This beautiful historical fiction is now available in paperback!
Highlighting a transitional decade in American history, DREAMS OF FALLING by Karen White tells the story of three young women battling small-town expectations as they come of age in the 1950s. Bound by the dictates of the time and their Southern upbringings, the girls decide to keep a terrible secret that will tie them and their families together for the next five decades.
1950s Georgetown, South Carolina. Lifelong best friends Ceecee, Margaret, and Bitty graduate from high school, bound by their shared dreams . . . wishes they write on ribbons and tie to an old tree. Constrained by small town expectations, they plan a last grab at freedom: a graduation trip to Myrtle Beach. But one night on the boardwalk will change everything; and the sacrifices that follow will ripple through three generations.
Present day. Larkin Lanier left Georgetown at 18, promising she’d never return. But when her mother Ivy disappears, Larkin is called back to her hometown. And when Ivy is found unconscious on the site of their family’s abandoned rice plantation, Larkin’s search for answers—why was her mother at Carrowmore?—lead her to a ribbon left in the girls’ old wishing tree: I know about Margaret. What happens next triggers Larkin’s unraveling of fifty-year-old secrets . . . secrets so dark they remain unspoken even amongst the three friends who share them.
Quick Look: Southern Lit, Family Drama, Historical.
New Yorker Larkin returns to Southern Carolina because her mother is ill. She never imagined she'd go back and she never imagined she'd ever want to stay. I found this family saga rich and indulgent, with elements of sadness, hope, secrets, history and love woven into each page. As fear of her mother's death bears down, Larkin realizes there are many secrets she still needs answers to, but time is running out. Spanning multiple generations and alternating decades, Karen White has written a deeply emotional story about experiencing loss, betrayal and love. From tying their dreams to ribbons and finally letting go of life long secrets, the main characters in this book took me through a long range of emotions. This book really shows how our choices in the past directly impact our future.
Thank you Berkley Publishing for my copy!
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