The Great Blue Hills of God: A Story of Facing Loss, Finding Peace, and Learning the True Meaning of Home

Entrepreneur Beall—cofounder of the Blackberry Farm resort in Tennessee and the former wife of Ruby Tuesday’s founder, Sandy Beall—tells of overcoming obstacles in her moving debut. The author was swept away in 1975 by her future husband, who pulled up in a Jaguar with “two cut-crystal highball glasses filled with icy gin and tonics” on the dash. For the next 36 years, Beall and Sandy opened restaurants, moved in and out of countless picture-perfect homes all over the South, and raised two boys—until the marriage between the two admitted workaholics started to show cracks, and they divorced. Throughout this time, Beall faced tragedies—including a devastating brain injury that damaged her hearing and sense of smell; the loss of a child to a skiing accident; a house fire; and a sister suffering from substance abuse. Yet she puts a positive spin on matters, a perspective she attributes to her growing Christian faith: “The comfort that God gives me is strength, encouragement, and hope to deal with life.” Beall’s earnest, uplifting memoir will resonate with faith-based readers. (Feb.)