Homespun

by Sophia Alexander

Overview

*Shelf Unbound finalist for 2023 Best Indie Book Award.

*American Fiction Awards 2023 finalist in the category of family saga.

*Shortlisted for Chanticleer International's 2023 Laramie award in Americana fiction.

*Literary Titan Gold Book Award, May 2023.

*Longlisted for Chanticleer International's 2023 Best Series Award (as part of The Silk Trilogy).

Trouble lurks in the Lowcountry of South Carolina in the guise of a family feud, forbidden love, and a journalist hell-bent on uncovering corruption.

Meet Zingle Caddell, who doesn't regret the destruction left in his wake so much as he is annoyed by it. Figuring no man can continue to have such bad luck, Zingle is waiting for his fortunes to improve. He knows what he likes--alcohol, women, and family, in about that order--and he'll continue on with them as before. That is, until he's surprised by a violent encounter with his match, Jessie Bell, when her stepdaughter doesn't come home as expected. Bad blood is rampant between the Bells and the Caddells by the time Jessie's daughter and Zingle's nephew unwittingly fall in love. Forbidden to see one another, the couple must decide how much they're willing to risk. Is it worth being ostracized from their families? Destitution? Their very lives?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781955444132
Publisher:	Onalex Books
Publication date:	04/16/2023
Series:	The Silk Trilogy , #3
Pages:	282
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.64(d)

About the Author

Sophia Alexander is the mother of two young adults and a number of manuscripts. A full-time author with a passion for genealogy, she resides in the beautiful city of Savannah, Georgia. A graduate of the College of Charleston, she also studied at Bastyr University, where she earned a doctorate in naturopathic medicine-and so her characters are often found swallowing decoctions or slathering on herbal salves. Her narratives have appeared in local anthologies, and her short story 'The Third Time' won the Savannah Authors 2017 Short Story Contest. The Silk Trilogy is her award-winning debut work.

Editorial Reviews

2023-05-25
A family feud encumbers young love in Alexander’s historical novel, the final installment in a trilogy.

Jack Caddell first meets Ginny Bell in the summer of 1939. The two are immediately smitten; “That is the boy I’m gonna marry,” proclaims Ginny. Unfortunately, Ginny’s father, Clayton, adamantly forbids their burgeoning courtship. Jack thinks it’s because of his partly Indigenous lineage, but it’s more likely the fault of his uncle, Zingle, whose perpetual carelessness has already precipitated at least one tragic death. Unbeknownst to Jack, Zingle assaulted Jessie, Clayton’s wife and Ginny’s mom, some years earlier. Despite the objection, the young couple secretly dates and envisions a future of wedded bliss. But will the two be able to maintain a household and possibly raise children? Meanwhile, Ginny’s older sister, Vivian, who works at a newspaper, gradually uncovers a local mayor’s “lawless schemes.” Exposing this corruption may incite the wrong people, including her sheriff brother-in-law, Joel Hammond. The author’s follow-up to Tapestry (2022) spotlights characters returning from earlier books and introduces some new faces. This large cast helps to propel the narrative, which moves through the decades at a steady pace. Alexander aptly establishes the backdrop of the Great Depression and revels in the South Carolina vernacular, in which words ending in -ingforgo the G and learnsometimes means teach. The novel is also a convincing family portrait filled with ups and downs. There are startling deaths throughout the years and bursts of violence but also lighter turns, as when a newly married couple realizes that finding time to consummate their union is an unexpectedly and frustratingly difficult endeavor.

An enjoyably melodramatic slice of American history and worthwhile series finale.

Kirkus Reviews