The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton

If you love disappearing into a great story - you will truly love any & every book written by Australian writer, Kate Morton.

Author of six novels - all of which have been New York Times bestsellers - Kate’s books have been #1 bestsellers around the world and have been published in 42 countries and in 34 languages.  She is known as one of Australia’s biggest publishing exports.

What has made her such a beloved writer amongst her fans?  Her depth of storyline transcends countries and languages.  She has a gift for transporting us into another time and another life, often weaving seamlessly between characters and time periods. She takes us on a journey that lends itself to colorful mysteries and satisfying surprises, and is a master at creating a pleasing atmospheric experience.

Born in a small town in South Australia, Kate’s family moved several times until they settled on Tamborine Mountain, which became a place that allowed Kate Morton’s imagination to flourish. She credits her journey as a writer to the love that she had as a child for the joys of reading and the happiness that she experienced losing herself in the stories that she read.

Published in July of 2013, The Secret Keeper is my favorite Kate Morton novel, with The Forgotten Garden a close second. The book begins with 16-year-old Laurel Nicolson hidden in a treehouse reading.  She witnesses a murder that changes her life and challenges the core of who she is and how she views her beloved mother.  As an adult, she begins a search for the truth and what she discovers will only be found as she delves into the past.

When asked to describe The Secret Keeper in one sentence, Kate Morton said:

“Shifting between the 1930s, the 1960s and present, The Secret Keeper is a spellbinding story of mysteries and secrets, theatre and thievery, murder and enduring love.”

The Jane Austen Tea Society’s Summer Book choice is a wonderful read  - The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton with a Book Breakfast & Discussion to take place on Saturday the 30th of July at 10am.

Fair and Tender Ladies by Lee Smith

“There was so much life then. Well it is gone now. Like chimney smoke into thin air.”

Ivy Rowe to Danny Ray Rowe

Published in 1988, Fair and Tender Ladies is undoubtably Lee Smith’s most well-known and most beloved novel.  A seasoned Southern storyteller - Lee Smith’s sense of a place and its people are at their finest in this epistolary work which chronicles the life of Virginia Mountain native, Ivy Rowe. 

Lee Smith’s writing is a rich blend of humor and insight into the people and culture of Appalachia.  She has a simple and honest way of exposing the mountain culture hardships and flaws but doing so with a deep affection for the South and its people.

Born in a small, coal-mining town in the Appalachian mountains, Lee Smith’s keen and loving observance of her culture  - and her careful listening to the stories told around her have given birth to 15 novels and 4 collections of short stories, garnering multiple awards and recognition.

But out of all her works - Ms Smith’s most devoted readers seem to all agree that Ivy Row is the best of her many well-crafted characters.

Poor and one of nine children in the family, Ivy was born with a pure and innate love of literature and an undaunted drive to learn.  Her prospects for bettering her life were slim in the sheltered turn of the century mountain area where she began her life but she developed a creative outlet for herself in the lengthy & involved letters written throughout her life to friends and family and these letters give us the storyline to her life.

Ivy often dreams of far-off places that she longs to see but her letters strongly present a moving picture of the community where she lives — the local customs, food and folktales such as Whitebear Whittington, Old Dry Fry or Mutsmag. A fiercely independent person - Ivy doesn’t always conform to common ways of thinking around her - but perseverance becomes one of her strongest tools to survive.

As Ivy progresses through her life, she encounters many of the same obstacles to personal growth as other young women around her, who struggle to keep their children fed and clothed. As Ivy’s time becomes more and more occupied with working, chores and eventually, children her chances to read and learn become more rare.  

Ivy Rowe never had much in the way of possessions and didn’t seem to really want them - but as a young unwed mother, the birth of her first child gave her something rare and unique in her life - 

“Miss Maynard, do not pity me.

Do not even bother to dislike me, nor pity me, nor anything else, because I do not need anything from you, nor want it either.

My little baby Joli Rowe was born September 10, 1918. She is all mine. I have never had a thing of my own before. She is the most beautiful baby in the world.

So, I pity you!”

Ivy Rowe to Miss Mabel Maynard

This book is a Southern Lit classic for a reason.  There is plenty of time – start reading!

The Jane Austen Tea Society has happily returned to a study of a Southern classic - Fair and Tender Ladies by Lee Smith with a Spring Book Breakfast & Discussion to take place on Saturday the 30th of April at 10am.