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Crown
August 2010
On Sale: August 17, 2010
272 pages
ISBN: 0307395030
EAN: 9780307395030
Hardcover
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Fiction
Nobody in Nashville has a bigger name to live up to than
Bezellia Grove. As a Grove, she belongs to one of city’s
most prominent families and is expected to embrace her
position in high society. That means speaking fluent
French, dancing at cotillions with boys from other important
families, and mastering the art of the perfect smile.
Also looming large is her given name Bezellia, which has
been passed down for generations to the first daughter born
to the eldest Grove. The others in the long line of
Bezellias shortened the ancestral name to Bee, Zee or Zell.
But Bezellia refuses all nicknames and dreams that one day
she, too, will be remembered for her original namesake’s
courage and passion.
Though she leads a life of privilege, being a Grove is far
from easy. Her mother hides her drinking but her alcoholism
is hardly a secret. Her father, who spends long hours at
work, is distant and inaccessible. For as long as she can
remember, she’s been raised by Maizelle, the nanny, and
Nathaniel, the handyman. To Bezellia, Maizelle and
Nathaniel are cherished family members. To her parents,
they will never be more than servants.
Relationships are complicated in 1960s Nashville, where
society remains neatly ordered by class, status and skin
color. Black servants aren’t supposed to eat at the same
table as their white employers. Black boys aren’t supposed
to make conversation with white girls. And they certainly
aren’t supposed to fall in love. When Bezellia has a
clandestine affair with Nathaniel’s son, Samuel, their
romance is met with anger and fear from both families. In a
time and place where rebelling against the rules carries a
steep price, Bezellia Grove must decide which of her names
will be the one that defines her.
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