I thought of my parents again, finally resting across the water from me, of the seeds on Kimmy’s farm sprouting in the darkness, of my grandchildren sleeping upstairs.
And I knew for sure that, sometimes, the truest things in life, the ones that mean the most, can’t be explained in words.
It reassured me to remember that, oh so often, the truth is found in the beauty of the silence.
acknowledgments
* * *
I have always been in awe of the sacrifices soldiers make and of the ways in which those left behind carry on while they are away. Writing this book, envisioning what it must be like for a military wife to continue on with her life during the worst of the worst, and hearing stories from actual military wives along the way, was one of the most gratifying parts of writing this novel. I want to thank all the members of our armed forces and their spouses, first and foremost, for the sacrifices you make for our safety. This story is out of my imagination and any mistakes are mine and mine alone, but I have to thank my friend Army Brigadier General and author A.J. Tata for talking me through some of the finer points of military life.
Lauren McKenna, I think you are perhaps the finest editor in all the world. Thank you for your time and attention to this novel and for your help in making my first series as strong as it could possibly be. Sara Quaranta, Marla Daniels, Abby Zidle, Jen Long, Jen Bergstrom, Diana Velasquez, Theresa Dooley, Michelle Podberezniak, and everyone at Gallery Books, thank you for all you have done to make this novel come to life. I’ve never been more convinced that launching a book is like raising a child: It takes a village.
Kathie Bennett, thank you for your vision for my career and your determination to make it happen. You have made me believe in myself. Susie Zerenda, thank you for sharing the gift of your words and for tirelessly touting my novels.
Bob Diforio, thank you for shepherding this book into the world and for your advice, support, and guidance.
I am eternally grateful to the bloggers, reporters, reviewers, and book angels in my life. There are too many to name here, but Jenny O’Regan, I wanted to give you a special thank-you. You were the very first person to email me to ask to help when news of my first novel broke, and that did and still does mean everything to me. Deirdre Parker Smith, not only did you guide me through my very first newspaper internship, but you have been such a cheerleader for me and have gone above and beyond at every turn. Stephanie Gray, Jessica Sorentino, and Stacey Armand, it is new bookish friends like you that keep this journey fresh and fun. Nicole McManus, from My Sister’s Books to Aries Girl to Sasee, you have given my books so much love wherever you go, and I am grateful. Andrea Katz, thanks for your listening ear, your good advice, and for generally being a rock star. Kristy Barrett, you are always a ray of sunshine right when I need one. And Susan Roberts, Susan Walters Peterson, and Jenny Belk, you were my first early readers and remain some of my most supportive. I wouldn’t be here without you.
My design blogger girls, there are too many of you to name here, but, literally, you launched my career. Hands down. Thank you for your enthusiasm, your support, and for sharing your readers and your corners of the internet with me year after year. I love you all so much and am in awe of your generosity!
From the time I was a little girl, independent bookstores have been some of my favorite places on earth, and I have to thank all of them around the country, especially the SIBA stores, for being such cheerleaders for me. South Main Book Co., The Country Bookshop, Litchfield Books, Buxton Books, Fiction Addiction, Dee Gees, Park Road Books, The Bookshelf, BookTowne, FoxTale, Books Unlimited, Downtown Books, Duck’s Cottage, and Avid Book Shop, thank you for making the Southern Charm tour such a huge success. The Pat Conroy Center and East Carolina University, thanks for launching this one. It is such an honor for me to be a part of all the good you do!
Beaufort Linen Company and Neuse Sports Shop, thank you for being the most amazing booksellers in towns where we, sadly, don’t have a bookstore. You guys rock!
Sabina Hitchen, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: You’re a big handful of brilliant glitter and your enthusiasm and wonderful ideas are always just what I need!
Macie Flynn, thank you for all your help this year with a million different things. I can’t wait to see what you do next!
Tamara Welch, you are one of those book angels I was talking about, and I don’t know what I would do without you! Thank you for sharing your gifts and talents with me.
It isn’t often that we get to meet our heroes in real-life and even less often that they become our friends. Mary Alice Monroe, I am so honored to count you among mine, and I can’t thank you enough for your beautiful endorsement of this book.
My Tall Poppy Writer friends, I hope you know this, but each and every one of you makes this experience so much fun. I am so blessed to have you!
I absolutely could not do what I do without my family. Thank you to my parents, Beth and Paul Woodson, for always believing in me and for making my life easy and picking up the slack so I can do what I love, especially during my tour. Big, huge thank-you to my husband, Will, and my son, Will, for being so supportive of my very big dreams and for being with me from the first word to the final edit on each and every novel. I love you all so much.
It is beginning to sink in that this is my fourth novel, that only four years ago I was hoping and praying that I would get to see just one book in print. I have to thank you, the reader who holds this book, for helping to make my dreams come true, for telling your friends and writing reviews, for hosting and coming to my events . . . I am here today because of you, and, even though we may not have ever met, I count you as one of the people I am most grateful for every day.
GALLERY READERS GROUP GUIDE
the secret to southern charm
THE PEACHTREE BLUFF SERIES #2
Kristy Woodson Harvey
This readers group guide for The Secret to Southern Charm includes an introduction, discussion questions, and ideas for enhancing your book club. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.
introduction
* * *
When Sloane Murphy hears that her husband, Adam, is MIA, she breaks down. Thankfully, she finds herself in the care of her sisters, mother, and grandmother in her family’s home in Peachtree Bluff, Georgia, where the sky is blue, the breeze is fresh, but naturally—nothing is ever as simple as it seems. Sloane must learn how to pick herself up and out of bed, be the mother she needs to be for her two sons, and prepare to pick up the pieces in case Adam never returns. Meanwhile, her mother Ansley’s affections with her teenage sweetheart grow more complicated when he forces himself into her life in an unexpected way. There’s never a dull moment in the Murphy household, and book two in the Peachtree Bluff series proves it!
topics & questions for discussion
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1. There are three generations of mothers, and likewise, many styles of parenting in this novel. Discuss the different relationships that exist and consider the relationship between Sloane and Ansley or Sloane and her grandmother, and how Sloane and Caroline view parenting.
2. Discuss the title The Secret to Southern Charm. Secrets abound in the novel: Sloane neglects to tell Adam she uses an IUD and doesn’t truly want kids; Jack is Sloane and Caroline’s father, yet Ansley won’t tell them; Ansley’s early financial woes that her daughters know nothing about; and Grammy’s decision to hide her illness from the family. Discuss what other secrets exist and how they impact the characters in their own ways.
3. “Grammy had said earlier that the accent was the secret to Southern charm. But she was wrong. This putting on a brave face, carrying on, helping others, being kind and humble and giving, believing with all your heart that the world could be a better place and that you could make it that way . . . that was Southern charm. L
ooking around at these women who embodied those qualities so well, I had to think that maybe Grammy was wrong. Maybe it wasn’t a secret at all.” How do you interpret the title and Grammy’s thoughts on what the secret of Southern charm is? After reading the book, do you think this is what Southern charm is about? Why, or why not?
4. Ansley mentions her longstanding desire to decorate the home next to hers. When her new neighbor ends up being her former lover, Jack, she offers her service to him. How does this decision play out for Ansley? Do you think it was wise for her to pitch to Jack? Why, or why not?
5. Sloane describes her marriage to Adam as love at first sight. Do you agree with Ansley that their engagement moved quickly? Do you think this intensity so early on in their relationship creates any sort of bond for their future? Why, or why not?
6. Take a moment to think about the different women in the novel. What does it mean to be a mother, a daughter, a sister, or a wife in the book? Discuss how the relationships are different or similar. Is Ansley the same type of mother her own mother was? Is Sloane like Ansley? How would you describe Sloane and Caroline’s relationship versus Sloane and Emerson’s? Lastly, discuss the difference in marriages that exist: Sloane and Adam versus Caroline and James. Recall Caroline’s story from Slightly South of Simple to help with this discussion.
7. “Sometimes being a mother isn’t about having to fix it. Sometimes, the best thing a mother can be is there at all.” Discuss this quote in the context of Ansley’s treatment of Sloane in the first half of the book versus her own mother’s “help” in her own time of need. Do you agree with their behaviors and decisions? Do you relate to either relationship?
8. The concept of a home versus a house is an underlying theme in the book. Discuss how the family home in Peachtree Bluff is a home rather than a house.
9. On page 181, Grammy says to Sloane, “I’m going to say this. I love you, Sloane. You’re a beautiful, talented, artistic bright light. It has bothered me for years that once you married Adam, you became this . . . ‘Stepford wife.’ ” Based on what you’ve read about Sloane’s marriage and her life after it, do you agree with her grandmother? Why, or why not?
10. “I’ve always been very good at being numb. I’m the doer, the fixer, the one to take charge. It keeps my mind off of what is actually happening so I don’t have to face the sadness.” What does Ansley mean by this thought? Do you think she hides from her feelings in the book? If so, in what ways? In which circumstances?
11. Take a moment to reflect on the events in Slightly South of Simple, the first book set in Peachtree Bluff. Although it is focused on Caroline’s experience, would you say the characters have changed at all in The Secret to Southern Charm? How so?
12. There are a lot of thoughts on memories in the book, either in creating new ones (Grammy’s desire to take a trip to Starlite Island) or reminiscing on the past (Ansley’s early years with Jack). How do the characters preserve memories or describe important moments? What would you hope your family would remember about you on your last day?
13. Which of the characters do you relate to the most? Is it helpful to read new points of view in each Peachtree Bluff novel to understand the Murphy family? Can you make any predictions for what comes for the Murphys or Emerson?
14. Sloane describes their life on the army base in a few chapters. Do you have any familiarity with living on an army base or have you had friends/family who have done so? What do you imagine it would be like? Have you had friends or family who have married military personnel? In what ways do you think their lives are similar to Sloane’s?
enhance your book club
* * *
1. For your next book, consider reading a memoir about being an army wife such as Unremarried Widow by Artis Henderson. Do you see similarities in Sloane’s and Artis’s stories?
2. If you live near a lake or a waterfront, consider taking a tour of the area on a sailboat as the sisters do to drop Vivi off at camp.
3. As a group, go to your local painting party shop. Try your hand at some conceptual art as Sloane does or try a paint by numbers-style class.
4. Connect with Kristy Woodson Harvey on Facebook, Twitter, and visit her official website at: KristyWoodsonHarvey.com. Consider inviting her to Skype in with your book club.
Author the Author
JAY ACKERMAN
Kristy Woodson Harvey is the author of Slightly South of Simple, Dear Carolina, and Lies and Other Acts of Love and the founder of Design Chic, a popular interior design blog. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications and websites, including Southern Living, Domino, Our State, Houzz, Salisbury Post, and the New Bern Sun Journal. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and son. Visit Kristy at kristywoodsonharvey.com or on Instagram @kristywharvey.
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ALSO FROM KRISTY WOODSON HARVEY AND GALLERY BOOKS
Slightly South of Simple
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Gallery Books
An Imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
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New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2018 by Kristy Woodson Harvey
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Gallery Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
First Gallery Books hardcover edition April 2018
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Interior design by Davina Mock-Maniscalco
Cover Photograph © Alija/Getty Images
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Woodson Harvey, Kristy, author.
Title: The secret to southern charm : a novel / Kristy Woodson Harvey.
Description: First Gallery Books trade paperback edition. | New York : Gallery Books, 2018. | Series: The Peachtree Bluff series ; 2 |
Identifiers: LCCN 2017058399 (print) | LCCN 2018001545 (ebook) | ISBN 9781501158117 (ebook) | ISBN 9781501158100 (paperback) | ISBN 9781501195242 (hardcover)
Subjects: LCSH: Domestic fiction. | BISAC: FICTION / Contemporary Women. | FICTION / Family Life. | FICTION / Romance / Contemporary.
Classification: LCC PS3623.O6785 (ebook) | LCC PS3623.O6785 S43 2018 (print) | DDC 813/.6—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017058399
ISBN 978-1-5011-5810-0 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-5011-5811-7 (ebook)
rn Charm
The Secret to Southern Charm Page 27
