Kate Vaiden

Kate Vaiden (Masterplots II: American Fiction Series, Revised Edition)

At a glance:

  • Author: Reynolds Price
  • First Published: 1986
  • Type of Plot: Psychological realism
  • Time of Work: 1937 to 1984
  • Setting: North Carolina and Virginia
  • Principal Characters: Kate Vaiden, Frances Vaiden, Dan Vaiden, Caroline, Holt Porter, Swift Porter, Walter Porter, Gaston Stegall, Douglas Lee
  • Genres: Long fiction
  • Subjects: Child rearing or parenting
  • Locales: South (U.S.)

The Novel

Kate Vaiden’s protagonist is an aging woman trying to exorcise the demons of her past. She needs to recount the events of her troubled life to the son she abandoned more than forty years ago, when he was four months old, to win his forgiveness. In piecing together her story, Kate discovers much about herself and reveals an impressive inner strength.

In 1984, Kate Vaiden is recovering from cancer surgery. Her life-threatening cervical carcinoma causes her to reflect upon her life and makes her determined to find the son she, as a frightened, unmarried,...

[The entire page is 2478 words long]

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