The Rock Orchard

"It is common knowledge that Belle Women make hard men melt like butter in a pan," writes novelist Wall, adding, "They are equally adept at reversing the process." If you find such sentiments appealing, then spirit yourself away to Leaper's Fork, Tennessee, and immerse yourself in the very southern world of Charlotte, Angela, and Dixie Belle: three generations of Belles, and the subjects of this jaunty, sexy debut. The Belle women are part of an old and wealthy family descended from a Confederate colonel. One neighbor calls them "white trash with money." But their greatest asset, to put it mildly, is feminine charm. Just ask Boston-bred Dr. Adam Montgomery, who moves in next door with his Yankee fiance, only to be smitten by Angela the moment he lays eyes on her. Or ask Reverend Thomas Jones, another newcomer to Leaper's Fork, to whom Charlotte applies her feminine wiles as she endeavors to help him inter his long, sad past. Old money verses new, South versus North, hypocrisy verses honesty, prejudice versus love -- these are heavy themes, to be sure. And yet Wall handles them deftly, in a tone so confident and breezy that the pages seem to turn themselves. A resident of Nashville, Wall has a gift for fiction, a gift she employs to great effect in this marvelous novel about the transformative power of love.