A series of ten interconnected stories set in l945 and spanning a three-year period, Fanny of Stratford Court takes the reader into a world of change, adult intrigue and a neighborhood where people care about one another.
Each story is its own chapter, and is narrated by Fanny Cutler who begins the first episode at age eleven. Longer stories are divided into parts. By virtue of the unusual people she encounters, the reader explores the strength of Fanny's Jewish, immigrant family and travels the fascinating paths she encounters in the process of growing up.
Perhaps the most influential character in Fanny's life is Tessie Silver, introduced in the second adventure. A woman with a modicum of fame as a radio pianist and vocalist, Tessie is forced to leave New York and live "in hiding" on Stratford Court. The threads of her story are revealed through three episodes in the collection, allowing the reader to meet the famous star, Fanny Brice, Tessie's wayward husband, Joe Stein, and a world as intricate and tenderly human as the radio soap operas Fanny and Tessie listen to daily.
At the conclusion, the reader has essentially grown up with Fanny and her compelling family. In the final episode, Honey, Sugar and Pieces, Fanny's more sheltered world takes upon an even more adult dimension as she delicately explores the suffering of her father's first cousin and his wife, victims of World War II. Fanny realizes many things, most importantly how lucky she was to have been born in America.
Story titles are as follows:
