''Songs in Ordinary Time'' is the 1995 novel by

Mary McGarry Morris Mary McGarry Morris (born February 10, 1943) is an American novelist, short story author and playwright from New England. She uses its towns as settings for her works. In 1991, Michiko Kakutani of ''The New York Times'' described Morris as "on ...

, and was chosen as an

Oprah's Book Club Oprah's Book Club was a book discussion club segment of the American talk show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', highlighting books chosen by host Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey started the book club in 1996, selecting a new book, usually a novel, for viewers ...

selection in June 1997.

Plot introduction

A novel set in a small town in Vermont in 1960 offers the story of lonely and vulnerable Marie Fermoyle, her three children, and a dangerous con man.

Movie

A made-for-television film adaptation, starring

Sissy Spacek Mary Elizabeth Spacek (; born December 25, 1949) is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and nominations for four Briti ...

and

Beau Bridges Lloyd Vernet "Beau" Bridges III (born December 9, 1941) is an American actor and director. He is a three-time Emmy, two-time Golden Globe and one-time Grammy Award winner, as well as a two-time Screen Actors Guild Award nominee. Bridges was awa ...

was released in 2000. The film was directed by

Rod Holcomb Rod Holcomb is an American television director and producer, best known for directing the pilot and finale of '' ER''. He has directed episodes of numerous television series, including '' Quincy, M.E.'', ''The Six Million Dollar Man'', '' Battle ...

, screenplay written by Malcolm Macrury, with music by

Anthony Marinelli Anthony Marinelli (born March 19, 1959) is an American musician, composer and conductor. In his early career, he composed and performed accompaniment on the synthesizer for albums including Michael Jackson's ''Thriller'' (1983). Marinelli has ...

References

1995 novels Novels set in Vermont Fiction set in 1960 {{1990s-novel-stub