Gail Godwin

Evenings at Five

Gail Godwin, born in 1937, grew up in the mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, where she went to live with her mother and her grandmother, a recent widow, after Godwin’s parents divorced. Her father reappeared at her high school graduation, and they reconciled. A few years later, he committed suicide.

From Evenings at Five:

“Five o’clock sharp…the grinding of the ice, a growling, workmanlike sound, a lot like Rudy’s own sound, compliments of the GE model Rudy had picked out fourteen years ago when they built this house…He built Christina’s drink with loving precision, ‘eet is cocktail time.’”

The first story she wrote was about a henpecked husband. Inspired by the sight of her mother writing (and being paid for) newspaper articles and romance stories, she was determined to write fiction but knew that she had to be practical, so she majored in journalism.

After graduation from the University of North Carolina, she worked as a reporter for a Miami newspaper, then at the United States Travel Service at the U.S. Embassy in London, returning home after six years. She attended the University of Iowa, earning first her MA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and then a PhD in English literature.

In 1971, Godwin published her first novel and met the composer Robert Starer. Their collaboration on an opera led to a partnership and romance that lasted until his death in 2001. An avid painter, Godwin has said that she learns about her characters by painting them.

At a writers’ conference in 2012, Godwin said: “What is my emotional attitude?…[I]t’s something about wanting to escape from whatever confines I’m in, and at the same time…realizing the precious gifts of the shadows to be found in those confines.” Her most recent novel is Flora.

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Five O’clock Sharp

In Evenings at Five, every night until he died, Rudy lovingly built Christina a gin and tonic.

2 oz. gin

3/4 oz. fresh-squeezed lemon juice

1/2 oz. maraschino liqueur

Splash of tonic water

Wedge of lime

Combine all ingredients except lime wedge in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass over ice. Garnish with lime. Serves 1.