Editorial Content for Charleston
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“Can we ever truly go home again?” is a question that defies time and space, and subsequently is the basis for CHARLESTON, a beguiling tale that explores the emotional terrains of love, loss and memories. Margaret Bradham Thornton’s debut novel exposes the emotional tug of a person to a place, by providing a backdrop that defines the term “homeward bound.” By immersing the narrative with a story line infused with a many-layered history, Thornton confronts the notion of what it means to go home again, exposing Charleston as a city of controversy --- a place both charmed yet vexed by its historical presence.
A sinuous dialogue allows all the rich history of this southern community to be so aptly exposed by both the main characters (Eliza and Henry) and secondary ones (Jamie, Lawton and Lizzie). As a result, we are constantly reminded of the importance of a family’s lineage within a tight-knit community. Consequently, Eliza quickly points out how far off course we can become when we don’t have a home base in which to attach our fondest memories.
"Both evocative and melancholy, this haunting and lyrical novel pulls at the heartstrings, as the script of one woman’s love for a man and an unforgettable city is played out."
As an art historian in London, Eliza never regretted her decision to leave Charleston after college, and she never intended to return after her father died. But the past caught up with her when Henry, an old friend from home, met up with her at a friend’s wedding 10 years later in the English countryside. This chance meeting stirred up many memories of the times they spent together back in South Carolina. In fact, the thoughts of those good times led Eliza to miss her childhood home and Henry. Already overwhelmed by their first encounter --- when she comes back to Charleston to attend her stepsister’s debut --- their second one really unnerves her. Upon seeing Henry again, Eliza begins to envision a life back home, which eventually results in her leaving London, and Jamie, the man she thought she would ultimately marry.
With her equilibrium shattered --- by Henry’s profession of love, by the lure of the seductive countryside, and by a history rich in intrigue --- Eliza slowly becomes aware that “home is where the heart is” and is drawn to a Charleston she is growing to love. Before long, she also finds herself entwined in the lives of families who trace their heritage back for generations and soon realizes she must make a difficult choice. Can she risk everything she has worked so long and hard for to stay with the only man she has ever loved?
With subtle eloquence, Thornton has created in CHARLESTON a novel that both magnifies the charms of this southern city and illuminates its history. Just below the surface, it asks if you can ever go home again. Returning to the place and the people that indelibly shape us --- from childhood --- isn’t always an easy task as this first-time author so aptly conveys. Both evocative and melancholy, this haunting and lyrical novel pulls at the heartstrings, as the script of one woman’s love for a man and an unforgettable city is played out.
Teaser
Eliza Poinsett, an art historian in London with a charming Etonian boyfriend who adores her, is unnerved when she runs into Henry, her childhood love, at a wedding in the English countryside. Her carefully guarded equilibrium is shattered when she meets Henry again in Charleston, where she has come for her stepsister’s debut. Eliza has to decide if she is willing to risk everything for which she has worked so hard to be with the only man she has ever truly loved.
Promo
Eliza Poinsett, an art historian in London with a charming Etonian boyfriend who adores her, is unnerved when she runs into Henry, her childhood love, at a wedding in the English countryside. Her carefully guarded equilibrium is shattered when she meets Henry again in Charleston, where she has come for her stepsister’s debut. Eliza has to decide if she is willing to risk everything for which she has worked so hard to be with the only man she has ever truly loved.
About the Book
A gifted writer makes her fiction debut with this lyrical and haunting story of missed chances and enduring love, set against the backdrop of high society Charleston, which probes the eternal question: can we ever truly go home again?
When Eliza Poinsett left the elegant world of Charleston for college, she never expected it would take her 10 years to return. Now almost a decade later, she is an art historian in London with a charming Etonian boyfriend who adores her. But the past catches up with her when she runs into Henry, her childhood love, at a wedding in the English countryside.
Already unnerved by the encounter, Eliza’s carefully guarded equilibrium is shattered when she meets Henry again in Charleston, where she’s come for her stepsister’s debut. Set against a backdrop of stately homes, the seductive Lowcountry landscape, and the entangled lives of families who trace their ancestors back for generations, Eliza has to decide if she is willing to risk everything for which she has worked so hard to be with the only man she has ever truly loved.
CHARLESTON is an evocative, melancholy novel about one woman’s love --- for both a man and an unforgettable city. Emotionally resonant, beguiling in its atmosphere, it illuminates the elusive notion of home, and explores whether we can we truly ever go back to the place --- and the people --- that indelibly shaped us.
