Love, Alice
The novel touches upon difficult and emotional issues: suicide, the fate of children born out of wedlock, motherhood and family conflict. The story rings with sadness and the yearning for understanding. The family saga begins in 1960s Charleston, South Carolina, where the conviviality of wealthy Southern culture clashes with the need to keep up appearances. Dovie Larkin, a curator for a local museum, visits the Magnolia Grove Cemetery much more than she should since the death of her fiancé, who committed suicide several weeks before their wedding. Dovie seeks to understand, and to resolve the grief that overwhelms her. One day she sees an older woman leave a letter near the famous monument named Alice’s Angel. The statue was placed near the grave of Alice Tandy, a maid to one of the richest families in Charleston. There were rumors surrounding the relationship of Alice to the family; a belief that she was the mistress of the family’s patriarch. As the story unfolds, Alice’s real life is portrayed starting with the loss of her child, born out of wedlock and given up for adoption.
The novel is a narrative joy, and keeps the reader wanting to know more of each of the families it highlights. Definitely recommended.
