Olivia (Rossner novel) lore, conveyed with gusto and sensuous detail." "The Los Angeles Times" noted that "Olivia" is "a remarkable exploration of the intimate, complex connections between food and emotion..." Ruth Reichl of "The New York Times" wrote in 1994, "Few writers are better than Judith Rossner at describing the agonized ties between mothers and daughters." "Kirkus Reviews", in turn, praised Rossner for her "engrossing characters." Olivia (Rossner novel) Olivia (or, The Weight of the Past) is the penultimate novel by Judith Rossner, author of the critically acclaimed best sellers "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" and "August". Published in 1994 by Crown, "Olivia" examines
Judith Rossner the true story of Roseann Quinn, a 28-year-old schoolteacher who had been brutally murdered in January 1973 by a man she had reportedly picked up in a singles bar. Rossner wrote an article about Quinn, but "Esquire" declined to publish it, fearing legal ramifications. Rossner, who considered herself a "lousy journalist," decided to write the story as a novel. On June 2, 1975, Simon & Schuster published "Looking for Mr. Goodbar", the graphic story of Theresa Dunn, a damaged young woman who teaches children by day and cruises singles bars by night. After picking up a man at Mr. Goodbar,