How Long to Read Confessions of Madame Psyche

By Dorothy Bryant

How Long Does it Take to Read Confessions of Madame Psyche?

It takes the average reader 6 hours and 55 minutes to read Confessions of Madame Psyche by Dorothy Bryant

Assuming a reading speed of 250 words per minute. Learn more

Description

1987 American Book Award Winner A A A This ambitious and enchanting novel is both modern-day epic and a work of great emotional and spiritual death. Bold in its historical scope, rich in colorful settings, and eminently readable, Confessions of Madame Psyche also reaches inward, toward quieter truths. A A A The novel is narrated by Mei0li Murrow, born in San Francisco in 1895, the illegitimate daughter of a charismatic confidence man and the Chinese prostitute he has "rescued" from the streets. After her mother's early death, Mei-li is left to care of her mercenary half-sister Erika. When the young Mei-li, by pure coincidence, predicts the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, Erika contructs her identity as "Madame Psyche"-exploiting Mei'li's exoticism and her clients' yearnings for contact with the dead in a series of ingeniously orchestrated seances that win her renown as a medium in California and then in the death-soaked Europe of the First World War. A A A Ironically, it is when she manages to finally reject the popular "spirituality" that has made her famous that Mei-li experiences a truer spiritual vision: One day, while walking on the beach, she has a revelation of her connection to all of life-"an experience of hidden reality which I have never doubted...and which left me permanently changed by what I then knew and know still and will always know." A A A Mei-li's subsequent journey leads her through the aspirations and disappointments of a utopian commune in the Santa Cruz Mountains in the 1920s; to the poverty of migrant work camps in the Depression-era Salinas Valley; and to the courage of the first strikes on San Jose's cannery row. Finally, when the relentless Erika cheats her out of an inheritance by having her committed to the Napa State Hospital, Mee-li finds her greatest wisdom and peace among the outcasts of the asylum-and there writes her "confessions." A A A Mei'li's story is ensconed in the rich history of Northern California in the first half of the twentieth century, and peopled by comrades of many classes and cultures and lovers both male and female; but her central odyssey remains one of inner discovery. In Confessions of Madame Psyche, Dorothy Bryant has created a character who is so honest in her search for truth, growth, and spiritual understanding that this quest becomes inherent to her survival.

How long is Confessions of Madame Psyche?

Confessions of Madame Psyche by Dorothy Bryant is 412 pages long, and a total of 103,824 words.

This makes it 139% the length of the average book. It also has 127% more words than the average book.

How Long Does it Take to Read Confessions of Madame Psyche Aloud?

The average oral reading speed is 183 words per minute. This means it takes 9 hours and 27 minutes to read Confessions of Madame Psyche aloud.

What Reading Level is Confessions of Madame Psyche?

Confessions of Madame Psyche is suitable for students ages 12 and up.

Note that there may be other factors that effect this rating besides length that are not factored in on this page. This may include things like complex language or sensitive topics not suitable for students of certain ages.

When deciding what to show young students always use your best judgement and consult a professional.

Where Can I Buy Confessions of Madame Psyche?

Confessions of Madame Psyche by Dorothy Bryant is sold by several retailers and bookshops. However, Read Time works with Amazon to provide an easier way to purchase books.

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