centered on The Story of Mrs. Murphy by Natalie Anderson Scott. The judges discuss why the novel stands out in contemporary American writing, emphasizing its compassionate, compelling portrayal of alcoholism and its effects on multiple family members. Reviews by Clifton Fadiman highlight the story’s realism, moral impact, and ability to compel the reader without sensationalism, while also noting the disturbing nature of some episodes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages28

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

A Note About the JULY Selection

The judges’ assessment of the novel

Clifton Fadiman’s review

Alc oholism theme and family portrait

BOOK-OF-THE-MONTH CLUB NEWS947 The reproduction on the front cover is William ll of Nassa1 and Oranb ~1 VADy(—Se inside of back cover for description # ED1TORIAL BoARD OF THE BOOK-OF-THE-MONTH CLUB DorothyClifton Fadimanoo.MarguandChristopher MorleyHenry Seidel Canlairman # A Note About the JULY Selection T LHE judges this month share the feeling that The Storyof Mrs.Murphy"represents an important event in contem-porary American writing.It is,in turn,compassionate,compelling,understanding,and sometimes sordid;but,as CliftonFadiman states,"It is extraordinary particularly for the dignity andhumanity that transfigure its most sordid episodes." It is a novel about a young man whose difficulty in adjustinghimself to his family,his surroundings,and society lead him toalcoholism;a portrait of the effects of this calamity upon threewomen who love him;an unsympathetic father;a loyal,all-forgivingmother;a brother who is a priest;another brother who is a police-man;—and others in his life.It is,Mr.Fadiman says,"one of themost remarkable American novels I have read in years." Ihe Story ofMRS.MURPHYbyN by NATALIE ANDERSON ScoTT # THE STORY OF MRS.MURPHYBy Natalie Anderson Scott Price $3.00 A Review by Clifton Fadiman capable of working powerfully upon the im-agination of the intelligent reading public,this is it. EVERY now and thena novel emerges outof the mediocre massso true,so real,andso courageous thatit transcends any ap-parent limitation ofsubject-matter,andhits the reading pub-lic with the force of That The Story of Mrs.Murphy,whichexposes the mental and social world of amale drunk,should have been written by awoman,is extraordinary.Its power to per-suade the reader of its reality is remarkable.There is no evasion,no finching,no faking.The story is not necessarily depressing-in-deed it is at times dryly humorous—but itis relentless and it is tragic.Though manyof its episodes offer pictures of squalor,bru-tality and degeneracy,they are all illumi-nated by Miss Scott's imaginative sympathy.She is not out to shock us,but to make uspity,and,above all,to make us understand.One cannot say that her characters are allvirtuous,or that their language is alwayschaste;yet the book as a whole,I wouldmaintain,is profoundly moral in its effect. CLIFTON FADIMAN a bomb.To the minds of your judges TheStory of Mrs.Murphy,by Natalie AndersonScott,may well turn out to be that kind ofbook.I do not know what rank it will finallyassume in our current literature.All I knowis that the reviewer's cliché—I cannot-put-it-down—is true in my case.Here is a novel sodceply felt that,though its scene and char-acters may bc remote from our immediateexperience,it cannot fail to find a passageto our hearts and to our brains—providedwe are willing to face the troubling realityit pictures. On the other hand,I am not trying togloss over the frankness with which certainof its episodes are presented.There are manyreaders who will want to read this book,andare willing to sustain a slight shock here andthere.There are some-and their feelingsare worthy of complete respect—who willprefer not to have The Story of Mrs.Murphyin their living rooms.All your judges cansay is that in their opinion this book is nota work of sensationalism,but a work of real-istic art,and is so offered to those of ourmembers who may wish to select it. It is reasonable to suppose that sooner orlatcr some onc would produce a novel thatwould do for alcoholism,roughly speaking,what Uncle Tom's Cabin did for slavery andMain Street for our village mores.I do notclaim that Natalie Anderson Scott’s TheStory of Mrs.Murphy will have the effectof Uncle Tom's Cabin.Nor do I claim thatits author has the talent of the author ofMain Street.I claim only that if any workof imagination dealing with alcoholism is The narrative follows the whiskey-soakedfortunes of Jim Murphy,a young lower-mid-dle-class American living in a city which isnever exactly located,but may be New York.H

FAQs

What is the July selection focused on?

The July selection centers on The Story of Mrs. Murphy by Natalie Anderson Scott, presented as a significant work in contemporary American writing.

How do the judges characterize the novel’s qualities?

They describe it as compassionate, compelling, understanding, and realistic, with dignity and humanity that illuminate even the sordid episodes.

What central issue does the novel portray?

The novel portrays alcoholism through Jim Murphy’s descent and the effects on the women and family members who love him.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Stanford