Gregory, Patrick

PERSONAL: Married; wife's name, Justina. Education: Graduated from University of Virginia, 1954.

ADDRESSES: Home—Northampton, MA. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Syracuse University Press, 621 Skytop Rd., Ste. 110, Syracuse, NY 13244-5290.

CAREER: Has worked as a book editor in New York, NY.

WRITINGS:

The Daguerreotype (novel), Syracuse University Press (Syracuse, NY), 2004.

SIDELIGHTS: A former editor, Patrick Gregory had his first book, The Daguerreotype, published in 2004. An historical novel set between the years 1849 and 1929, the narrative follows the life of Elizabeth Gow, who leaves her native England to accompany her father in his pursuit of an academic career in the United States. Gow is a young woman of high ideals and dreams, who, like her adopted country, undergoes a profound transformation as she matures and survives several hardships that end at the beginning of the Great Depression. After she and her father travel to the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Gow dies unexpectedly and Elizabeth is left to fend for herself. Having little money, she finds work as a piano teacher and later marries an Irish immigrant. The couple have two sons, but when her husband's business fails, she is once again forced to take responsibility for her future.

A Kirkus Reviews contributor felt that the book's heroine is "distant, self-contained, and taciturn," adding that "the narrative gives the impression of having been begun in leisure and finished in haste." Yet many reviewers of The Daguerreotype found the writing accomplished and Elizabeth's story captivating. A Library Bookwatch writer called Gregory's debut a "thoroughly rewarding and erudite reading experience," and Booklist reviewer Brad Hooper enjoyed "Gregory's purposefully rich language and … florescent tone."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 15, 2004, Brad Hooper, review of The Daguerreotype, p. 1609.

Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2004, review of The Daguerreotype, p. 411.

Library Bookwatch, September, 2004, review of The Daguerreotype.

Publishers Weekly, July 5, 2004, p. 39.

ONLINE

Syracuse University Press Web site, http://syracuseuniversitypress.syr.edu/ (February 8, 2005), "Patrick Gregory."