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"This powerful novel will touch your heart and soul!"
Reviewed by Kathy Boswell
Posted January 5, 2003

Since I'm a down-home Southerner, books like this are right up my alley. Hush McGillen Thackery is my kind of Steel Magnolia/Southern Belle! Her story touched my heart and soul in more ways than one! Hush McGillen the fifth decided at a young age that she was going to regain the Read more...

"In-depth exploration of long-held family secrets."
Reviewed by Lenore Howard
Courtesy Old Book Barn Gazette
Posted February 12, 2003

Hush McGillen Thackery has lived life on her own terms. Through hard work, sacrifice, and sheer determination, she's made the Sweet Hush apple orchards a profitable business as well as a popular tourist attraction. Her son, Davis, is going to Harvard, fulfilling Hush's own lost dream of attending college. Recently Read more...

"Delightful regional contemporary tale"
Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted February 15, 2003

Fifth generation apple grower, Hush McGillen is proud of her Georgia mountain roots and being 100% American, but she never expected to be spending any time at the White House. She had not even contemplated visiting as a tourist. However, not only is she in DC and inside Read more...

Summary

The sorrows and secrets of Hush McGillen's life are as deeply rooted as the famed Sweet Hush apple orchards her family has tended for more than a century. As a devoted mother, young widow, and successful business-woman, Hush has worked hard to restore her family's farming fortunes. At the same time, she has tried to hide the truth about her late husband and their tormented marriage from her son, Davis. Now, Davis suddenly returns home from college to tell his mother he has eloped with a fellow student, and to Hush's horror, the eyes of the entire world turn to her family and her private, guarded life-because her son's new wife is the rebellious daughter of the President of the United States. Delivering the warmth, humor, and unforgettable characters that her millions of readers have come to expect, Deborah Smith gives us a passionate, page- turning story about a surprising, unexpected love.