
The latest Southern novel from the acclaimed bestselling
and award- winning author of The Memory of Water.
To most people, Folly Beach, South Carolina,
is simply the last barrier island before the Atlantic. To
some, it's a sanctuary, which is why Janie Hamilton's mother
encourages her to buy the local book store, Folly's Finds,
hoping it will distract Janie from the loss of her husband
in Afghanistan.
Janie is at first resistant, but
intrigued after finding love letters and an image of a
beautiful bottle tree in a box of used books from Folly's
Finds, and decides to take the plunge. The store's seller
insists on one condition: Janie must allow Lulu, the late
owner's elderly sister, to continue selling her bottle trees
from its back yard. Historically, bottle trees were brought
by African slaves to the American South, and Janie had grown
up with one in her backyard, and it has always been a symbol
of refuge to her.
Janie generally ignores Lulu as
she sifts through the love letters, wanting to learn more.
But the more she discovers of the letters' authors, the
closer she feels to Lulu. As details of a possible murder
and a mysterious disappearance during World War II are
revealed, the two women discover that circumstances beyond
their control, sixty years apart, have brought them
together, here on Folly Beach. And it is here that their
war-ravaged hearts can find hope for a second chance...
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