Southern Historical Sagas

When Margaret Hale moves with her father from the comfort of the south of England to the industrial north, she is at first repulsed by what she sees; and then when she discovers the conditions under which the workers are forced to live, she is outraged. But this throws her into direct conflict with the powerful young mill-owner, John Thornton. Using personal passions to explore deep social divisions, North and South is a great romance and one of Elizabeth Gaskell's finest works.

A drunken mother makes childhood ugly. Jane runs away at sixteen, determined to leave her fraught upbringing in the rearview. Vowing never to return, she hitchhikes to California, right on time for the Summer of Love. Seventeen years later, she looks good on paper: married, grad school, sober, but her carefully constructed life is crumbling. When Mama dies, Jane returns for the funeral, leaving her husband in the dark about her history. Seeing her childhood home and significant people from her youth catapults Jane back to the events that made her the woman she is. She faces down her past ...

Before America was divided by civil war, Faith Abernathy and Nathan Maddox were set to be married, but everything was put on hold when Nathan was conscripted to join the Confederate military. Faith works hard on her family’s plantation in Myrtle Grove, South Carolina, knowing that while she fights for her family’s survival, she must also pray for the safe return of the soldier they all love. After being forced to return to a life Nathan tried to leave behind, he is taken prisoner. What keeps him alive is the thought of returning to his true love, Faith. Though miraculously rescued, ...

On a bright June day in 1965, a dozen girls - classmates at a Blue Ridge women's college - launch a ramshackle raft on a trip down the Mississippi. Their journey, inspired by Huckleberry Finn, is duly reported in the Paducah, Kentucky newspaper. 35 years later, four of the "girls" reunite to cruise the river again. This time, it's on the luxury steamboat The Belle of Natchez. This time, when they reach New Orleans, they'll give the River the ashes of a fifth rafter: Margaret ("Baby") Ballou.

Tall, slender Violet Mathers is growing up in the Great Depression, which could just as well define her state of mind. Abandoned by her mother as a child, mistreated by her father, and teased by her schoolmates ("Hey, Olive Oyl, where's Popeye?"), the lonely girl finds solace in artistic pursuits. Only when she's hired by the town's sole feminist to work the night shift in the local thread factory does Violet come into her name, and bloom.

Virginia, 1927: All Ruth Ann Riley wants is a chance to have a family. But because she was poor and unwed when she became pregnant, she was sent to an institution and her child was given to another woman. Ruth Ann can't stand the thought of never seeing little Annabel's face again, never snuggling up to her warmth or watching her blue eyes crinkle with laughter. And now they want to take away her right to have any other babies? She is not going to let that happen.

The Phantom of the Pavilion by K. A. Wijeratne In the crumbling cricket ground of Maduwila, whispers from the past refuse to fade. When jaded sports journalist Laki Perera stumbles upon a half-forgotten scandal buried beneath the lush spin of Sri Lankan cricket, he finds himself haunted—literally—by the ghost of Ranjith "Rana" Abeysekera, a prodigious spinner whose mysterious death decades ago was written off as disgrace. As Laki joins forces with his estranged daughter Madhavi and fiery investigative reporter Shyamali Peiris, the trio uncover a tangled web of match-fixing, political ...

A letter…a garden…a journal…a chance at love …Secrets on River Road Madison Franklin is summoned to Wyndam House in the late spring of 1920 by her estranged great-aunts. She goes for several reasons, but the most important is curiosity about her grandmother’s family. Why did she not know the Charleston side of the family and why wasn't her mother talking about it? While attempting to unravel the Wyndam past, Madison meets Conner Montgomery, an intriguing neighbor who seems to know more than he’s willing to say. The two become fast friends and as their relationship grows, they ...

Get ready to hold your breath and cling to the edge of your seat as Giselle makes the ultimate sacrifice to make things right. With Ignacio by her side, they embark on a dangerous journey to Kansas, where Giselle hopes to make amends with the Abbot family and clear her name once and for all. But Santiago is skeptical of Ignacio's motives and struggles to come to terms with his own feelings for Giselle. Desperate to move on, he urges her to reject his friend's advances and focus on building a new life without him. Just when things seem to be looking up, James captures Santiago and demands to...

Benjamin Church came to the Grange Hall expecting to meet someone else, but then the girl in the red dress looked across the dance floor and smiled.... Passing Through Perfect is a heart-wrenching Southern family saga that starts on the night Benjamin falls madly in love with Delia. Once he tastes the sweetness of her kiss, he envisions them spending the rest of their life together. He doesn't stop to consider that her daddy is a learned Pastor, and her mama a woman with a college degree; he knows only that she sets his heart to racing.

The tie that bound the cousins, Cullen Smythe and Wade Montogmery, together has been strained and stretched to the breaking point, and there is nothing Josephine can do. The bond once shared, once so strong, has been lost in the turmoil surrounding their lives. The war will force the brothers to choose sides. Each will defend their beliefs and loyalties with courage and valor, but each will stand against each other. The world that once was will be no more.

The luck of a gambling hand had changed his fate and now the young cowboy was ready to start a new life. Bud After serving time in the Louisiana State Prison, Bud Downey spent many months winning a small fortune as a gambler. Feeling confident that he had won enough money, he packed up his stake to begin his journey to Limason, Texas—Home. After his last winning hand at the gambling table, a couple of disgruntled cowboys were angry that they had lost all their money to the smooth-talking young man. As Bud traveled near the border of Lafayette, Louisiana, he was ambushed, shot and left for...

It’s the '60s: a time of war and revolution. It is a time of demonstrations and riots. The nation is tearing itself apart. Robbie Doyle's life, too, is in chaos. Robbie's father had died suddenly. He and his mother had moved to Florida, and now he was lost in a new school and town. Then the day Kennedy was shot, he would meet people that would define his next years: Samatha (Sam) and Nick, both from the wrong side of things. Civil rights, Vietnam, and the draft would change them all. The one place he found peace was surfing at 29th Street South.

In this classic Victorian novel, Elizabeth Gaskell explores the themes of love and social justice in an industrial age. Set in the north of England, out-of-towner Margaret Hale finds herself simultaneously attracted to mill owner John Thorton, and repulsed by the way he treats his workers. Full of history, romance, and social commentary, North & South will provoke your mind and tug at your heart. This production is read for you actress Jenny Agutter, most famously known for The Railway Children.

You can always go home…but what will you find when you do. Jonathan Hansen is about to find out. For years they’ve hidden a huge secret…an island that was home to their small town, the families and friends who live there, and the secrets they've kept for generations. But danger might be right beyond the water’s edge. Together, two guarded hearts are willing to face the impending threat and the danger it poses to the peaceful tranquility of their home. Ainslin O’Cleary wasn’t the type to over-react but she was beginning to feel a little desperate. She loved her home and ...

From the Cajun swamp cabins to the great river plantations of the Mississippi and the glittering night spots of Jazz Age New Orleans, Bayou sweeps listeners into the mysterious and fascinating Louisiana delta and into the hearts and lives of four indomitable women: Olivia, a headstrong Cajun beauty, Celisma, a fiercely loyal mulatto slave, Manon, the toast of New Orleans, and Zoe, a convent-bred Creole who seeks and finds her destiny on her own terms.

Richard Sharpe, asked to help an old friend, meets, at last, the greatest enemy. Five years after the Battle of Waterloo, Sharpe's peaceful retirement in Normandy is shattered. An old friend, Don Blas Vivar, is missing in Chile, reported dead at rebel hands--a report his wife refuses to believe. She appeals to Sharpe to find out the truth. Sharpe, along with Patrick Harper, finds himself bound for Chile via St. Helena, where they have a fateful meeting with the fallen emperor Napoleon.

I’ll Be Seeing You-the new release from Joanne Kukanza Easley, the multi-award-winning author of Sweet Jane and Just One Look A saga spanning five decades, I’ll Be Seeing You, explores one woman’s life, with and without alcohol to numb the pain. Young Lauren knows she doesn’t want to be a ranch wife in Palo Pinto County, Texas. After she’s discovered by a modeling scout at the 1940 Fort Worth Stock Show Parade, she moves to Manhattan to begin her glamourous career. A setback ends her dream, and she drifts into alcohol dependence and promiscuity. By twenty-four, she’s been ...

A Visceral tale of survival, with the soul of a love story. Not long after the first World War, an abandoned boy is rescued from a life on the streets of La Paz by a mysterious Spaniard. As the years pass, it becomes clear that he has become ensnared in a life of violence and crime. The boy grows into a man. He is young and handsome, fierce and loyal, and completely naive about the world that exists just beyond the boundaries of La Paz. Then he meets Gisele. Andalusian Legacy is a tale of forbidden love, betrayal and revenge, and a desperate escape to seek one's own unique destiny. It ...

South Australia is affected by war carnage continuing in distant Europe A fierce conscientious objector abhors the thought of sending soldiers to war A little boy could be locked away for ‘scientific’ reasons One of Australia’s first policewomen discovers crimes driven by greed, prejudice and lust for power Adelaide, 1917 Day by day, the morale of South Australia’s people sinks to more dismal depths. Elsie Fisher nurtures little Neddy’s singing talent while pursuing her own musical ambitions. Their music becomes a powerful facilitator for improving the lives of others. But can ...