Southern Lit. Pick of the Week: Falling Home by Karen White

I finally read Karen White’s Falling Home this week! Really, I felt bad that I didn’t get to it sooner; because her publicist made sure I had the book in hand before the release. But actually reading it? That wasn’t happening with everything else piled on my desk. Although Karen White is a New York Times bestselling author and I have several friends who love her Tradd Street series (The House on Tradd Street, The Girl on Legare) which are set in Charleston, this was the first time I had read any of her work.

Honestly, Falling Home was really 2 books in one! The first part of the book follows Cassie Madison from her successful life in New York City back to her home town, which just happens to be a (fictionalized) small town in Georgia to deal with the impending death of her father and face her sister after a painful, 15 year separation. These once close sisters had a break in their bond after older sister, Harriet, eloped with Cassie’s first love 15 years earlier. Upon her arrival “back home” Cassie struggles to cope with not only her sister and brother in law but also with the adjustment to a place where little has changed but she feels she has changed so very much. There were several scenes in the book that have a similar vibe as the movie “Sweet Home Alabama” which I loved. Since I was a small town girl from Georgia, myself, who left the south for a while - only to return - I could relate to much of what the character struggled with while acclimating herself back to the red clay of her Georgia roots.

The second half of this book was truly a novel within itself and what drew me in. It showed a great deal of character growth as Cassie faces not only the loss of her father but also the possible loss of her sister just when she realizes that the bond, though deeply injured, still remained. Cassie learns more about herself than she ever thought possible as she discovers that even though she left home, it never left her.

Although, not released as a Christmas novel, quite a bit of the storyline revolves around the holidays and I did enjoy that because ‘tis the season for holiday reads! The author, who lives in Georgia, has truly experience the magic (and mayhem) that a rare snow storm in Georgia can bring! This would make a great read to escape the holiday madness or a wonderful gift for anyone who loves a good Southern read!

Don’t forget you can win a new copy of Falling Home from the Southern Mommas and Southern Somedays book giveaway.

Click here and enter: Win a copy of Falling Home

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