Letitia McComb, Tish, has been named after her Civil War-era great-great-great grandmother. Tish, a northerner, decides to restart her life in a small southern town. An only child, she has survived the death of her fiancée shortly before their wedding, and then the death of her much loved dad. Her widowed mother has remarried, and just moved to Florida. Tish finds herself alone, and lonely in frigid Michigan. She is ready to use all her savings and give up her long-time job for a change in scenery.
Tish believes that purchasing the home her name sake occupied shortly after the Civil War will give her an advantage to breaking into the local community. Unknown to Tish, her past relatives were viewed as the lowest form of scoundrels, and their supposed misdeeds are still widely talked about. A McComb in this town will automatically be viewed as a pariah.
To complicate things, Tish takes in a 20-year-old girl that appears homeless. She finds out the girl, Mel, is a local with a bad reputation for being a liar and a thief. Tish is of two minds not knowing if Mel is taking advantage of her, or if Mel has been falsely accused. While trying to sort out the truth, Tish’s association with Mel causes her even more shunning, including the loss of consideration for a new job.
The local antiques dealer, George, seems the most open to befriending Tish, but he has a reason to get on her good side. This is the story of the shunning, and the local characters, that Tish experiences and tries to befriend. Will Tish ever find acceptance, employment and possibly even romance in this new location? Or has this move all been a tragic gamble that has gone terribly wrong? Will Mel steal her blind and take off, or can Mel build a new life alongside Tish?
I liked the story-line and the characters were very believable, and this book is well written. I felt like the ending was abrupt, and not all the questions in the tale were answered. It may be that this story is being set up for a sequel, however, the epilog at the end of the book needed to solve more of the loose ends. I recommend “Gone South,” and think it is enjoyable. But because of the ending, I give this book four stars.
The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book through WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for the purpose of review. All opinions expressed are my own, and I have not been compensated in any other manner.
The author’s website: http://megmoseley.com/
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