The author of Circle of Grace hits all the right notes in this uplifting novel about the reunion of the Delta Belles, a music group that takes the country by storm in the 1960s. The year is 1965 and the Spring Fling Talent Show is in the works at the Mississippi College for Women, a proper Southern institution. As a joke, Delta Ballou puts the names of her three best friends on the list of performers. Rising to the challenge, they agree to sing and even convince Delta to join them. Rae Dawn DuChamp plays the piano and weaves harmonies in a smoky contralto. Lacy Cantrell masters the basic guitar chords, and her twin sister, Lauren, contributes a pleasing voice. They call themselves the Delta Belles and win the talent show hands-down. What started as a lark turns into an exciting adventure. The Delta Belles perform at protests and voter registration rallies across the country. As graduation draws near, all the Delta Belles seem poised for bright futures. Twenty-five years later, Delta, recently widowed and angry at God, is asked to get the Belles together to perform at their college reunion. Lacy and Lauren haven’t spoken to each other in years, and Rae Dawn has been beset by overwhelming losses. Their reunion turns out to be much more than an opportunity to relive the past. As the old friends reconnect, they come to a new understanding of the meaning and value of their lives. Stokes' second outing revolves around four 1969 graduates of Mississippi's College for Women, who reassemble their once-popular musical quartet for their twenty-fifth reunion. Each woman has had her share of adversity in the years following college. Deborah "Delta" Ballou questions the existence of God in the wake of her minister husband's murder. Aspiring blues singer Rae Dawn regrets sacrificing her relationship with life partner Noel for the sake of her career. Twins Lauren and Lacy Cantrell remain estranged after battling for the affections of dashing fellow collegian Trip Jenkins. Stokes ( Circle of Grace , 2004) writes convincingly about female friendships, but her novel is overwhelmed by overwrought prose. Of lustful Lauren Cantrell, she writes: "Even the thrumming down rain could not stem the tide of her desire." The characters are a bit broad, too: Rae Dawn, for example, with her trailer-park upbringing (replete with alcoholic father and ineffectual mother), or a frank-talking counselor who bears a striking resemblance to Dr. Ruth. Still, for readers looking for light entertainment, this will fill the bill. Allison Block Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Advance Praise for Delta Belles “In a world of cotton-candy religiosity, where sweetness is valued over substance, Penelope Stokes is a bright beacon. Her stories touch the heart, engage the brain, and expand the spirit. ” —Philip Gulley, author of the Harmony series “Sing me a song of enduring friendship, of women bound deeply to each other. Sing me a song of hope and survival, of loss and disappointment, of forgiveness and a sweet reunion. Sing me a song I will treasure. Sing me Delta Belles .” —Lynne Hinton, author of The Arms of God and Hope Springs Praise for Circle of Grace “A beautiful novel of dreams gone awry, truths forsaken, and the blessings and redemptive power of women’s friendships. The dialogue is fast-paced, intelligent, and heartwrenchingly honest. The writing is clear and concise and speaks to the truths of our connection to the universe and to who we really are.” —Joan Medlicott, author of The Ladies of Covington Send Their Love and The Spirit of Covington penelope j. stokes is the author of eleven novels, including Circle of Grace . She holds a Ph.D. in Renaissance Literature and has taught college level writing and literature. She lives in Danbury, Connecticut. One Delta Alone Decatur, Georgia September 1994 "Rankin!" Delta Ballou sat bolt upright in bed, shaking and sweating, the familiar sickening panic washing over her. Something had roused her--a noise. She inhaled deeply, trying to regulate her breathing, trying to shush the pounding of her heart. Delta might not be alone in the world, but still she felt it--every day, every waking moment. Especially every night, before sleep overtook her, lying there in the dark with his side of the bed cold and untouched. She always stayed up too late these days, dragging herself reluctantly to a few hours of fitful sleep, only to awaken groggy the next morning and discover that it hadn't been a terrible nightmare, after all. That her husband really was dead. That she was, at the age of forty-seven, a widow. She had been annoyed with Rankin the morning of his death, exasperated over some real or imagined slight--she couldn't remember now what it was. Something minor, no doubt, something utterly unimportant in the cosmic scheme of things. But at the time it had seemed sufficient cause to snub him, to refuse to kiss him properly as he went out the doo