{"title":"Laura Lee Smith","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"heart-of-palm-book-laura-lee-smith-9780802121035","title":"Heart of Palm","description":"\u003cb\u003e A] fine, funny first novel . . . A heaping dose of Southern soul with a whole lot of chutzpah thrown in.--Gina Webb, \u003ci\u003eAtlanta Journal Constitution\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eArla Bolton had been warned never to marry a Bravo. From the country-club set in genteel St. Augustine, Florida, Arla gave it all up to marry Dean Bravo and move to Utina, best known for the trade in Palm Sunday palms and moonshine. Opportunity has passed by both Utina and the Bravos for decades, but Arla was young and in love and blind to how her choice would change her life. Now Dean is gone and she shares a ramshackle waterfront house with her willful daughter, Sofia, nursing her losses and wondering if Dean's doing the same wherever he is. Frank, her dutiful middle son, manages the family restaurant without complaint, while he dreams of escaping the Florida heat to cool mountain rivers, and dreams of his brother Carson's wife, Elizabeth, whom he's loved since adolescence. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn short, the Bravos are due a break--and when the phone rings one July 4, it seems a developer wants to bring development to Utina at last, provided the Bravos agree. But are Frank, Arla, Sofia, and Carson ready? Ready or not, it seems the phone call has set off a chain reaction. Two surprise arrivals, one late-blooming love story, one hedge fund scam, a truck full of melted Key lime pies, and a bittersweet reckoning or two later, \u003ci\u003eHeart of Palm\u003c\/i\u003e reveals what happens when opportunity knocks, tempers ignite, and long-buried secrets are unearthed. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLike Fannie Flagg's Whistle Stop, Alabama or Richard Russo's Empire Falls, Utina and its inhabitants are a town that will live in readers' memories. As the Bravos confront the tragedy in their past and attempt to embrace the hope in their future, Laura Lee Smith establishes herself as a warm, wryly witty, and captivating new voice in American fiction. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn incandescent first novel set in the small town of Utina, Florida, whose inhabitants struggle to balance tradition and progress.--Abbe Wright, \u003ci\u003eO Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eRemarkable . . . \u003ci\u003eHeart of Palm\u003c\/i\u003e is Smith's first novel, and it's a knockout. With its knowing but sweet-natured humor, its flawed and believable characters, its convincing depiction of small-town life, its delicious little plot twists and its insight about the human heart, it reminded me often of the novels of Richard Russo.--Colette Bancroft, \u003ci\u003eTampa Bay Times\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49535305842961,"sku":"GOR008354337","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51007273074961,"sku":"NIN9780802121035","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51324827926801,"sku":"CIN0802121039VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51727079637265,"sku":"CIN0802121039G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0802121039.jpg?v=1751329217"},{"product_id":"ice-house-book-laura-lee-smith-9781611854909","title":"The Ice House","description":"The heartrending tale of a man on the verge of losing both his livelihood and his relationship with his only son.  From a writer who's been praised for her 'intelligence, heart, wit' (Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Empire Falls):  The Ice House follows the beleaguered MacKinnons as they weather the possible loss of the family business, a serious medical diagnosis and the slings and arrows of familial discord.  Johnny MacKinnon is on the verge of losing it all. The ice factory he's run for decades is facing devastating fines following an accident and may have to close. He hasn't spoken to his son since Corran's heroin addiction finally drove Johnny to breaking point. And now, after a collapse on the factory floor, it appears Johnny may have a brain tumour. Johnny's been ordered to take it easy, but in some ways, he thinks, what's left to lose? Witty and heartbreaking, The Ice House is a vibrant portrait of multifaceted, exquisitely human characters that readers will not soon forget.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49545328886033,"sku":"GOR010137333","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49733739675921,"sku":"NGR9781611854909","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49996587204881,"sku":"GOR013642238","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53028856430865,"sku":"GOR014705392","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1611854903.jpg?v=1759230562"},{"product_id":"ice-house-book-laura-lee-smith-9780802128645","title":"The Ice House","description":"From a writer of wry humor and warmth, The Ice House is the picaresque, heartrending tale of a man on the verge-of losing his livelihood and of losing forever his relationship with his only son.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49626438631697,"sku":"GOR013418166","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50227461554449,"sku":"CIN0802128645G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50797143163153,"sku":"CIN0802128645VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51007368003857,"sku":"NIN9780802128645","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52820338606353,"sku":"NLS9780802128645","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0802128645.jpg?v=1750946136"},{"product_id":"steinway-sons-book-laura-smith-9781467104869","title":"Steinway \u0026 Sons","description":"Steinway \u0026amp; Sons is a unique entity in American history. Steinway is many things--an iconic piano, an American success story, a symbol of opulence, a metaphor for artistic passion, and a geographic locale. Part of the fabric of two New York City boroughs, Steinway occupies a compelling place in the minds and hearts of the millions of people, from pianists and students to artisans and salespeople, who have been impacted by the brand. From Steinway \u0026amp; Sons' inception in 1853 until today, the company's mission has stayed the same as the one German immigrant Henry E. Steinway articulated upon his arrival in America, \"to build the best piano possible.\" In the late 1800s, Steinway emerged as the standard-bearer in piano design and manufacturing, outshining and outlasting other brands including Chickering and Weber. Today, the Steinway piano is still built by hand in New York City according to the same stringent processes developed by Henry E. Steinway and his sons.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51027910656273,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51027913638161,"sku":"NIN9781467104869","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1467104868.jpg?v=1750892170"},{"product_id":"ice-house-book-laura-lee-smith-9780802127082","title":"The Ice House","description":"From a writer of wry humor and warmth, The Ice House is the picaresque, heartrending tale of a man on the verge-of losing his livelihood and of losing forever his relationship with his only son.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51692014993681,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51692015714577,"sku":"CIN0802127088G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51842365292817,"sku":"CIN0802127088VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0802127088.jpg?v=1750817972"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/en-gb\/collections\/author-books-by-laura-lee-smith.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}