Stranger in Savannah

As the final book of Price's Savannah Quartet opens in 1854, slavery, that venerable Southern institution, is under fire by abolitionists and Northern politicians. The Browning, Mackay and Stiles families, and other familiar characters met in Before the Darkness Falls and previous volumes, wrestle with the painful possibility of Southern secession. Mark Browning, a Yankee from Philadelphia, feels like a stranger in his beloved Savannah; he and his fiery wife Caroline are at loggerheads, and even their son Jonathan decides he must fight for the South. Daughter Natalie and her husband Burke are bolstered in their sympathy for the Union by their daughter's love for a boy who slips past Southern lines to fight for the North. Wise old Eliza Mackay, a true Southerner, sets polite society on its ear by siding with her good friend Mark. And while the Stileses--stiff-necked Miss Lib and blustering W. H.--initially see only honor in the fight to come, its bloody reality crushes their hopes. Even avid fans may find that endless parlor scenes and flowery, sentimental dialogue make the first half of this over-padded novel drag, but Price gains momentum, power and passion when she writes of how the Civil War broke the hearts of Rebels and Yankees alike. 100,000 first printing; $100,000 ad/promo. (May)