Praise for Saving Miss Oliver’s
“Some are called to serve in schools. Some are called to write. Davenport is called to both.”—Annie Dillard
“From the very first paragraphs, Saving Miss Oliver’s is an engaging read and is very highly recommended to all general fiction readers…”—Midwest Book Review
“There are moments here that indicate that Davenport, who, as his bio notes, ‘had a long career in education,’ was probably an excellent teacher, like a scene in which Francis explicates a Robert Frost poem with his class, and there are some wonderful students, like the head of the school newspaper who is conducting research about the sex lives of students… A book for anyone who’s wondered about the inner workings and worries of a school administration.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Stephen Davenport has written a first novel that resonated with me. Saving Miss Oliver’s is about the change of leadership at a small private girls’ school, but it could as easily have been any change of leadership anywhere… This book kept me happily entertained from beginning to end.”—Bookloons
“Steve Davenport is a consummate schoolmaster and a gifted writer. In this splendid first novel, Davenport builds on all the other exceptional ‘school’ novels: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, The Rector of Justin, The Headmaster’s Papers and The River King. Saving Miss Oliver’s is a must read for anyone who appreciates the seasons of a school’s life and the lives of people who make schools work.”—Peter Buttenheim, Sanford School, Hockessin, DE
“Steve Davenport’s novel is fast-paced, entertaining and singularly evocative of the pressure-cooker atmosphere of a boarding school. Steve knows schools, and he brings us face to face with their passions, their absurdities and their virtues—especially when it comes to schools for girls.”—Rachel Belash, Former Head of Miss Porter’s School, Farmington, CT
NO IVORY TOWER
NO IVORY TOWER
A Novel
STEPHEN DAVENPORT
Text © 2019 by Stephen Davenport
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real people or schools of any of the characters or schools in the novel is coincidental and unintended.
Cover image: Ivailo Nikolov/Shutterstock.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file
ISBN 9781513262024 (paperback) | 9781513262048 (ebook) | 9781513262031 (hardbound)
Published by West Margin Press®
Proudly distributed by Ingram Publisher Services
WEST MARGIN PRESS
Publishing Director: Jennifer Newens
Marketing Manager: Angela Zbornik
Editor: Olivia Ngai
Design & Production: Rachel Lopez Metzger
IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF DAVID MALLERY.
CONTENTS
