FROM THE PUBLISHER

It is summer, 1961, and Lila Lee Bayliss, motherless since birth and now 13, doesn't quite know what to make of Nora Findlay. Nora smokes, swears, wears short shorts, and when she listens, she looks at you as if she's never heard a human voice before. She also laughs a lot, something that's been missing for a long time in the Bayliss household, and she seems to have done just about everything fun there is to do in the world. Soon, even Lila's somber father is humming while he shaves. When Nora takes a teaching job at the local high school, it seems like she might stay on in Lytton forever, despite her outlandish ways and the snide comments made about her by some of the neighbors. As time foes on, Lila begins to realize that underneath Nora's high-spirited, feisty façade, something is troubling her, something from her past. And though Nora has tried to run away from the life she had before, a secret follows her, on that is so shocking, it will stun the residents of this small, segregated town and forever change the life of young Lila. The mesmerizing story of an independent woman caught in a provincial place and time, Nora, Nora is destined to become Anne Rivers Siddons's biggest hit yet

FROM THE CRITICS

Barnes & Noble Guide to New Fiction

Set in the summer of 1961, this Siddons novel pairs a young teenager who lost her mother at birth with her "worldly wise" thirty-something aunt.

Journal Constitution Atlanta

A skillful storyteller...Siddons does what she does best and delivers kings-sized conflict in hypnotic surroundings.

Atlanta Journal Constitution

A skillful storyteller...Siddons does what she does best and delivers kings-sized conflict in hypnotic surroundings.

Library Journal

When Peyton learns that her cousin Nora is coming to stay with her and her father for a time, Peyton resolves to find a way to avoid actually meeting this unwelcome stranger. But Nora, flamboyant and outspoken, has the entire town of Lytton, GA, in a flurry before she has a chance to park her pink convertible, and Peyton and her father find themselves suddenly living a life filled with more love, more fun, and more joy. Before long, though, everything Nora does seems to outrage the residents of this small, early 1960s town. An excessive abridgment at the beginning of this production leaves the listener wondering about Peyton's motives. The complete version [from HarperAudio and Recorded Books, among others] fills in the gaps, revealing that Peyton's fear of being unloved is only exceeded by her fear of growing up. Debra Monk's performance is unobtrusive and smooth, her gentle Southern accent adding atmosphere without being overpowering. This book is enjoying a great deal of popularity and is well worth acquiring; however, this reviewer would recommend one of the unabridged programs.--Adrienne Furness, Genesee Community Coll., Batavia, NY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

AudioFile