Welcome to Litsy!

A tale of family secrets and sisterly bonds set against the unlikely friendship of two remarkable women: Stella Nightingale, a twenty-one-year-old runaway from a broken home, and Alice Montclair Whittington, a ninety-four-year-old Southern grande dame with a dry sense of humor, a wicked tongue, and an illustrious but mysterious past. The last thing twenty-one-year-old Stella Nightingale wants is a job as a caregiver for wealthy Alice Montclair Whittington. Alice, a ninety-four-year-old Southern grande dame with a dry sense of humor and a wicked tongue, has already run off a long line of caregivers. But Stella, a former runaway from a broken home who's only recently begun to put her life back together, is desperate for work. And she figures she can handle Alice. But strange things are happening at Alice's rambling mountaintop estate. As an unlikely friendship develops between the two women, Alice, whose memory comes and goes, begins to reveal long-ago tales of her illustrious past, tales that pose more questions than they answer. Who is her mysterious sister, Laura? And why won't Alice and her sister, Adeline, ever speak of her? As Stella tries to separate fact from fiction in Alice's life, she struggles to overcome her own devastating family secret, compelled by a deepening friendship that will change the lives of both women forever. From the Author PRAISE FOR CATHY HOLTON "Holton has a lively, fluid style that shifts easily among the viewpoints' of several characters and goes down as easily as sweet tea." -The Boston Globe on Revenge of the Kudzu Debutantes "Three Southern Belles wreak havoc in the lives of their cheating husbands in this light, likable debut..." - Kirkus on Revenge of the Kudzu Debutantes "Holton's headstrong heroines deliver homespun wisdom and hearty laughs in this uproarious sequel." - Booklist on Secret Lives of the Kudzu Debutantes "Sharp, witty, and warm." - Entertainment Weekly on Secret Lives of the Kudzu Debutantes "A brilliant, bubbly, bracing novel...packed with hilarity and heartache." - Wichita Falls Times Record News on Beach Trip "A poignant tale of heartbreak and happiness that celebrates the resiliency of women." - Chattanooga Times Free Press on Beach Trip "Brimming with unforgettable characters, smart conversations, and an engaging mystery that makes spending a summer in the south a tantalizing proposition." - Kirkus on Summer in the South "Part gothic mystery, part romance...sit back with a cold drink on a shady porch, and enjoy." - The Roanoke Times on *Summer in the South "A terrific blend of history, mystery, and romance that will keep you reading long into the wee hours. Fans of Sarah Jio will love this story's deft exploration of two remarkable women over two time periods. Sure to be a book club favorite." - Carolyn Jourdan, bestselling author of Heart in the Right Place on The Sisters Montclair "The hilarious dialogue between poor struggling student Stella Nightingale and rich 94-year-old Alice Whittington, who is well along in dementia, leads to a denouement which will knock the reader's socks off." Georgia Library Quarterly on The Sisters Montclair About the Author Cathy Holton lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee with her husband and a rescue dog named Yoshi. She is the author of "The Sisters Montclair", "Summer in the South", "Beach Trip", "Revenge of the Kudzu Debutantes", and "Secret Lives of the Kudzu Debutantes".