author
Olive Higgins Prouty
1882–1974
Best known for the hugely popular novels Stella Dallas and Now, Voyager, this American writer brought emotional honesty and women’s inner lives to a wide readership. Her stories often explore family strain, independence, and the search for healing.
2 Audiobooks
The Fifth Wheel: A Novel
by Olive Higgins Prouty
Bobbie, General Manager: A Novel
by Olive Higgins Prouty
About the author
Olive Higgins Prouty was an American novelist and poet born in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1882. She studied at Smith College and went on to build a successful writing career in the early 20th century, publishing fiction that connected strongly with general readers.
She is especially remembered for Stella Dallas (1923) and Now, Voyager (1941), two novels that reached even wider audiences through famous screen adaptations. Her work often focused on women’s emotional lives, family relationships, and the pressures of social expectations.
Prouty’s writing is also noted for taking psychotherapy seriously at a time when that was still unusual in popular fiction. She died in Brookline, Massachusetts, in 1974, leaving behind books that helped bring women’s inner struggles and resilience into mainstream American storytelling.