Secrets of the Ladies Mission Society - by Laurie Dick (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

When the small, Southern town of Simpsonville, Alabama, loses its favorite doctor, the ladies in town give little thought to his ailing widow, Miss Adie, who also served as his trusted nurse and knew all too well the longtime secrets these women have kept hidden. When Miss Adie's faithful caretaker, Eula, has an idea for keeping her devoted Miss Adie's dwindling health and memory active again-writing a book about the history of the town and its people-the local Ladies Mission Society, believing Miss Adie is writing about their secrets to get revenge on them for rejecting her, starts to take action before their lives are destroyed.

With unique and engaging voices, each woman of the Society personally recounts her deepest secret she fears will be exposed in the book. Together, these stories are vignettes of the past that touch on difficult subjects, recalling pain and betrayal as well as moving scenes of rekindled relationships and the importance of friends, family, and faith in the women's lives, past and present.

Filled with poignancy, charm, and a bit of mystery-not to mention some fine Southern cooking-Secrets of the Ladies Mission Society will have readers cheering through tears as it comes to its extraordinary conclusion.

Review Quotes

"Laurie Dick's poignant and very human story revealed in Secrets of the Ladies Mission Society is worth that special celebration that comes only with fine characters, a teasing, almost transparent story, and delicate, yet exuberant writing. Anyone who has ever been exposed to a small community will find themselves home again - in spirit, if not in flashes of good and pleasing memory. This is the kind of happy experience that readers cherish." -Terry Kay, bestselling author of To Dance with the White Dog and The Book of Marie

"Laurie Rothrock Dick's book Secret of the Ladies Mission Society is a delightfully engaging book, enthralling and mysterious. This novel will not only grab your heart but also keep you intrigued as it weaves through the lives of the characters' and the multiple secrets they carefully harbor. This is a wonderful book that portrays beautifully a small Southern town's community and its culture. I highly recommend it." -Pat Conroy, New York Times bestselling author of The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini

"Laurie Rothrock Dick's wonderful first novel, Secrets of the Ladies Mission Society, sheds a soft but penetrating light not only on individual lives but on the inner workings of a culture. At times ironic and hysterically funny, at others brutal and sere, she throws off the stereotype of our conventional wisdom concerning the South and replaces this with the complexity of the heart-felt truth. I loved this book. You will too." -Deborah Johnson, author of The Secret of Magic and The Air Between Us

"The deadliest and most enthralling secrets are the ones concealed (grinning and silent!) behind soft-spoken Southern mannerisms and polite smiles. This is a fine story about such secrets. I greatly recommend it." -Augusta Trobaugh, author of Sophie and the Rising Sun and The Tea-Olive Bird Watching Society