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Temple Secrets #1
Temple Secrets
Fans of The Help and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil will delight in this comic novel of family secrets by acclaimed writer, Susan Gabriel (The Secret Sense of Wildflower, a Best Book of 2012 by Kirkus Reviews).
Every family has secrets, but the elite Temple family of Savannah has more than most. To maintain their influence, they’ve also been documenting the indiscretions of other prestigious southern families, dating as far back as the Civil War. When someone begins leaking these tantalizing tidbits to the newspaper, the entire city of Savannah, Georgia is rocking with secrets.
The current keeper of the secrets and matriarch of the Temple clan is Iris, a woman of unpredictable gastrointestinal illnesses and an extra streak of meanness that even the ghosts in the Temple mansion avoid. When Iris unexpectedly dies, the consequences are far flung and significant, not only to her family—who get in line to inherit the historic family mansion—but to Savannah itself.
At the heart of the story is Old Sally, an expert in Gullah folk magic, who some suspect cast a voodoo curse on Iris. At 100 years of age, Old Sally keeps a wise eye over the whole boisterous business of secrets and the settling of Iris's estate.
In the Temple family, nothing is as it seems, and everyone has a secret.
Every family has secrets, but the elite Temple family of Savannah has more than most. To maintain their influence, they’ve also been documenting the indiscretions of other prestigious southern families, dating as far back as the Civil War. When someone begins leaking these tantalizing tidbits to the newspaper, the entire city of Savannah, Georgia is rocking with secrets.
The current keeper of the secrets and matriarch of the Temple clan is Iris, a woman of unpredictable gastrointestinal illnesses and an extra streak of meanness that even the ghosts in the Temple mansion avoid. When Iris unexpectedly dies, the consequences are far flung and significant, not only to her family—who get in line to inherit the historic family mansion—but to Savannah itself.
At the heart of the story is Old Sally, an expert in Gullah folk magic, who some suspect cast a voodoo curse on Iris. At 100 years of age, Old Sally keeps a wise eye over the whole boisterous business of secrets and the settling of Iris's estate.
In the Temple family, nothing is as it seems, and everyone has a secret.
338 pages, Paperback
First published March 2, 2015
1778 people are currently reading
2305 people want to read
About the author
Susan Gabriel
15 books194 followersSusan Gabriel is an acclaimed southern author who lives in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Her novels, The Secret Sense of Wildflower (a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2012) and Temple Secrets (2015) are Amazon and Nook #1 bestsellers.
Find out more about Susan and her other novels at www.SusanGabriel.com.
Easiest place to contact:
Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/SusanGabriel...
Find out more about Susan and her other novels at www.SusanGabriel.com.
Easiest place to contact:
Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/SusanGabriel...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 259 reviews
June 30, 2016
From the hype, I was thinking there would be SECRETS...well, there were, but the plot was slow, the ending was rather sudden, and I was left wanting more. Beach read about a Savannah family, their help, and the secrets being revealed in the local paper. Meh.
September 7, 2018
Giving this 2 stars is being generous... definitely does not live up to the synopsis (I have no idea how whoever wrote that could remotely compare this to The Help and/or Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Boring, predictable, and the climax made no sense.
March 28, 2015
Temple Secrets: Southern Humorous Fiction by Susan Gabriel
Everyone in Savannah high society seems to hope Iris Temple dies sooner rather than later. Almost no one likes her, and everyone has felt the sting from the crack of her verbal whip.
For generations she has held the Temple Book of Secrets as her primary weapon of potential mass destruction. This book, a family heirloom in which generations of Temples have kept copious notes on the VERY bad things everyone else in Savannah’s high society did throughout the decades, is Iris’ social sword. Her lousy temperament and unapologetically insufferable air of condescension is another. Gabriel has outdone herself in the perfectly on- point depiction of Iris Temple. What a masterful character creation! Although she’s not present for much of the book, Iris Temple touches every moment and every one else in it.
Somebody is putting a “secret a day” in the classifieds, and Iris is getting apoplectic about it. No one knows who is doing this as the actual book of Temple Secrets is under lock and key. Is there a second copy somewhere? From the top of the Savannah social heap to the high bottom, tempers flare, generations of moral superiority comes crashing down on heads too shocked to thwart the blows, and even Iris’ immediate family thinks Iris has lost it. Once again. Susan Gabriel has captured the song of the South and Savannah as she plays both sides of the verbal harp with expert timing, authentic dialog and engrossing narrative. The characters approach one another with a quirky queasiness that is laugh-out-loud funny just on the face of it.
Gabriel writes books that are an easy pleasure to read. An audio version of this book would be great! As readers, we hear the chords and melody simultaneously as we go seamlessly back and forth amongst the singularly sensitive, the often unintentionally humorous and the regionally cranky Southern psyche. Add money, a list of righteous purveyors of interracial insemination, some of it in flagrante delicto, and sibling and half-sibling rivalry of biblical proportions that goes back generations. Gabriel gives us the setting and masterfully-plied tension that makes Temple Secrets literary music.
Temple Secrets is a page-turner of a story that goes deeper than most on the subjects of equality, courage and dignity. There were five or six characters to love and a few to loathe. Gabriel draws Queenie, Violet, Spud, Rose and Rose’s lesbian daughter and her lover precisely, with a narrative dexterity that is amazingly and perfectly sparse while achieving an impact of fullness and depth. Their interactions with the outside world and one another are priceless moments of hilarious asides, well-aimed snipes and a plethora of sarcasms.
I especially loved the character of 100-year-old Old Sally. Her very existence is the product of the one-sided passions between Old Sally’s African-American mother and one of the White Temple forbearers. In fact, at least four generations of her family are the product of Temple patriarchal entitlement. Sally decides enough is enough of this Temple dynasty. When Old Sally reinserts herself back into the family that so forcefully created her own, she’s got some Gullah spell casting to do. If anyone else knows, no one is saying.
What happens when the inevitable inequities come about amongst the Haves, the Have Nots and the Damn-Right-I-Will-Have? When some people have far too much time, wealth and power and not enough humanness and courage? Oh, the answers Gabriel provides are as delicious as Violet’s peach turnovers, and twice as addicting! I highly recommend this novel.
Everyone in Savannah high society seems to hope Iris Temple dies sooner rather than later. Almost no one likes her, and everyone has felt the sting from the crack of her verbal whip.
For generations she has held the Temple Book of Secrets as her primary weapon of potential mass destruction. This book, a family heirloom in which generations of Temples have kept copious notes on the VERY bad things everyone else in Savannah’s high society did throughout the decades, is Iris’ social sword. Her lousy temperament and unapologetically insufferable air of condescension is another. Gabriel has outdone herself in the perfectly on- point depiction of Iris Temple. What a masterful character creation! Although she’s not present for much of the book, Iris Temple touches every moment and every one else in it.
Somebody is putting a “secret a day” in the classifieds, and Iris is getting apoplectic about it. No one knows who is doing this as the actual book of Temple Secrets is under lock and key. Is there a second copy somewhere? From the top of the Savannah social heap to the high bottom, tempers flare, generations of moral superiority comes crashing down on heads too shocked to thwart the blows, and even Iris’ immediate family thinks Iris has lost it. Once again. Susan Gabriel has captured the song of the South and Savannah as she plays both sides of the verbal harp with expert timing, authentic dialog and engrossing narrative. The characters approach one another with a quirky queasiness that is laugh-out-loud funny just on the face of it.
Gabriel writes books that are an easy pleasure to read. An audio version of this book would be great! As readers, we hear the chords and melody simultaneously as we go seamlessly back and forth amongst the singularly sensitive, the often unintentionally humorous and the regionally cranky Southern psyche. Add money, a list of righteous purveyors of interracial insemination, some of it in flagrante delicto, and sibling and half-sibling rivalry of biblical proportions that goes back generations. Gabriel gives us the setting and masterfully-plied tension that makes Temple Secrets literary music.
Temple Secrets is a page-turner of a story that goes deeper than most on the subjects of equality, courage and dignity. There were five or six characters to love and a few to loathe. Gabriel draws Queenie, Violet, Spud, Rose and Rose’s lesbian daughter and her lover precisely, with a narrative dexterity that is amazingly and perfectly sparse while achieving an impact of fullness and depth. Their interactions with the outside world and one another are priceless moments of hilarious asides, well-aimed snipes and a plethora of sarcasms.
I especially loved the character of 100-year-old Old Sally. Her very existence is the product of the one-sided passions between Old Sally’s African-American mother and one of the White Temple forbearers. In fact, at least four generations of her family are the product of Temple patriarchal entitlement. Sally decides enough is enough of this Temple dynasty. When Old Sally reinserts herself back into the family that so forcefully created her own, she’s got some Gullah spell casting to do. If anyone else knows, no one is saying.
What happens when the inevitable inequities come about amongst the Haves, the Have Nots and the Damn-Right-I-Will-Have? When some people have far too much time, wealth and power and not enough humanness and courage? Oh, the answers Gabriel provides are as delicious as Violet’s peach turnovers, and twice as addicting! I highly recommend this novel.
January 1, 2018
I have to admit that I thumbed through this book to see what happened, but it was not for me. Too much Gullah, voodoo, and ghostly appearances.
August 17, 2015
I totally enjoyed Temple Secrets and it gave me a wonderfully different experience. I so admire Susan Gabriel's work that I knew from the teaser that I wanted to read this book about a matriarch pillar of a southern community sharing the ancestral home with...her half sister !! With that as a great start, surprisingly the first few chapters crawled a little for me. I should clarify that I was listening to the Audible version -- and were I reviewing that, I'd raise the story ranking a tad and lower the performance a bit. Maybe, it was the reader's voice that disconcerned me in that beginning. When I turned up the speed a bit I was much happer, and I actually listened to last 65% in one afternoon and well into the night.
Well, I tell you, I just HAD to know what happened to everyone and to find out for sure "who done it" Gabriel threw my some surprises within her well developed characters. These are the kind of characters that continue to live on in your head for days after the book is done. Now, I'm looking forward to moving on to more of Ms Gabriel's stories. She lets us Yankies slip right into the kitchen of these southern homes and sit down with a cup of coffee and watch the action as we chat with the those who are coming and going. Frankly most of the time I'd rather talk with the folks working in the kitchen and the family members who also like the warmth of the kitchen than those in the pretty sitting room upstairs!
Thanks Susan Well done indeed.
Well, I tell you, I just HAD to know what happened to everyone and to find out for sure "who done it" Gabriel threw my some surprises within her well developed characters. These are the kind of characters that continue to live on in your head for days after the book is done. Now, I'm looking forward to moving on to more of Ms Gabriel's stories. She lets us Yankies slip right into the kitchen of these southern homes and sit down with a cup of coffee and watch the action as we chat with the those who are coming and going. Frankly most of the time I'd rather talk with the folks working in the kitchen and the family members who also like the warmth of the kitchen than those in the pretty sitting room upstairs!
Thanks Susan Well done indeed.
June 8, 2016
Nice...
Not what I expected. Nice storyline but just not enough character development. They didn't stand out for me. I would really have liked more interaction with the ghosts
I appreciate every author with the talent and imagination to write a book. Just not my cup of tea...
Not what I expected. Nice storyline but just not enough character development. They didn't stand out for me. I would really have liked more interaction with the ghosts
I appreciate every author with the talent and imagination to write a book. Just not my cup of tea...
April 4, 2020
Two stars, because Goodreads says that means "it was ok." And it was just that. First, whoever decided to compare this to Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil either has no sense or is into marketing b.s. in the highest degree. There's no comparison between the two. The similarities start and end at their being set in Savannah.
This story follows--and painfully draws out--the story of the matriarch of the Temple family, a supposedly prominent leading family in Savannah, and the people whose lives are intertwined with hers. I was initially drawn to the story by positive reviews and what sounded like a Savannah story by someone who really knows Savannah.
Well, as someone who can step out on his porch in the downtown historic district and knows Savannah rather well, this read like a book by someone who has enjoyed some visits to Savannah but doesn't really know her intimately.
That all would be forgivable if the story moved better and the characters were more compelling. As for the "secrets," the book of secrets that supposedly causes much trouble in this story is at best a tease. There are no great secrets revealed--even for a fictional family, make it interesting!--and that just didn't move things along.
Perhaps this just isn't meant for a reader like me. There's a sprinkling of voodoo and spirits in this, and I suppose if that sort of thing moved me more, then the book might have as well. But speaking as someone who has seen things in his own Savannah home go flying without any good explanation, I still need more than what's here. Again, maybe it's just not my cup of tea, but I really was disappointed.
This story follows--and painfully draws out--the story of the matriarch of the Temple family, a supposedly prominent leading family in Savannah, and the people whose lives are intertwined with hers. I was initially drawn to the story by positive reviews and what sounded like a Savannah story by someone who really knows Savannah.
Well, as someone who can step out on his porch in the downtown historic district and knows Savannah rather well, this read like a book by someone who has enjoyed some visits to Savannah but doesn't really know her intimately.
That all would be forgivable if the story moved better and the characters were more compelling. As for the "secrets," the book of secrets that supposedly causes much trouble in this story is at best a tease. There are no great secrets revealed--even for a fictional family, make it interesting!--and that just didn't move things along.
Perhaps this just isn't meant for a reader like me. There's a sprinkling of voodoo and spirits in this, and I suppose if that sort of thing moved me more, then the book might have as well. But speaking as someone who has seen things in his own Savannah home go flying without any good explanation, I still need more than what's here. Again, maybe it's just not my cup of tea, but I really was disappointed.
March 13, 2018
Loved it right up to ending...
Loved it right up to ending chapters and then it seemed to flounder and kind of fall apart. The ending was rushed and it felt "like it was swept up into a tidy" summary ending. The first 3/4's of the book was exciting, fun, funny....a page turner! Then it felt like someone "unplugged the power" and the book suddenly became rushed and boring....or more like the Author lost interest in her book and rushed to shut it down! I was so disappointed......this had the potential to be a 5 star book if the Author's writing enthusiasm had remained consistent.
Loved it right up to ending chapters and then it seemed to flounder and kind of fall apart. The ending was rushed and it felt "like it was swept up into a tidy" summary ending. The first 3/4's of the book was exciting, fun, funny....a page turner! Then it felt like someone "unplugged the power" and the book suddenly became rushed and boring....or more like the Author lost interest in her book and rushed to shut it down! I was so disappointed......this had the potential to be a 5 star book if the Author's writing enthusiasm had remained consistent.
September 14, 2015
Susan Gabriel must have a genius IQ to keep track of all the plot twists and turns--and secrets!--in her wonderful novel Temple Secrets. Add to that the feat of juggling a large cast of colorful characters, including Temple family ghosts that flit around the family's Savannah mansion. As a Southerner and Southern author, I think this book really rings true; nothing in it is implausible! If you read this book, block out the weekend and put your phone off the hook because you won't be able to put it down.(And it's in a nice readable type.)
January 23, 2019
The book really grabbed me at the beginning but once it settled into chapters told from the perspective of different characters it became disjointed for me. I found the end contrived and was glad to see the last page.
October 17, 2017
I cannot say enough about this book. I'm looking forward to reading more from Susan Gabriel. I would give this book 10 🌟The characters were amazing . Enjoy
June 27, 2016
It’s hard for me to find a meaty novel that gives me a great story, is well written, keeps me turning the pages and makes me - at various points - laugh out loud and cry. However, Temple Secrets delivered all of that and more.
The story is narrated by four women: Queenie, Violet, Rose and occasionally Old Sally. These women, black and white, have a lot of shared family history and to varying extent, genes. Queenie is hilarious and Violet, her niece has third-eye abilities she shares with Old Sally, her grandmother and the wise holder of the Gullah traditions. Rose is the estranged daughter of Iris Temple, the matriarch of this entrenched, elite Savannah family. Iris is a handful, both alive and dead. To avoid spoiler, I don’t want to try to summarize the plot but will just say that this is a wonderfully satisfying story that I truly didn’t want to end. I look forward to Gabriel’s next book!
The story is narrated by four women: Queenie, Violet, Rose and occasionally Old Sally. These women, black and white, have a lot of shared family history and to varying extent, genes. Queenie is hilarious and Violet, her niece has third-eye abilities she shares with Old Sally, her grandmother and the wise holder of the Gullah traditions. Rose is the estranged daughter of Iris Temple, the matriarch of this entrenched, elite Savannah family. Iris is a handful, both alive and dead. To avoid spoiler, I don’t want to try to summarize the plot but will just say that this is a wonderfully satisfying story that I truly didn’t want to end. I look forward to Gabriel’s next book!
July 28, 2019
I had read two other books by Susan Gabriel and loved both of them. When I find a writer that I enjoy, I want to read all their books. Temple Secrets was just as intriguing and filled with characters that you can not help but love. Having grown up in the South, I could also identify with the story in so many ways. I too had an Aunt Sally who I dearly loved. Fortunately, she was part of my life until she passed at 100. I highly recommend any books by this author.
May 28, 2017
My first thought when I finished this book was when will the sequel come out ? I love Savannah, the mystery and magic . Strong characters who you either love or hate. I am going to backtrack to Susan Gabriel's earlier works. Reading a book like Temple Secrets , is like discovering a prize and knowing there is more where that came from !
June 20, 2015
I loved this book. Lightweight Southern Fiction with interesting characters, and lots of surprises. The dialog is humorous at times, serious at others, all in a story that is engaging from start to finish. My Book Club enjoyed this, and the discussion about it.
March 6, 2017
Overall, the book was good but I was slightly disappointed with the ending. With that said, I would be interested in the author revisiting the characters as I am sure there will be many more adventures to be had by them.
March 25, 2015
I received this book free through the goodreads giveaway. Really enjoyed this book. Love happy endings and books that have you laughing on the first page! Thanks.
June 19, 2015
The perfect beach read.
April 13, 2016
Boring. And predictable.
March 9, 2017
Good storyline, a little wordy and repetitive, characters could have been developed a little more.
March 9, 2022
Being from GA and having visited Savannah many times I was i intrigued by this novel. It did not disappoint when it came to the ghosts stories. The ending was a bit abrupt and think some of the middle part could have been condensed and the ending extended. Overall I really enjoyed this novel.
August 9, 2021
Secrets Galore!
I had a hard time putting down this book after starting it. As the secrets started coming out, it was even more difficult. This is a perfect summer/beach read. Each character is memorable - something missing from most stories.
I had a hard time putting down this book after starting it. As the secrets started coming out, it was even more difficult. This is a perfect summer/beach read. Each character is memorable - something missing from most stories.
May 28, 2022
This was a book that someone at my book club randomly picked after knowing next to nothing about it but the title, so I did not have high expectations for it. Perhaps, that is the reason for my pretty high review, because it ended up being much better than I expected.
I found this book really interesting, and at times funny. Although some of the plot twists were somewhat predictable, I thought that the reveals were very well done. The only one I didn't like was Edward's, because I felt like it was just a poor attempt at a redemption arc for him, and it fell really flat for me.
If I'm being honest, I probably will not continue on with this series, mostly just because it isn't really my type of book.
But overall, I liked this book and thought it was pretty well-written.
I found this book really interesting, and at times funny. Although some of the plot twists were somewhat predictable, I thought that the reveals were very well done. The only one I didn't like was Edward's, because I felt like it was just a poor attempt at a redemption arc for him, and it fell really flat for me.
If I'm being honest, I probably will not continue on with this series, mostly just because it isn't really my type of book.
But overall, I liked this book and thought it was pretty well-written.
August 18, 2017
Temple Secrets
I loved this book. Maybe it's because the US just went through a terrible experience at Charlottesville Virginia, with KKK, White separates, Neo-Nazis, supposedly to protest the taking down of the confederate statue. Or more likely because it was just a very very well written book. I loved the characters-Queenie and Old Sally, and Rose, and while she was not lovable, Iris. In fact Iris was the meanest woman in Savannah, especially when she passed gas. The men were minor characters, but probably more like the men I remember from a very short time in Savannah. Normally, if there are ghosts in a book, I don't read it, but I sure am glad that I did. It told a story of how black slaves and servants are treated by some in the south, even now. I know it's fiction and I know that all southerners are not like this. I suspect some still are. It also strengthened my conviction that taking down the confederate statues is the right thing to do, and that the confederate flag is still not something that is honorable. Thanks Susan Gabriel. I plan to read all of your books.
I loved this book. Maybe it's because the US just went through a terrible experience at Charlottesville Virginia, with KKK, White separates, Neo-Nazis, supposedly to protest the taking down of the confederate statue. Or more likely because it was just a very very well written book. I loved the characters-Queenie and Old Sally, and Rose, and while she was not lovable, Iris. In fact Iris was the meanest woman in Savannah, especially when she passed gas. The men were minor characters, but probably more like the men I remember from a very short time in Savannah. Normally, if there are ghosts in a book, I don't read it, but I sure am glad that I did. It told a story of how black slaves and servants are treated by some in the south, even now. I know it's fiction and I know that all southerners are not like this. I suspect some still are. It also strengthened my conviction that taking down the confederate statues is the right thing to do, and that the confederate flag is still not something that is honorable. Thanks Susan Gabriel. I plan to read all of your books.
October 26, 2017
A great southern fictional story.
This was a fantastic book! The characters were authentic and I always love a southern setting. It was an interesting story of women, all different races and generations and "stations in life". The best part was how all of us can learn something from each other, no matter age or position. I will read more of her books!
This was a fantastic book! The characters were authentic and I always love a southern setting. It was an interesting story of women, all different races and generations and "stations in life". The best part was how all of us can learn something from each other, no matter age or position. I will read more of her books!
February 1, 2021
Again, an audible book.
I thoroughly enjoyed it... The narration was wonderful. There are twists and turns in the book making it a southern mystery!
I thoroughly enjoyed it... The narration was wonderful. There are twists and turns in the book making it a southern mystery!
September 7, 2021
Temple Secrets: Southern Fiction Book 1 is written by Susan Gabriel. This is the first book I have read by Susan Gabriel but it definitely won’t be the last one. Susan has a way of drawing you into the book and placing you at the site of the action. You become one with the book and the action. She brings to life the unique quality that Southern living has. The setting is the beautiful, romantic, and mysterious Savannah, Georgia. The Temple family epitomizes the Southern gentile family.
Iris Temple in the matriarch of the Temple family. She is the supreme example of an aristocratic and didactic Southern lady. She rules her house and family with a strong hand as well as her servants and even the top figures of Savanah Society. She lives in the Temple mansion surrounded by the valuable items gathered over centuries by the Temple family. Her half-sister, Queenie, lives in the house as her companion and personal assistant. Old Sally, Queenie’s mother, worked for Mrs. Temple until she retired, then Old Sally’s granddaughter Violet became her housekeeper. She criticized and crushed anyone who got in her way. Queenie’s father was Iris Temple’s Father and Violet’s father was Iris Temple’s husband.
The family dynamics of the Temples is developed very well and was very readily accepted at that time because men believed women belonged in the home.
Iris’s daughter Rose comes home after fifty years to try to make amends with her mother. Rose had moved out to Montana and married a rancher. She and her Mother had been estranged for many years. Her son Edward, was just like his mother, ruthless. He wants the book of secrets that his parents had put in a safe deposit box. What is in this book of secrets?
Iris Temple in the matriarch of the Temple family. She is the supreme example of an aristocratic and didactic Southern lady. She rules her house and family with a strong hand as well as her servants and even the top figures of Savanah Society. She lives in the Temple mansion surrounded by the valuable items gathered over centuries by the Temple family. Her half-sister, Queenie, lives in the house as her companion and personal assistant. Old Sally, Queenie’s mother, worked for Mrs. Temple until she retired, then Old Sally’s granddaughter Violet became her housekeeper. She criticized and crushed anyone who got in her way. Queenie’s father was Iris Temple’s Father and Violet’s father was Iris Temple’s husband.
The family dynamics of the Temples is developed very well and was very readily accepted at that time because men believed women belonged in the home.
Iris’s daughter Rose comes home after fifty years to try to make amends with her mother. Rose had moved out to Montana and married a rancher. She and her Mother had been estranged for many years. Her son Edward, was just like his mother, ruthless. He wants the book of secrets that his parents had put in a safe deposit box. What is in this book of secrets?
March 11, 2020
Fairly easy read, but not a book that held my interest enough to read it quickly. I liked most of the characters, loved the ghosts, and was fairly happy with the how the ending wrapped up their lives. Some characters could have been developed a little better, but their genuine feelings for each other came through. Overall I liked it even though the big secrets didn’t seem all that big, nothing that was shocking, and nothing that I thought should bring out protestors to their front lawn for weeks. I got a little annoyed with the constant rich white men comments (especially since Iris was a filthy rich female) and one comment disdainfully mentions all the rich white Republicans in the room, as if there have never been any rich Democrats, white or black. They seemed to be thrown in just to insult, didn’t seem to add anything to the story. No I’m not a rich white man who was offended by it, I just didn’t see point of bringing it up again and again. Small spoiler alert: The ladies all ended up with interesting inheritances but their riches were really their relationships and their blended family, not the cash.
June 9, 2021
This book is set in Savannah, Georgia in 2000. It follows the story of the Temple family, an old family with old money from plantations and businesses in the city. The family is filled with secrets about who is who's child and how the races have mixed within that group. Iris Temple is the matriarch and loves to exert her control over the elite of Savannah through secrets she and her family have recorded in a book over the centuries. These old families don't want anyone to know their family secrets and when someone begins to publish them in the newspaper even Iris is surprised. Who is doing this? When Iris has a stroke and dies, the secrets continue to come out. What is going on? And Iris doesn't actually leave at her death, her ghost still haunts her house. This is a great story that incorporates all the famous things one thinks about when thinking of Savannah. Loved it!! No language or PG scenes either. Made me happy!
February 23, 2020
Iris Temple is one person of old wealth in Savannah. In order to keep control of the rest of town, her family has secrets written in a book dating back to the civil war. Iris has a son (Edward) and a daughter, (Rose) but Rose has chosen to leave Savannah in pursuit of her happiness. Queenie ,is Iris’ care giver, but Iris is never kind to her and always finds things to fault. Violet works for Iris too as her maid, making minimal wages she puts it aside to open her own restaurant some day. Old Sally has worked for the Temples in years past and is too old now, she knows spells that she places on people to keep them safe from Iris’ evil ways. When the secrets start showing up in the local paper Iris is stricken with illness. Everyone is scared what will come out in the open and who is doing the telling.
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