Author: | Karen McWhorter | ISBN: | 9781491008898 |
Publisher: | Karen McWhorter | Publication: | July 31, 2013 |
Imprint: | Language: | English |
Author: | Karen McWhorter |
ISBN: | 9781491008898 |
Publisher: | Karen McWhorter |
Publication: | July 31, 2013 |
Imprint: | |
Language: | English |
California girl, Lily, is truly out of her element in the Old South. After escaping an abusive marriage, she decides to transform her old, rural schoolhouse into an academy for the arts, despite protests from the local townsfolk. With four kids to raise on her own and nosy neighbors perplexed by her desire to bring ‘culture’ to their tiny village in Virginia, Lily persuades her girlfriends to join her cause. But Rae, a brilliant artist who is also from California, and Sylvie, a talented New York dancer who can’t stand still, are equally out of place in the South. Especially Sylvie, who happens to be black, and now finds herself in a segregated backwoods that doesn’t embrace civil rights, or even seem to realize that it’s 1978 for that matter.
Despite their talent and determination, the ladies face obstacles on all fronts. From Mason, an egocentric old boy who has city officials in his pocket, to Mrs. Pepper, a jaded old lady who has made it her mission to ensure the village never evolves, everyone has something to say about Lily’s audacious plan. But no threat is greater than Berto, a violent drug dealer Sylvie’s brother befriended. When she narrowly escapes from him in New York, he comes searching for vengeance and the women must grapple with just how far they will go to defend their lives. Will they open the minds and hearts of their neighbors, and save themselves in the process?
California girl, Lily, is truly out of her element in the Old South. After escaping an abusive marriage, she decides to transform her old, rural schoolhouse into an academy for the arts, despite protests from the local townsfolk. With four kids to raise on her own and nosy neighbors perplexed by her desire to bring ‘culture’ to their tiny village in Virginia, Lily persuades her girlfriends to join her cause. But Rae, a brilliant artist who is also from California, and Sylvie, a talented New York dancer who can’t stand still, are equally out of place in the South. Especially Sylvie, who happens to be black, and now finds herself in a segregated backwoods that doesn’t embrace civil rights, or even seem to realize that it’s 1978 for that matter.
Despite their talent and determination, the ladies face obstacles on all fronts. From Mason, an egocentric old boy who has city officials in his pocket, to Mrs. Pepper, a jaded old lady who has made it her mission to ensure the village never evolves, everyone has something to say about Lily’s audacious plan. But no threat is greater than Berto, a violent drug dealer Sylvie’s brother befriended. When she narrowly escapes from him in New York, he comes searching for vengeance and the women must grapple with just how far they will go to defend their lives. Will they open the minds and hearts of their neighbors, and save themselves in the process?