Rainbow on the Road by Esther Forbes - 1954
by Esther Forbes
Rainbow on the Road
by Esther Forbes
- Used
- fair
- Hardcover
- first
About the book
Rainbow on the Road is a 1954 novel by Esther Forbes, in which a peddler-artist named Jude spends his winters painting the figures of men and women on canvases, while leaving the faces blank. When spring comes, he travels by cart to various New England towns, charging people $3 to $5 to have the blank faces filled in with their likenesses.
The simple plot is essentially a series of vignettes. Jude saves a young woman from making a disastrous marriage to an older man by creating a portrait as if she had drowned herself — as did the old man's previous wife. Jude flirts with a sexy tavern mistress whose face just happens to fit the Rubens-style nude painting that he seldom shows to anyone. The most dramatic moment occurs when a sheriff mistakenly arrests him in the mistaken belief that he is an infamous highwayman.
Rainbow on the Road's chief rewards are in the portrayal of local types and their colorful phrases ("She was plump as a little pig. active as sin, awkward as a calf, and not much more legs on her than a pigeon"). The evocations of New England during the four seasons are memorable, as in the book's late-autumn ending: "Crows were out gleaning, looking like blown bits of charred paper. And talking all the time — like crows talk. Far above, the lonely hawk floating. Harvest is over. It is the lone-somest time of the year."
The novel (published by Houghton Mifflin, and now out of print) forms the basis of the 1969 Broadway musical, Come Summer.
About the Author
Esther Louise Forbes (June 28, 1891 – August 12, 1967) was an American novelist, historian and children's writer who received the Pulitzer Prize and the Newbery Medal.
- Bookseller The Reading Hour (US)
- Format/Binding Good
- Book Condition Used - Fair
- Jacket Condition none
- Quantity Available 1
- Edition First
- Binding Hardcover
- Publisher Houghton Mifflin Company
- Place of Publication United States
- Date Published 1954
- Keywords Fiction, Classics, 1954 American Novels, New England, American Novels adapted into play
We have 29 copies available starting at £2.20.
Rainbow on the road
by Forbes, Esther
- Used
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Used
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Seller
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Derwood, Maryland, United States
- Item Price
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£2.20
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Rainbow on the Road
by Forbes, Esther
- Used
- very good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- Good
- Edition
- Book Club (BCE/BOMC)
- Binding
- Hardcover
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Tolar, Texas, United States
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£3.21
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Rainbow on the Road
by Esther Forbes
- Used
- good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Quantity Available
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Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States
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£1.20
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Rainbow on the Road
by Forbes, Esther
- Used
- good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Jacket Condition
- Good
- Edition
- Book Club (BCE/BOMC)
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Quantity Available
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Tolar, Texas, United States
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£4.02
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Rainbow on the Road
by Forbes, Esther (Author)
- Used
- very good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Used - Very Good
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- Good+
- Edition
- Book Club (BCE/BOMC)
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- Hardcover
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Richland, Washington, United States
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£4.42
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RAINBOW ON THE ROAD
by ESTHER FORBES
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- good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Used - GOOD
- Binding
- Hardcover
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New Britain, Pennsylvania, United States
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£4.02
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Rainbow on the Road
by Esther Forbes
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
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- USED Good
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- Fair Jacket
- Edition
- Book Club Edition
- Binding
- Hardcover
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Montclair, New Jersey, United States
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£4.82
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Rainbow on the Road
by Forbes, Esther
- Used
- good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Used - Good
- Jacket Condition
- Good
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Quantity Available
- 1
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Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
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£4.02
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When Angels Fall
by McKinney, Meagan
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- Hardcover
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- Used - Good
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- Hardcover
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Tolar, Texas, United States
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£5.62
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Rainbow on the road
by Forbes, Esther
- Used
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Used - Good condition
- Binding
- Hardcover
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Readville, Massachusetts, United States
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£5.62