A Better Place
A Novel
-
-
4.0 • 5 Ratings
-
-
- $3.99
-
- $3.99
Publisher Description
Resentments emerge when a woman returns to her Virginia hometown after a failed quest for stardom, in "a fine novel of manners about life in the South" (Library Journal).
In an attempt to discover why her life hasn't worked out the way she had hoped it would, Valerie Caldwell returns to the Southern town she left twelve years earlier to visit her old haunts and two friends from her school days, Tess and Mary Grace—much to their alarm and chagrin.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this first adult novel by Hall, author of the young-adult Dixie Storms and of scripts for TV series including Northern Exposure , former ambitious golden girl Valerie Caldwell returns to her sleepy hometown of Maddock, Va., only to learn the unsurprising lesson that you can't go home again. Not only have Valerie's marriage and career as an actress crashed, but her new life back home is failing to match her nostalgic fantasies. Wallowing in her unhappiness, she cuts a path of destruction through the lives of her old friends and family. Valerie's former pals, the mild-mannered Tess and the once fat, now thin and acerbic Mary Grace, fear her and the feelings of inadequacy she inspires. Tess--who is married to Valerie's former flame, Joe Deacon--is particularly wary as Joe responds to Valerie's flirtations, revealing cracks in a seemingly perfect marriage. Meanwhile, Valerie, who's toying with the idea of an affair with Brett Becker, a cadet half her age, generates gossip as well as heartache. The narrative is hindered by some soap-operatic subplots and by virtually indistinguishable interior monologues. However, Hall's penchant for melodrama may make this a good bet for the beach.
Customer Reviews
Unexpectedly good
I don’t know what I was expecting when I selected this book and I was very pleased and surprised by the richness of the characters and plot. It was an engaging read. The author’s depth and perceptions blew me away. She described the essence of the south and the people who make it so unique with a loving descriptive hand. I highly recommend this book. I will read more of this author’s work.