Catherine Marshall’s best-selling Christy celebrates milestone anniversary
Publisher of Gilead Publishing’s Evergreen Farm imprint
about Catherine Marshall’s Christy
Catherine
Marshall’s Christy landed on the New York Times list on November 5, 1967.
Since then, more than 10 million copies have been sold worldwide, and the book
blazed a trail for the new Christian fiction genre. In 1994, more families were
introduced to the beloved character, Christy, and to the works of Marshall when
the story inspired a CBS television movie pilot starring Kellie Martin that was
so well received, it became a TV series.
In
conjunction with the bestselling book’s Golden Anniversary, the e-book will be
available for the first time. Readers can purchase the digital edition through
online retailers, and libraries can now include the digital book in their
OverDrive collection. Its re-release will introduce a new generation of readers
to the story that has delighted millions and inspired many authors in the
Christian genre. Christy will also
mark the first release under Gilead Publishing’s Evergreen Farm imprint,
specializing in books written by both Catherine Marshall and Dr. Peter
Marshall.
Q: Why do you think Christy resonated with so many people at
the time it was written? What makes
this story as culturally relevant today as it was when it was first written?
Christy was first
released in 1967, a turbulent time in our nation’s history. Americans were politically
at odds with one another, and protest, frustration, anger and violence in the
streets of America were at new heights. The civil rights movement faced
tensions as the Black Power movement challenged the Martin Luther King
non-violent protest approach. The number of young people drafted to fight in
the Vietnam war brought the reality of death to many families. Drugs were
rampant.
The story of Christy, though set
50 years earlier, was not so different from the time in which the novel was
first published or today. The Mission represented the desire of outsiders to
live alongside the mountain people and provide education and guidance. In
reality, it was an attempt to create social change. The centuries-old “mountain
ways” were threatened by the Mission school and its “newfangled” ideas.
Christy's desire to educate her students, challenge superstitions, and to open
up opportunities for them outside of the Cove threatened the fabric of the
lives of these isolated people and even the cohesion of their community. Evil
existed in the excesses of alcohol and the problems of an economy heavily
dependent on the sale of the moonshine. Feuding caused deaths that seemed
senseless and tore families apart.
Now we are nearly in the 2020s,
and Christy is just as relevant today
as ever before. Wherever there are young people who are passionate about
impacting others, changing society’s social problems or caring for those who
are impoverished or uneducated, there is Christy.
Q: What would Catherine Marshall think of the book being
so popular that it became a beloved TV series?
Because Christy was on the New York Times best-sellers list for 38
weeks, there was a heated bidding war for the movie rights. MGM purchased the
movie rights to Christy shortly after
it became a blockbuster success. In 1969, the movie was in pre-production. A
well-known director and award-winning scriptwriter were engaged by the studio.
The script was written, and just like she did with the popular movie, A Man Called Peter, Catherine consulted with
the studio. Then MGM was sold, and every picture in production was canceled. As
you can imagine, it was a deep disappointment to Catherine. The Christy film rights, which had been sold
to MGM, were locked up for decades and held hostage by the studio that had no
plans to do anything with the rights or the script now relegated to the
basement files. This story, perfect for dramatization, was owned by a studio
with no desire to bring it to life.
The CBS TV series resurrected the
dream of Christy on-screen again —
this time on television. Although Catherine was not alive to enjoy those
episodes, her family was thrilled with Kellie Martin’s portrayal of Christy. We
believe Catherine would have agreed and been delighted to see the character of
Christy come alive visually and dramatically. Many of the episodes were drawn
directly from the novel. A number of the endearing school children in the
series were local to the area, and some had never acted before. The portrayal
of Christy, Dr. MacNeill and Miss Alice by experienced actors who were ideal
for their parts brought the novel’s characters to life.
Catherine would have appreciated
the authenticity brought to the series by the producers. She was a stickler for
historic research both in Christy and
her next novel, Julie. She believed the historic detail and the use
of it in her vivid descriptions, plotting and characterizations transported the
reader back in time to the community and brought them alongside Christy in
“real time” as she was experiencing the Cove. The authenticity of the location
in which the series was filmed, the depiction of the Mission buildings, the
detail in recreating this Scottish highlander mountain community and the care
of the writers and the producers to bring the novel to life made the series a
success.
Now, what about Christy’s
dramatic big screen or television future? There is nothing in the works right
now. It was always Catherine’s hope that one day Christy would be a film
musical. We can dream.
Q: How has Christy shaped Christian fiction and the
Christian publishing industry as a whole?
Christy was a
trailblazer. When it was released in 1967, there really wasn’t much of a
“Christian fiction” genre. The book’s acclaim and success was an inspiration to
a new wave of authors who went on to become the foundation of Christian
fiction. When this category of writing achieved enough momentum to require its
own set of awards in 1999, it was only fitting to name The Christy Awards after
Catherine Marshall’s pioneer novel that set the bar so high.
Many of the greatest Christian
fiction stories throughout the years also take a page from the character of
Christy Huddleston herself. One of the reasons she is so relatable is that she
struggles, falters and doubts. For most of us, our first true exposure to the
darkness and brokenness of the world rocks our worldview, and Christy is no
different. Catherine Marshall wanted to emphasize that it’s OK — even
appropriate — to be filled with questions in the face of tragedy and evil. Christy
has good intentions, but she’s definitely not a super-Christian. It’s the
influence of this character, one whose relatability transcends generation or
geography, that continues to help shape the genre.
Q: Are there special features in the new edition for both
those who have read and loved Christy many years ago and younger generations
who aren’t familiar with the book?
Actually, there are no
commemorative features. In this new edition we went back to the original model,
creating a book that can be easily read by millions of new readers. Our
intention was to create a book to be read, not placed in a shelf as a keepsake.
In addition to this new hardcover addition, the book is available in digital
format for the first time. We’re so
excited to be able to reach new readers with the e-book.
Learn more about the 50th
anniversary of Christy plus download
a free map of Cutter Gap by visiting www.christybook.com. Readers can also keep up with news on future Evergreen Farm
releases via Facebook (@gileadpublishing) and Twitter (@GileadPub).
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