''Chilly Scenes of Winter'' is

Ann Beattie Ann Beattie (born September 8, 1947) is an American novelist and short story writer. She has received an award for excellence from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters and the PEN/Malamud Award for excellence in the short story ...

's first novel, published by

Doubleday Doubleday may refer to: * Doubleday (surname), including a list of people with the name Publishing imprints * Doubleday (publisher), imprint of Knopf Doubleday, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House * Doubleday Canada, imprint of Penguin Random ...

in 1976. The marketing copy from the paperback edition declared, "This is the story of a love-smitten Charles; his friend Sam, the

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

and former coat salesman; and Charles' mother, who spends a lot of time in the bathtub feeling depressed." The title comes from the

Cousin Emmy Cynthia May Carver (March 14, 1903 – April 11, 1980), known professionally as Cousin Emmy, was a banjo player, fiddler and country singer who was one of the pioneering solo female stars in the country music industry. Although hit records elude ...

song ''Chilly Scenes of Winter'' from the album ''The New Lost City Ramblers with Cousin Emmy'', which the novel's protagonist Charles listens to. The song tells of the fickle love of an inconstant woman.

Plot

As the novel begins in the time between Christmas and New Year's, Charles, several days short of his 27th birthday, is dealing with his mentally ill mother's recent hospitalization. His 19-year-old sister is home from college for the holidays. Neither is fond of their step-father Pete, a friend of their late father, who died of a heart attack at the age of 39. His mother has been hospitalized in a mental institution in the past. Charles is obsessively in love with Laura, a married woman who once worked as a librarian for his employer. After she left her husband, they lived together briefly, but she returned home. He still yearns for a reconciliation with Laura. He must plow through his dull daily life while dealing with his feelings for her and coping with his family and his friend Sam.

Film adaptation

The novel was adapted into a film, called ''Head Over Heels'' in its original 1979 release. It was unsuccessful at the box office. It was re-released with a new ending as '' Chilly Scenes of Winter'' in 1982, and turned a profit. Beattie herself had a cameo in the movie. Whereas the first version was faithful to the novel in having an upbeat ending, the second version had a downbeat ending.

References

1976 American novels Novels by Ann Beattie American novels adapted into films Doubleday (publisher) books 1976 debut novels {{1970s-novel-stub