After a ghastly, yet amusing lunch with her two youngest
children, the portly middle aged "Little Earl" and
simpering Olivia, the strong willed Ella Dubose realized
that she would have to move her plans up for her escape.
Despite her relatively good health and sharp memory, they
had wanted her to see a doctor suspecting her journeys down
memory lane might be a result of a stroke or Alzheimer's.
Setting about packing and organizing for the trip in her
planned, but unconventional way, Ella was determined to
drive her big white Cadillac and take her trusted
companion, Goldie, along with her to the Priscilla Hotel in
Myrtle Beach.
Ella was on a mission that she was determined not to tell
anyone about, except her oldest son, Tyler, a wealthy
writer living the gay lifestyle in New York. With her
charming southern way, Ella had convinced him to meet her
at the stately Pricilla for some fine seafood dining and
fishing.
While the rest of Myrtle Beach had transformed into the
usual modern neon flash and fast food havens of suburban
North America, the Priscilla Hotel still managed to keep
its charm and sooth their guests with the traditional
southern comfort they longed for in their souls. Meeting
fellow guests, the handsome white-haired dentist, Dr.
Edmund O'Conner and his daughter's family, Ella found a
trusted person in which both to unburden her heart from the
deeds of the past while lightening it with a hint of
romance. Goldie, with her Cherokee insights saw what was
happening with Ella without knowing her secrets, and was
able to support her beloved lady while enjoying the
delights of this vacation haven and the joy of being with
young boys - a balm to her own sadness.
Tyler for his part hadn't wanted to go to Myrtle Beach, as
had his own secrets and plans. Could he hide them from his
mother? When faced with the reality of the present, would
Ella still be able to tell the hidden story of the past - a
story that would shake her whole family to its roots?
Well known for his award winning books and articles on food
and wine, James Villas has brought to life a convincing and
compassionate portrayal of Ella, a Southern lady of a
certain age, told from the present with memory vignettes
that powerfully highlight the conventions and deeds that
bound and shaped her life. Readers will savour this witty
story with its balanced blend of sweet and bittersweet and
delight in knowing this likeable lady who elegantly handles
life with a little fortification in her water glass from
her little silver flask.
From award-winning author James Villas comes a warm,
witty, and poignant story of passion, friendship, and family
set against the lush, mellow backdrop of the South Carolina
Lowcountry.
Ella Dubose is a Southern lady of a
certain age-an age at which memories of youth can rush in at
every turn and overwhelm the present. But while Ella's two
younger children are concerned for her health and want to
limit her independence, Ella-elegant, unconventional, and
unrepentantly willful-has very different ideas. And she's
not about to be controlled by anyone, not when there are
tasks she needs to complete and loose ends that must be
tied.
The first step is to leave her family and take
a road trip back to the places where key chapters of her
life unfolded. Myrtle Beach has been overrun by theme
restaurants and ocean-front condos, but the Priscilla is
still the charming, shingled inn Ella remembers from visits
long ago. At the Priscilla, Ella and her companion, Goldie,
sip cocktails on the porch and dine on she-crab soup and
fried oysters while awaiting the arrival of Ella's oldest
son, Tyler, now a successful writer in New York. And there,
too, Ella meets a dashing, attentive gentleman who will help
her finally face her ghosts and determine which of the
secrets she has carried for so long must be shared, and
which are better left untold.
With its unforgettable
and instantly loveable heroine and evocative portrayal of
Southern life-past and present-Dancing in the Lowcountry is
a beguiling, beautifully rendered novel about the places and
people that stay with us, the courage it takes to live in
the present, and the endless ways life can surprise us, over
and over again.
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