A woman returns to her small southern hometown in the wake of her mother’s sudden death—only to find the past upended by stunning family secrets—in this intimate debut novel, written with deep compassion and sharp wit. “A deeply moving work of Southern fiction that will appeal to fans of Where the Crawdads Sing . . . a story to remember long after the last page is turned.”—Susan Wiggs, #1 New … turned.”—Susan Wiggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lost and Found Bookshop
Lila Bruce Breedlove never quite felt at home in Wesleyan, Georgia, especially after her father’s untimely demise when she was a child. Both Lila and her brother, Henry, fled north after high school, establishing fulfilling lives of their own. In contrast, their younger sister, Abigail, opted to remain behind to dote on their domineering, larger-than-life mother, Geneva. Yet despite their independence, Lila and Henry know deep down that they’ve never quite reckoned with their upbringing.
When their elderly mother dies suddenly and suspiciously in the muscadine arbor behind the family estate, Lila and Henry return to the town that essentially raised them. But as they uncover the facts about Geneva’s death, shocking truths are revealed that overturn the family’s history as they know it, sending the pair on an extraordinary journey to chase a truth that will dramatically alter the course of their lives. The Sweet Taste of Muscadines reminds us all that true love never dies.
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The Sweet Taste of Muscadines is the debut novel of emerging author Pamela Terry. This is a very original story. Although, honestly, it didn’t capture me immediately, when it did I was in 200%, trying to keep my eyes open late into the night because I would rather read than sleep, not wanting to be separated from these wonderful characters!
An early morning phone call brings the sad news that Geneva Bruce has died. When her youngest daughter, Abigail, calls older sister, Lila, to tell her, she also relays the very unusual circumstances where she found their mother face down under the muscadine arbor very early that morning. Lila and their brother, Henry, fly to Atlanta to drive on to join the family in Wesleyan, Georgia.
As the story unfolds, the reader discovers a multilayered tale and how Geneva has orchestrated so much of their lives without regard for her children’s needs or feelings. Above all, appearances matter! Her children seem to be secondary.
Lila escaped from home when she went to college, met, and married a college professor much her senior and then settled in Maine. Henry also went away to college and ended up with his own art gallery in Rhode Island, settling with his boyfriend, renowned artist Andrew Gant. Abby is the only one to stay in their hometown and is closest to their mother, although it was Geneva that separated Abby from the one she had loved as a young woman and nothing had sparked for her since.
Ever since their father reportedly died at the hand of a sniper’s bullet in a jungle half a world away, their mother had been distant, especially to Lila and Henry. When Lila and Henry discover what was under the muscadine arbor, it leads them to find answers where they didn’t even know before that there were questions.
This is one of the best books I have read this year! If this is a debut novel I can only imagine what wonderful things Pamela Terry has in store in the future for her readers! I very much enjoyed this beautiful story and I do recommend it!
This book is about the family secrets we all wish to keep. Lila comes back to her small town to bury her mother. What she finds when she does will shock all in the family. I really liked the relationship between brother and sister, Lila and Henry. The secrets were shocking to say the least and it was interesting to learn about each one. I think in the end the answers were better knowing than not knowing. I am leaving this review voluntarily after being sent a free book.
Epic Story of Family Secrets, Lies, and Love
I loved this book. The first of the book is so slow, wordy, and maybe tiresome. But it is the calm before the storm. In setting the scene so thoroughly, we are encompassed in the Southern Way. In a world where politeness masks the knife in your back and pretending not to notice the elephant in the room allows you to gossip later. A land where one has to fit in on the surface or be shunned out of existence. Suddenly, the story turns on its axis and we are as sucked into the void as the characters are. Their lives are turned upside-down and they struggle to make sense of it all. What a rollercoaster of emotion! I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.
This is an interesting book about family and family secrets. The plot entwines the lives of the two kids who moved away after school and the sister that stayed home to care for their cantankerous mother. The two return home after their mother’s death and come face to face with things they knew nothing about. Well written with engaging characters.
What if the family you grew up in was nothing like you believed it to be when you were growing up? Their mother’s death sends Lila and Henry on an odyssey of discovery. The number of secrets in this family is mind boggling.
The Sweet Taste of Muscadines is Ms. Terry’s debut novel. I was drawn in by her enchanting writing style and poetic prose. I look forward to reading more books by this author.
I received a copy of The Sweet Taste of Muscadines from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
A very different story. It is sometimes funny on this journey to unearth family secrets. When Lila gets the call that her mother suddenly died, she is reluctant to go back to her hometown, but she goes anyway. Her father died when she was young and that leaves her and her two siblings alone. There is always drama at a Southern funeral. Secrets come out and Lila’s mother didn’t want a funeral. That is unheard of in the South. The secrets come out anyway leading Lila and her brother, Henry to try to figure things out. What they find out is life changing. Lila and Henry always felt that their mother didn’t like them and she would dote on their younger sister. Now they will finally get the answers to their questions.
(4.5) What a wonderful debut novel. I loved the characters and the settings, and the writing was beautifully done. A little humor amidst the grief of the death of a mother, and a bit of mystery as well that was quite entertaining. This was a great southern read that kept me captivated from the very start. Very moving and showed how important family really is. I highly recommend this book.
A big thank you to Ballentine Books and NetGalley for the review copy.
I received a free electronic ARC of this southern novel from Netgalley, Pamela Terry, and Ballantine Books. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this book reflects my honest opinion of this work. Pamela Terry writes an interesting tale with companionable folks, told in a drawling southern accent. This is a debut novel – she is an author I will follow.
While the kids were still quite young, their much-adored preacher father, Pennington Breedlove, was lost while serving in the Vietnam Conflict. Mother Geneva was an overbearing, self-centered woman without much in the way of motherly instincts. Both Lila and Henry found solace in the wilder parts of their homes’ acreage, and especially the muscadine garden and child-sized arbor. After their father’s death, Geneva treats them much differently than she does the baby, Abigail. Neither of the older children understands why their mother basically ignores them, and both carry guilt, pain, and anger against Geneva but adore Abigail anyway.
Both Lila and her brother Henry escaped their deeply southern home as soon as possible – attending northern colleges and establishing careers and lives up there over 20 years ago. They miss their baby sister Abigail, who remains in the family home with mother Geneva into adulthood, a girl much doted on by Geneva and seemingly content. Lila recently lost her beloved husband but has a settled home and a career as a weaver of some repute. Henry too has a compelling career and settled life with his partner Andrew, a relationship of over 15 years. Henry is still not out of the closet, however, in Georgia.
At the sudden, questionable death of Geneva, they return home to Wesleyan, Georgia to bury their mother and comfort sister Abigail, help her establish her future plans. But Geneva, in her own troublesome way, has planned her life’s end through her lawyer – no funeral, no viewing, no burial – cremation only, with no services of any kind. Friends who wish to make a symbolic gesture are welcome to send flowers to the house. Death without the traditional patterns of mourning is not an easy thing to accomplish in Georgia. Even though Penn’s remains were never found, they had a funeral and wake, with all the pomp necessary to give him a good send-off. That is the way death is handled in the deep south. What was Geneva thinking? And what was she doing with a silver serving spoon in hand, semi-hidden in the tiny muscadine arbor, when she passed away?
The Sweet Taste of Muscadines by Pamela Terry is a sweet story of a family trying to function in a time when homosexuality is a topic not spoken of and the mother ran the family with an iron fist. There are three grown siblings, around 40: Henry, Abby, and Lila. The story is told from Lila’s point of view. Her mother was a widow and had raised the three of them by herself. She was a Southern lady and she wanted her daughters to be Southern ladies as well. Only one was. Lila and Henry had gotten away from home as soon as they were able, both going to art school. Lila met her husband there, by accident. He was older and a widower and they spent 22 happy years together until he died unexpectedly of a stroke. Now she lived by herself in their home in Maine, working as a weaver, along with her friend Maureen to raised the sheep from which the wool came, and generally ran their business. She had been in marketing. One day the phone rang: it was Abby telling her their mother had died. Lila arranged with Henry to meet at the airport upon their arrivals and drive home together. Henry had left his significant other, Andrew, behind, as he knew there would not be a warm welcome for him in this town.
By putting together a series of clues, Lila and Henry unraveled family secrets kept for decades. Despite having been reared in a largely dysfunctional household, Lila and Henry had positive relationships and good friends. Although their mother had been controlling, they had largely escaped her. Not so for Abby, who was different than the two of them and had been her mother’s best friend, living as her mother wished rather than how she wished. Upon her mother’s death, Abby went nuts: dyed her hair red, bought totally inappropriate clothing, and got drunk. She got so drunk she said things at the get-together that opened the doors to just how dysfunctional the family was. It really was a mess, but all Lila and Henry worked together to ferret out of secrets their mother had held and dragged Abby back to sanity and happiness. There were surprises ahead, for all of them. This was a compelling story about secrets and the damage they can do. Somehow, getting away from home brought sanity back into the lives of Lila and Henry so that when the secrets revealed themselves, the two of them were mature enough, and well adjusted enough to manage them. It was a thoughtful and intelligent read. There is so much more to say. I truly enjoyed it.
I was invited to read The Sweet Taste of Muscadines by Netgalley. All opinions and thoughts are my own. #netgalley #thesweettasteofmuscadines
This is the story of Lila and her family. What an interesting story it is! Growing up in the south in a small town can be an adventure in itself. Throw in being a preacher’s kid and there you go. This is only the beginning for Lila, Henry and Abigail and the ups and downs of their family. I loved their story and could feel their emotions. I enjoyed how true to life this story is and I’m sure many families have dealt with similar situations and secrets themselves. I really didn’t want it to end because I liked hanging out with them. I especially enjoyed the relationship between Lila and Henry. I think you will enjoy their story also. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own. I love finding new to me authors. Don’t be afraid to try an author you haven’t read or even heard of. You may just find a new favorite.
Lila and Henry have returned home because of their mother’s death. Not only is this a tragedy itself, but they discover a family secret their mother kept hidden for nearly 30 years. This changes their lives and their sister, Geneva’s life forever.
I loved every single character in this story..heck! I know half of them. They all live in my town. The author nailed the south! I love it when they get it right. And Pamela Terry got it right.
There is also a lot of wisdom in this read. Not only did it have me laughing out loud, it had me thinking about so many misconceptions. The story starts out kind of quirky and funny, then it takes a turn toward seriousness. I am trying to be careful because I do not want to give anything away. But this is a book you do not want to miss!
Need a unique read…this one is it! Grab your copy today.
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest opinion.
It’s hard to believe that this novel with so much heart is the debut of author Pamela Terry. WOW!! She captured my attention with the first phrase in the book “The first time Mama died…” and by the end of the page I was hooked.
The book starts when Lila (the narrator) is 8 years old. Her brother, Henry, is 6, and little Abigail is 4. They are the children of Penn and Geneva Bruce. Penn is the preacher of the Baptist church in the small town of Wesleyan, GA. Following the unexpected death of Penn’s best friend, he joins the army and is killed in action within a year. After that, Lila, who adored him, says Wesleyan just doesn’t feel like home anymore. Geneva dotes on Abigail, giving little attention to Lila and Henry; this further cements Lila and Henry’s already tight bond which began at Henry’s birth. Lila leaves the South at age 18 to go to the Rhode Island School of Design. Henry follows as soon as he is done with high school. An art history lover, he opens an art gallery. Neither one returns until they are in their 40’s and a hysterical Abigail calls to tell them that she found their mother dead that morning.
As they come together following their mother’s death, the siblings find themselves forced to deal with the complex relationships and emotions that being family entails. Lila and Henry discover devastating secrets that their mother kept from them all: secrets which lead them to a journey for more answers; secrets and answers that will change each of their lives.
The author’s evocative writing brings scenes and each character to life with a 3D type realism, making readers feel that they know the people and places well. This book got me in the “feels”! Coming of age, sibling rivalry, love, secrets, betrayals, acceptance, reconciliation, the author covers a lot of emotions exceptionally well. I urge you not to miss this read!
My thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel which is scheduled to be published on 3/16/21. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
An achingly poignant story of lives torn apart by a bigoted society and then stitched back together when the iron ruling matriarch dies. Three very young children are told by their mother in the early 70s South that their father had died. It is only almost some 40 years later that they realize it was all a lie. The family dynamic is tied up in the image of the small southern town in which they live. In order to escape the the bindings they have to leave. The dad leaves to become his true self and so too does the two oldest children as soon as they could. Only te youngest remains and it almost destroys her. Eventually what holds her there no longer exists when her mother dies. It is truly about facing your fears and accepting who you are.
I loved this book! Reading it was like having someone sit down and say to you “let me tell you about my life and how I ended up where I am now”. Such wonderfully written prose and well explored characters. I was drawn into the story and invested in the main character, Lila Bruce, from the get-go. Most of the story’s action takes place mainly in the south where the Bruce family lived. There is heartache and loss in the book as well as hope and acceptance with a glimpse into the “southern” way of living. In a way this is the story of a woman trying to figure out where “home” is. It isn’t the house/town she grew up in and it isn’t where she lived her life with her husband. Lila always felt that her ‘spirit” never felt “rooted” and she just figured that was the way it would always be for her. Then she gets the phone call from her sister telling her that their mother had died and she has to leave Maine for the house she grew-up in. Lila and her brother were never close with their mother the way their sister was. What seems to be a trip for a funeral for a few days turns into so much more when they unearth some family secrets.
I do not normally read this type of book, and I’m not sure what made me choose to do so now. When I started it, I was just going to read the first chapter or so because I had things to do and I really didn’t expect it to hold my attention, especially within the first few pages. I could not have been more wrong.
This story immediately pulled me in. With it’s lush descriptions and emotion pouring out of every word, I was quickly swept up into Lila’s current life, as well as her past. With each word I found myself immersed in the southern atmosphere she grew up in. I cannot recall another book that evoked such a feeling of being present in the story, as The Sweet Taste of Muscadines did.
I found myself loving each of the siblings and captivated by the way they dealt with the issues at hand. The plot is multi-layered but so beautifully woven together, I didn’t even recognize its many dimensions until I reflected back on it. This has a fast pace and while it richly paints a picture of life in the South, it never bogs down or becomes repetitive. I was unable to stop reading once I began. How is it possible this is this author’s debut novel? I’m astounded at her talent and would not be surprised if this were to ever be made into a movie.
The perfect Southern family, beautiful wife, three children, and a husband that is the preacher of the local church. They had it all, or so it seemed, but struggles were hidden along with long held secrets.
This story actually begins with the death of the matriarch, and her body being found under the arbor of the muscadines, a place filled with family memories.
As the three siblings arrive to bury their mother, the facts of their lives begin to unfold, and closely held family secrets begin to unravel, and we embark on a journey that airs all of their laundry.
I loved the gift of weaving as we travel from Maine to Scotland, it will warm your heart. I also loved the ending here, so keep reading, and see how everything works out! Surprise!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Ballantine Books, and was not required to give a positive review.
I am always so amazed when a debut novel knocks my socks off and that is exactly what The Sweet Taste of Muscadines by Pamela Terry did. Southern charm permeates the story of three siblings after the sudden death of their very proper mother. The circumstances of her death are not so “very proper.” As they try to figure out why their mother was outside in the muscadine vines after midnight in her nightgown and with a spoon in her hand, there are many revelations about the family history that are unearthed–things Lila and Henry must explore, even as they leave their other sister, Abigail, behind and possibly in the dark.
I loved the writing style of Ms. Terry. She took me on a lovely journey of discovery. Not only did she do a wonderful job of imparting the qualities and lives of the siblings, but she took me on a trip to another land. The descriptive segments of the book were superb. I believe I felt exactly what she wanted me to feel. I really liked that she didn’t seem to rush things at the end of the story. It all unfolded at a lovely pace. I highly recommend this book.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book from Random House via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an early copy of this book. The comments and review are my honest opinion.
Death often brings not only memories but sometimes also things that you thought were true, but in truth were lies. Such is true for Lila, Henry and Abby after the death of their mother.
A small southern town, family secrets and heartache over years lost are brought to life in this debut novel by Pamela Terry. Maine, Georgia and Scotland are described in beautiful sights and sounds. But it is the relationship of the three siblings with their mother that is part of the heartbreak of this story. Lies were told and then too many years passed and they could not be taken back. Only hidden deeper, literally, until Lila and Henry decide to take a journey in the hopes of finally finding the truth.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an opportunity to read and review this book.
There was so much I loved about this book. My mama is from Alabama so I loved all the deep south references and traditions and things talked about.
I actually loved that Lila never really felt at home in the small town where she grew up. So many people have such connection to where they grow up but when you have hurts and unsettled matters growing up sometimes you never feel that. This was definitely true in my own life.
I love when there is something, some kind of symbolic place or item that plays a big part in a person’s life and I loved that the muscadine arbor symbolized so many things for Lila.
I love that it is where she and Henry find what turns out to be a huge secret that their mother hid that changes their whole family history.
I really loved the relationship between brother and sister and how this revelation leads them on an adventure together and what they find and learn on that adventure.
Families are messy and people are imperfect. It was a beautifully written story about secrets and lies and the power they have over us, forgiveness, accepting ourselves and others, and love
This debut family novel is simply wonderful and has me happily anticipating further books from this author.
I won’t say a lot about the plot as I don’t want to get into spoiler territory, but it is about family, its messiness and how we are shaped by it. It has some surprise twists, some heartrending moments and much to say about time/place/period and how those relate to one’s sense of self and finding one’s true home. Anger, loss, humor, and forgiveness all play a part here as well.
The settings are varied (Maine, Georgia and Scotland), and while being a lifelong southerner myself (as the author is), I didn’t necessarily see some things as the protagonist does, I can appreciate and derive humor from her viewpoint.
My very favorite thing about the book is the beautiful, poignant writing. It flows, it evokes time and setting effortlessly, and it is simply a pleasure to get lost in. Highly recommend.
Much thanks to both #BallantineBooks and #NetGalley for providing me an early ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.