Addie Pray
{{Short description|1971 novel by Joe David Brown}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox book
| name = Addie Pray
| image_size =
| alt =
| author = Joe David Brown
| country = United States
| language = English
| genre = Fiction
| publisher = Simon & Schuster
| pub_date = June 1, 1971
| media_type = Print (hardcover)
| pages = 313 pp
| awards =
| isbn = 978-0671209629
| image = File:Addie_Pray_book_cover.jpg
}}
Addie Pray is a 1971 novel by Joe David Brown. It was adapted for the 1973 film Paper Moon, directed by Peter Bogdanovich. After the film's release, the novel was retitled Paper Moon.
The 1974 ABC situation comedy Paper Moon, which aired from September 1974 to January 1975, was based on the 1973 movie and the characters created for Addie Pray.Brooks & Marsh, p. 795.
Synopsis
The novel is narrated by Addie, an orphaned girl, who travels with confidence man Moses "Long Boy" Pray in the early 1930s, during the Great Depression. Addie states at the beginning of the novel that Long Boy may or may not be her father; she says that her late mother was the "wildest" girl in her town, and that Long Boy is one of her three possible fathers. Their characters are established in Alabama, and the storyline then carries them to other Southern states around Memphis.
In the second part of the novel, Addie and Moses meet an older conman who teaches them class and sophistication. They then begin dropping fake letters, promising big yields in a silver mine, in order to draw in greedy victims.
In the last third of the novel, Addie is more directly involved in a scam, posing as the long-lost granddaughter of a supposedly wealthy old woman.
Editions
- Addie Pray, Simon & Schuster, 1971. {{ISBN|978-0-671-20962-9}}
- Paper Moon: A Novel, Thunder's Mouth Press, 2002. {{ISBN|978-1-56858-230-6}}
References
=Citations=
{{reflist}}
=Bibliography=
- Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (1995). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows: 1946-Present. Ballantine Books. {{ISBN|0-345-39736-3}}.
Category:American novels adapted into films
Category:Great Depression novels
Category:Novels about con artists
Category:Novels set in Alabama
Category:Novels set in New Orleans
Category:Simon & Schuster books
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