Bibliofuture Author Spotlight: Gladys Hasty Carroll

Gladys Hasty Carroll ’25’s first novel for adults, As the Earth Turns, was released in 1933. The results were immediate and astonishing.

The story of a farm family in southern Maine vaulted up best-seller lists, was chosen by the Book of the Month Club and was snapped up by Hollywood. Critics praised the book for its insight and honesty. Carroll went from little-known children’s writer to national celebrity.

Time passed, tastes changed, and Carroll’s literary fame faded. But to Carroll, of South Berwick, the worst indignity was not being overlooked, but being misunderstood. Later readers and scholars — many from outside the state — read her story but dismissed her largely positive portrayal of rural Maine life, she says.

“They said Maine life isn’t like that and never was,” says Carroll. “But I know it is true.”

Full story here.

As the Earth Turns on WorldCat