''Addie Pray'' is a 1971 novel by Joe David Brown. It was adapted for the 1973 film '' Paper Moon'', directed by

Peter Bogdanovich Peter Bogdanovich (July 30, 1939 – January 6, 2022) was an American director, writer, actor, producer, critic, and film historian. He started out his career as a young actor studying under Stella Adler before working as a film critic for ''Fi ...

. After the film's release, the novel was retitled ''Paper Moon''. The 1974 ABC

situation comedy A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

'' 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 The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. 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 Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, and the storyline then carries them to other Southern states around Memphis. The film version retains these characters and much of their action but moves the story to

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

and

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

. In the second part of the novel, from which the movie diverges further, 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. * ''Paper Moon: A Novel'', Thunder's Mouth Press, 2002.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (1995). ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows: 1946-Present''. Ballantine Books. . 1971 American novels American novels adapted into films Pray, Addie Great Depression novels Novels about orphans Novels about con artists Novels set in Alabama Novels set in New Orleans Simon & Schuster books {{1970s-novel-stub