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Gulf Coast readers find ‘Sunday Wife’ close to home and heart
While it may not be spring training yet in south Florida, imagine hitting a literary homerun. And only at your second time at bat. Cassandra King has done just that. In her second book, King has hit a grand slam home run with her "New York Times" blockbuster book, "The Sunday Wife."
Panhandle readers can indulge in a part of Florida that is close to our hearts in this January-featured book.
The story opens with all eyes of the holier-than-Thou Crystal Springs Methodist Church congregation on the newcomers. Dr. Benjamin J. Lynch walks into the room, his hair perfectly in place. A trademark dark suit, silk tie, starched white shirt, and fine leather shoes highlight his dashing good looks. Behind him walks his spouse, Dean, dressed in a denim skirt and her best white cotton blouse.
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ISBN # : 0-7868-9044-4
Hyperion Books 2002
389 pages
Softcover $14.00 |
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The church ladies immediately scrutinize the new preacher's wife. Yet, what they fail to notice is that buried beneath Dean's modest ponytail, placid eyes and hillbilly background, a spark is about to ignite.
Like her heroine, King is a woman on fire in "The Sunday Wife." The author takes stock of all that is revered in the church as well as all that is often only whispered or expressed with raised eyebrows in side vestibules and backroom tête-à-têtes. From this, she whips up one of the most compelling and sobering stories about the South, religion, betrayal, and pleasing others over one's self. "The Sunday Wife" is a riveting account of one woman's struggle to define herself within the confines of religious double standards.
Dean's husband, Ben, a golden boy, begins to make his ascension toward his future clerical throne. The only obstacle is his wife, Dean. Ben carefully directs his dulcimer-playing spouse on her attire, entertaining, and carrying out her churchly duties.
Told from Dean's point of view, King delivers such strong character-driven lines as "He was the esteemed man of God, me the thorn in his side."
Our heroine immediately finds herself living a goldfish bowl existence surrounded by religious piranhas hiding behind "saccharine-sweet smiles."
In one character, Augusta Holderfield, a self-exiled congregate, Dean finds a kindred spirit. Augusta leads an arresting life of passion and spontaneity. Whether taking off on secret escapades or dousing her cares in a Jose Cuervo margarita or catching the local Moral Majority in sinful acts, Augusta has a vibrant exuberance that Dean secretly admires. The two women soon develop a deep bond and friendship.
Tension builds when Crystal Springs' former minister, the tall mysterious Reverend John Marcus Vickery, appears in town. With his vivacious charm, political ties, and glossy Hollywood looks, Vickery is a man of God destined for the highest ecclesiastical stars. But the high and mighty Vickery has a dark side, known only to Dean.
Deftly decorating her narrative with graceful and subtle nuances of the Florida Panhandle towns of Seaside, Grayton Beach, and Apalachicola, the South Carolina-based writer has carefully crafted an enchanting portrait of the South, its surroundings and senses.
King, the wife of celebrated literary writer Pat Conroy, has received numerous literary accolades for her book "The Sunday Wife."
Few southern writers can take a story home from beginning to finish the way that Cassandra King can. King is gifted with powerful storytelling and offers nothing less than a full-blown ninth inning revelation for her readers. A top New Year read for the beach or next to a roaring fireplace, "The Sunday Wife" is a true winner.
Elisabeth A. Doehring serves as book review editor for the "Gulf Breeze News." She is an award-winning writer and published literary author. In addition to being a member of the National Book Critics Circle, Southern Book Critics Circle, and Woman's National Book Association, the native Alabamian is also a member of the Alabama Writers Forum. Her works and reviews appear in numerous publications throughout the states of Alabama, Florida, and Kentucky.
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