True Believers [Paperback]

Linda Dorrell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2001

A well-to-do Southern woman confronts racism, ignorance, and social expectations when she embarks on a work of charity that becomes a spiritual quest.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Dorrell's sweet, if somewhat predictable, first novel is a tale of three unlikely soulmates who find love, truth and redemption in smalltown South Carolina in the mid-1950s. The protagonist, textile heiress Peggy Nickles, enlists an elderly black minister and a handsome, itinerant stranger to help her renovate a dilapidated church and cemetery she has recently purchased. Bemusement becomes rage among the town folk, especially Peggy's sisters, when they learn that she plans to give the historically white church to a black congregation. The minister and the stranger also suffer alienation from family and friends, trials that bring the three closer together as they restore the property and face their brokenheartedness. As Peggy loses herself in the daily task of clearing brush and vines out of the cemetery, her labor becomes an apt metaphor for each main character's tentative, earnest search for truth about his or her own family history. Dorrell ably weaves these personal stories into the larger story of Southern racial strife, depicting interracial friendships as early, faltering attempts at repairing the breech rather than easy solutions to centuries of oppression. Although the novel's central romance is telegraphed from the beginning, Dorrell creates a believable bond between these characters as well as considerable sexual heat, despite the chastity of their premarital love affair. While most of her characters speak as if they were well educated, and occasionally as if they were living today rather than 50 years ago, they are emotionally authentic, and this in itself makes Dorrell's first effort a delight.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Linda Dorrell is a regular contributor to Pee Dee Magazine, a regional South Carolina publication, and has been featured in Southern Living. A former reporter, editor, and public relations writer, Dorrell resides in Effingham, South Carolina.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Baker Books (May 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801063620
• ISBN-13: 978-0801063626
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,823,646 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well written story; strong characters, January 11, 2009

By 

C. Tucker "cytaz" (Arizona) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: True Believers (Paperback)

Ms Dorrell brings to life the people, the place, and the time. The strands of the story flow together naturally. This book did not try to be a good book. It is a good book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sparks The Imagination, December 24, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: True Believers (Paperback)

This is one of the BEST reads I have had in long time (and I have done a considerable amount of reading).Ms.Dorrell had given us a real gem here.I could totally imagine every scene as I went through the book.The story is touching and you find yourself rooting for the characters.I was lost in this story.In a time when we are told that only sex,violence and crude behavior is what sells,I am glad that there are still some people who are giving us product that moves us and entertains us without those things.I recommend this book to anyone who longs for a book that will give you a cozy feeling.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read!!!!!!, June 6, 2002

By 

"mbdunne" (MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: True Believers (Paperback)

This is one of the best stories that I have ever read. This a must read not only for Christian women but women everywhere. A true story of love and faith.