Small town girl wants to grow up to be the best she can be, and be loved

The Best of All Possible Daphnes: A Love Story

David Culp

David Culp used to have a day job in Washington, D.C. He and his wife raised two daughters in Northern Virginia. He attended schools in Ohio and North Carolina, and has travelled as far Southwest as the Galapagos and as far Northeast as Katmandu. And Further. When he is not writing “intelligent, entertaining books,” David spends his time playing the cello, enjoying primarily jazz and blues, fighting climate change, and filling the numerous bird feeders in their back yard. He’s published two other novels: The Book of Mathew L. Carrie: An American Classic, and is working on more.

Daphne knew she wasn’t the prettiest girl, or the smartest, and that she sucked at Math. But she was the oldest of the five Larsen kids, growing up in a small town in Ohio, and that carried responsibilities. She wanted her talents to be recognized, but wanted to be fair, and she wanted to know that the people she loved loved her too. Sometimes she went looking for love in unusual places. In college, ready to graduate in 1958, Daphne got excited when she was invited to audition for the Executive Training Institute at the third (sometimes fourth) largest American automobile manufacturer, in Detroit. Did she ever look back? Did she ever back down? There would be many challenges to a woman in the high-powered business world of the 1960s and ‘70s. When she slipped, Daphne knew what it took to try to do better, and part of that was helping others to be their best, too. She eventually did a damned good job of finding love. But there were a few missteps on the way. David Culp’s novel The Best of All Possible Daphnes explores the world Daphne Larsen knew she had the ability to thrive in. It is a worthy companion to his other two novels, about Daphne’s younger siblings, The Book of Mathew L. and Carrie: An American Classic.

College educated people who have had some experience through the struggles for social justice and equal rights in the last half of the 20th Century. I believe this book, more than my others, will have special appeal to women who have faced some challenge in finding their own place, while balancing hopes for mature romantic relationships.

Very early on in writing this novel, I came upon a stock photo of a little girl skipping rope. I include this below, in the file section. If this image -- or a picture like it -- were used, it would be nice (though the background could be improved). The image I have is an 8-year-old girl with copperish hair, being energetic, and intent on being the best rope-jumper she can, with her back to us. It is 1945, and her world is always sunny. A scene based on the image actually kicks off the novel, before the little girl grows up as the title character.

Keep it simple. A drawing would be acceptable, but NOT a cartoon or a caricature.