Sarranda

by Celia H. Miles
Publisher: Infinitypublishing.com
ISBN: 0-7414-3518-7
Price: $13.95

In her fifth work of fiction, Celia Miles writes a "prequel" to a chapter in ThymeTable Mill, in which a mid-1800s woman appears in the restoration of her beloved grist mill. With unflinching honesty and a survivor's grace and humor, Sarranda chronicles her life in isolated western North Carolina's Greene Valley before, during, and after the Civil War years. In a time disrupted, a family fragmented in loyalties, and a land almost destroyed, Sarranda reveals the strength, endurance, and spirit of the mountain woman.

"This lovely novel...is rich with insights about living and dying, about a rare and amazing love never forgotten, and about families who struggle and survive against incredible odds. Beautifully written and totally absorbing."
Joan Medlicott, author of the six novels in The Ladies of Covington series, A Covington Christmas, The Three Mrs. Parkers.

"...her best to date. It is rare for a woman to write about this time period and Miles owes much to her own voracious reading. There is a whiff of Austen in her title character--a girl we meet as a pudgy five-year old and follow into her middle years....The war looms large...and it is intriguing to watch Sarranda's character being tested and honed through the hardships of mountain life."
Byron Ballard in WNC Woman, October 2006