Ferber's enduringly famous novel about a theatrical troupe plying the great rivers of the United States; a major subplot involves interracial marriage (illegal at the time in the state of Mississippi). The novel formed the basis of the 1927 musical "Show Boat" by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II.
A note for the sensitive: Certain elements of plot and language may seem racist by the standards of today. Please keep in mind the era in which it was written as you read it.
