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    A Southern Girl: A Novel
    Unavailable
    A Southern Girl: A Novel
    Unavailable
    A Southern Girl: A Novel
    Ebook557 pages9 hours

    A Southern Girl: A Novel

    By John Warley and Therese Anne Fowler

    4.5/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Set against the exquisite, historical backdrop of Charleston's insular South of Broad neighborhood, A Southern Girl is a tale of international adoption and of families lost, then found anew through revelations, courage, and the perseverance of a love without bounds. With two biological sons and a promising career, Coleman Carter seems set to fulfill his promise as a resourceful trial lawyer, devoted husband, and dutiful father until his wife, Elizabeth, champions their adoption of a Korean orphan. This seemingly altruistic mission estranges Coleman's conservative parents and demands that he now embrace the unknown as fully as he has always entrenched himself in the familiar.

    Elizabeth, a self-proclaimed liberal with a global sense of duty, is eager for the adoption, while Coleman, a scion of the Old South, is at best a reluctant participant. But the arrival of Soo Yun (later called Allie) into the Carter household and the challenging reactions of Coleman's peers and parents awakens in him a broadening sense of responsibility and dedication to his new family that opens his eyes to the subtle racism and exclusionary activities that had dominated his sheltered life. To garner Allie's entrance into Charleston society, Coleman must come to terms with his past and guide Allie toward finding her own origins as the Carters forge a new family identity and confront generations-old fears inherent in Southern traditions of purity and prestige.

    Deftly told through the distinctive voices of Allie's birth mother, her orphanage nurse, her adoptive mother Elizabeth, and finally Coleman himself, A Southern Girl brings us deeply into Allie's plights—first for her very survival and then for her sense of identity, belonging, and love in her new and not always welcoming culture. In this truly international tale, John Warley guides us through the enclaves of southern privilege in New Hampton, Virginia, and Charleston, the poverty-stricken back alleys of Seoul, South Korea, the jungles of Vietnam, and the stone sidewalks of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, as the bonds between father and daughter become strong enough to confront the trials of their pasts and present alike.

    The first release from Pat Conroy's Story River Books, A Southern Girl includes a foreword by New York Times bestselling novelist Therese Ann Fowler.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherUniversity of South Carolina Press
    Release dateMay 8, 2014
    ISBN9781611173925
    Unavailable
    A Southern Girl: A Novel
    Author

    John Warley

    John Warley is the award-winning author of seven books. His bestselling novel, A Southern Girl, was praised by Pat Conroy as "stylish as a novel by John Irving and as tightly written as one by John Grisham." His history of his undergraduate alma mater, Stand Forever, Yielding Never: The Citadel in the 21st Century, led to his selection to write both the inscription for the college's war memorial and "The Citadel at War," a narrative history of the wars and conflicts in which Citadel alumni have made the ultimate sacrifice. NPR selected his essay "Lingering at the Doors" for publication in This I Believe on Fatherhood. A graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, he drew on decades of experience practicing law in writing A Jury of One.

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    Reviews for A Southern Girl

    4.5/5

    4 ratings2 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This is a fantastic story from a not so very well-known author. It also shows Charleston, a city I love, at both its best and worst.
    • 5/5
      This was a fantastic novel. A couple from Charleston with two children decide to adopt a Korean baby in the late 70s. They are part of Charleston society and bloodlines mean everything to their families so this adoption is not well accepted by his family or many of their friends. The book is about the subtle racism that occurs when someone different is brought into a closed society. Its also a story of love and acceptance and family. Its set in the beautiful city of Charleston and we learn a lot about the city as well as the people who live there. The book is well written and a delight to read. I highly recommend it!