The Sweet Taste of Muscadines
A Novel
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
A woman returns to her small southern hometown in the wake of her mother’s sudden death—only to find the past upended by stunning family secrets—in this intimate debut novel, written with deep compassion and sharp wit.
“A deeply moving work of Southern fiction that will appeal to fans of Where the Crawdads Sing . . . a story to remember long after the last page is turned.”—Susan Wiggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lost and Found Bookshop
Lila Bruce Breedlove never quite felt at home in Wesleyan, Georgia, especially after her father’s untimely demise when she was a child. Both Lila and her brother, Henry, fled north after high school, establishing fulfilling lives of their own. In contrast, their younger sister, Abigail, opted to remain behind to dote on their domineering, larger-than-life mother, Geneva. Yet despite their independence, Lila and Henry know deep down that they’ve never quite reckoned with their upbringing.
When their elderly mother dies suddenly and suspiciously in the muscadine arbor behind the family estate, Lila and Henry return to the town that essentially raised them. But as they uncover the facts about Geneva’s death, shocking truths are revealed that overturn the family’s history as they know it, sending the pair on an extraordinary journey to chase a truth that will dramatically alter the course of their lives. The Sweet Taste of Muscadines reminds us all that true love never dies.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Terry debuts with a spellbinding account of long-buried secrets coming to light in the wake of a matriarch's death. Lila Bruce Breedlove, the eldest of the three Bruce children, has long been avoiding her hometown of Wesleyan, Ga., since moving to Rhode Island for college, marrying a former professor, and settling down in Maine. She's the only one of her siblings old enough to remember life before her father was killed in Vietnam, a tragedy that brought a veil of silence and distance over their family. But after her mother dies of a heart attack, Lila returns home. While Lila and her younger brother, Henry, left home after high school, Abigail, the youngest and their mother's favorite, has remained in Wesleyan and continues the traditions of her childhood. As surprises pile up, the siblings begin unraveling their mother's secrets, including the truth about what happened to their father. With stirring prose ("Truth, like beauty, reveals itself as you notice it; the more you see, the more you see") and strong characters, Terry captures the complexities of memory and the difficulties of going home. Fans of Kristin Harmel will want to take a look.
Customer Reviews
Good book
Good book. Raised in the south with parents that struggle with their own truths separately & together. Knowing that their mother dislikes them, but not understanding why & how differently she treats their younger sister, mom’s favorite. Their dad died when they were young & his absence has a huge impact on their lives. Suddenly, their mother dies & long buried secrets start to emerge. Now the oldest of the siblings & the slightly younger brother are in search of the truth & the answers will change the lives of each of the siblings along with some understanding of their mother.
A STORY OF FAMILY & HOME
“Maybe home is more something you carry inside you than the ground on which you stand.”
Lila (Bruce) Breedlove and her brother Henry grew up in the small Southern town of Wesleyan, Georgia. Both of them fled for the North as fast as possible after high school where they established successful and fulfilling lives of their own. Their younger sister, Abigail, opted to stay right there in Wesleyan and dote on their over the top, domineering Mother, Geneva. When Geneva dies suddenly and suspiciously, Lila and Henry must return to their hometown. Upon their arrival, they are astounded by new facts that learn about their Mother’s death. This sends them on a journey of discovery to find the truth that will forever change the course of their lives.
Author Pamela Terry’s debut novel is a wonderfully woven tapestry of a family’s past, present and future. Terry carefully unfolds the truths, layer by layer and throws in a bit of suspense along the way. She manages to tackle the topics of family, love, overreaching expectations, religion, friendships that withstand the tests of time, and the consequences of deeply buried secrets and the consequences they caused.
“Home” plays such an important aspect in this novel. When Lila and Henry returned home after their Mother’s mysterious death, they realized how much they had taken their friends and their Mother’s friends for granted. They realized anew exactly who they could rely on without even having to ask! They also realized the toll that staying had taken on their sister. Yet, beyond a shadow of a doubt, they knew they would all get through whatever they might have to face because of the lessons they learned from HOME.
I was provided a complimentary copy of this novel by Random House Publishing & NetGalley. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence.
The Sweet Taste Of Muskedines
This book touches the soul—deep down. The writing is wonderfully lyrical, even when sad. I loved everything about this book.