The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder : A Novel
Author(s): Rebecca Wells
“Charming and luminous . . . . A perfect summer indulgence that’ll have you peeking out your window on a muggy night in search of the Moon Lady, who’ll wrap her nurturing arms around you from afar.” — Austin American-Statesman
A tale of family and friendship, tragedy and triumph, loss and love, The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder features the warmth, humor, soul, and wonder that have made Rebecca Wells one of today’s most cherished writers, and gives us an unforgettable new heroine to treasure.
In the small river town of La Luna, Calla Lily bursts into being, a force of nature as luminous as the flower she is named for. Under the loving light of the Moon Lady, the feminine force that will guide and protect her throughout her life, Calla Lily enjoys a blissful childhood—until it is cut short by forces beyond her control. On the banks of the La Luna River, her mother, M’Dear, a woman of rapture and love, teaches Calla compassion, and passes on to her the art of healing through the humble womanly art of “fixing hair.” At her mother’s side, Calla further learns that this same touch of hands on the human body can quiet her own soul. It is also on the banks of the La Luna River that Calla encounters sweet, innocent first love, with a boy named Tuck.
But when Tuck leaves Calla with a broken heart, she transforms hurt into inspiration and heads for the wild and colorful city of New Orleans to study cosmetology at L’Académie de Beauté de Crescent. In that big river city, Calla finds her destiny—and comes to understand fully the power of her “healing hands” to change lives and soothe pain, including her own. Years later, when Tuck reappears, he presents her with an offer that is colored by the memories of lost love. But who knows how Calla Lily, a “daughter of the Moon Lady,” will respond?
For longtime Ya-Ya fans, as well as the lucky ones discovering Wells for the first time, The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder will capture your heart.
Review(s):
“The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder will remind you of your first love and power of friendship. As the saying goes, ‘You’ll laugh, you’ll cry.’ But, really, you will.”
“When readers are invited into novelist Rebecca Wells’ Louisiana, they follow as if led by the Pied Piper. Who can resist those moonlit nights, those swimming holes, that delicious cochon de lait, the dreamy little Louisiana towns, the women who are larger than life? Wells weaves that magic spell again.”
“Fans of Rebecca Wells’ tales of the ‘Ya-Ya Sisterhood’ will find themselves just as enchanted with this story full of Southern charm and lessons in life. . . . With wisdom and insight, Wells guides Calla on her path of self-discovery.”
“A novel full of miracles, with characters more colorful than a Crayola 64-crayon box. It’s just the right dose of Southern charm.”
“It’s hard not to fall in love with the people in this magical place, where love is as plentiful as the dancing, gumbo and ice-cold Cokes. . . . A perfect beach read about mothers and friends and sisters.”
“Many readers will recognize that all the characters . . . are creations of a literary goddess in her own right. . . . Down-to-earth and comforting . . . [A] good-hearted, wishful-thinking book.”
“Charming and luminous . . . A perfect summer indulgence that’ll have you peeking out your window on a muggy night in search of the Moon Lady, who’ll wrap her nurturing arms around you from afar.”
“Wide-eyed, big-hearted Calla has more faith than all the ya-yas put together. . . . As ever, the author’s strength lies in her ability to articulate the profound relationship between women.”
“Rebecca Wells spins a sweet Southern yarn about an aspiring beautician who overcomes tragedy to find love.”
“[A] heaping helping of sugar . . . [for] when you’re feeling nostalgic for a sugarcoated past.”
ISBN: 9780060930622