The Choir Invisible

The Choir Invisible is a novel by James Lane Allen published in 1897. A bestseller,[1][2] it was the second-best selling book in the United States for 1897.

For the California band, see Choir Invisible.
The Choir Invisible
1897 book cover
AuthorJames Lane Allen
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreNovel
PublisherMacmillan
Publication date
April 1897
Media typePrint (Hardcover)
Pages361 pp

A poignant love story, it is set in Kentucky[3] in 1795 and begins with a portion of the poem "Choir Invisible" by George Eliot.[4] Though criticized for lacking depth, being full of digressions, and "artistically disappointing", it was his most popular novel.[5] An 1897 review in The Atlantic Monthly faulted the book for its "meagre" structure, yet praised its tone and style.[6] The book is often regarded as Allen's best work.[7]

The novel was developed from a novelette Allen published in 1893 titled "John Gray: A Kentucky Tale of the Olden Time".[8]

References
  1. (6 October 1946). Fifty Years of Best Sellers, compiled in Popular Culture
  2. (19 February 1925). James Lane Allen, Author, Dies at 76: Creator of "The Choir Invisible" Collapses In Roosevelt Hospital From Chronic Insommnia, The New York Times
  3. "James Lane Allen (1849-1925). The Choir Invisible. Keller, ed. 1917. The Reader's Digest of Books". www.bartleby.com.
  4. "The Choir Invisible by James Lane Allen" – via www.gutenberg.org.
  5. Bottorff, William K. (1964). James Lane Allen: A Sketch of His Life & Work. Twayne's United States authors series. 56. New York: Twayne. pp. 69–72. OCLC 252052738.
  6. "Mr. Allen's The Choir Invisible". The Atlantic Monthly. Vol. 80. 1897. pp. 143–44.
  7. Inge, M. Thomas, ed. (2014). "Allen, James Lane". The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture. 9: Literature. UNC Press. p. 166. ISBN 9781469616643.
  8. Bottorff, p. 161, note 2.
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