Refuge [Paperback]

Dot Jackson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 2008

Late one night in 1929, a young Charleston society matron named Mary Seneca Steele goes to bed while considering suicide. But instead she arises, steals her children and her husband's new Auburn Phaeton, and sets out on a journey of enlightenment, which begins with learning how to drive.
The scandal begets a string of tragedies, including murder, some tough and urgent maturing, and a surprising salvation.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dot Jackson spent many years as a prizewinning reporter and columnist at the Charlotte Observer. During that time, she was also hard at work collecting a wealth of Appalachian stories and folklore, and weaving them into this novel written on an ancient typewriter in a haunted basement.

Product Details

• Paperback: 356 pages
• Publisher: Novello Festival Press (April 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0615166245
• ISBN-13: 978-0615166247
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #460,947 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, Beautiful, Heartbreaking, Haunting, May 9, 2006

By 

Damon Lee Fowler - See all my reviews

This review is from: Refuge (Hardcover)

Those who are lucky to know Dot Jackson's writing as a journalist and columnist have long awaited this, her first novel, and she does not disappoint. Luminously written, evocative, and filled with a deep love for her Appalachian roots, Refuge is a new American masterpiece. You will be homesick for the Carolina Hills even if you have never been there.

Damon Lee Fowler, author of Damon Lee Fowler's New Southern Baking

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tender and riveting portrait of yearning, grief, and standing fast, June 16, 2006

By 

Liz (Chapel Hill, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Refuge (Hardcover)

If you have ever suffered loss, if you have ever experienced joy tinged with grief, if you have ever longed to break free of social expectations and embark on the perilous journey of finding out who you really are, Dot Jackson's Refuge will make an excellent companion. Set in the Appalachian South, the story offers haunting descriptions, fascinating and inspiring characters, and pitch-perfect dialogue. Jackson so deftly and gracefully shapes the plot - which centers on a family mystery -- that you won't be able to set this story down. For anyone who seeks refuge (be it physical, emotional, or spiritual), and for anyone who aspires to live faithfully and with integrity, this book will enlarge and deepen your life and give it meaning and hope.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A vivid tale of love, intimacy, fate, and an evocative mystery, June 8, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Refuge (Hardcover)

Refuge by Dot Jackson is an engaging novel depicting the spontaneous escape of Mary Seneca Steele with her children from the life of unhappiness in the South. Captivating as it carries readers through the intimate tale of discovery of self, life, and family, Refuge brings Mary to the family she had never known in the mountain cove and birch forest where she connects with Ben Aron, her cousin, Panama, her aunt, and enters a love affair which results in several tragic and intricately plotted events. Exceptionally well written, Refuge is very strongly recommended for the readers seeking a vivid tale of love, intimacy, fate, and an evocative mystery.