Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

The Grass Widow: A Novel
The Grass Widow: A Novel
The Grass Widow: A Novel
Ebook327 pages5 hours

The Grass Widow: A Novel

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars

()

Read preview

About this ebook

Through the reminiscences of Kate Hamilton, an African American woman living in rural Furlong County, Virginia, The Grass Widow reveals the effects of deceit and adultery on the marriage of a young, impressionable girl.

It is August, 1988, and on her porch Kate, now a sensitive, attractive woman of fifty-eight, contemplates events during her forty-year marriage to her philandering husband, Elmore, who five years earlier had a stroke when he discovered a letter indicating that Kate had been unfaithful. Feeling that she is partly to blame for his stroke, she has dutifully cared for him until he is almost recovered. Now she awaits the yearly homecoming visit of her sisters Olivia and Lydia, who want to sell the family farm and persuade Kate and Elmore to live with them in Pennsylvania. But Kate laments the disappearance of the large farms around their own property, realizing that the sale of theirs will hasten the disappearance of the small African American community which centers around her church, Canaan Baptist.

Kates strong attachment to Furlong is also tied to her friendship with Myrtle Bless, an old civil rights activist and family friend, as well as to her church, and her duty to her marriage vows. Her sisters, long aware of the life she has led as Elmores wife, badger her to come live with them even if he refuses. By the end of their visit she faces a dilemma. Should she go with her sisters or stay in Furlong and continue her life with Elmore? Then after the sudden death of Myrtle Bless, a freakish accident occurs, one that leads Kate to make a surprising choice.

LanguageEnglish
PublisheriUniverse
Release dateOct 18, 2010
ISBN9781450220354
The Grass Widow: A Novel
Author

Mary Burnett Smith

Mary Burnett Smith began writing after she retired from a thirty-eight- year career teaching Philadelphia’s inner city youth. Born in rural Virginia and raised in suburban Philadelphia, her first published story won first prize from Ebony Magazine. Smith is the author of two novels, Miss Ophelia and Ring Around the Moon, and lives in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania.

Related to The Grass Widow

Related ebooks

Literary Fiction For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for The Grass Widow

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings

0 ratings0 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

    Book preview

    The Grass Widow - Mary Burnett Smith

    Nabook_preview_excerpt.html|]6_Q=Y+桊ѷU}^Mj׷շq:W~]ۋz|ƻޝw\RCPͱ^R n>x4A~\[M,{Wȱ}+>˸ KuY8C }WȽaL{wAdS´wԻG_nk-z/{ºwMqG_Ѕ XM\^RGDfЅŘ";k&]m/#廋ws"?Ⱪ{|N;CG|_ֹ3e*<6:+-ͪŦp#ǬEO &[~9{m7WC7%3BKȄOW#Y7M3I<~s?^Qʈ`ݧSE# ̽. e5Id,su3$.pb- QE/qUoGͷ(8: 6(q[΄ИUIEښtfs˻=GFҥT<G`Z@tD 4b)y6".3> f=ͱ ,/US'jr:՞4ٳhe 3f-Y4aEr$EV?( xQTԒ񢒢R)dBj{d'=f07d>WLZAkW$Vgk5?sKFoW&P "{TL:X CŔ hQ:Z!RqFeQ\_׸pOF>6PG2Ši NyN V*wd՜¶иPZ&Zy 7`%[b"@)+:ȭO_ (_}Mb JG),O8+0 U2tk G#K~N0eW#ȗoL/$Ʀ)HBh'rۍ$,껛nŦ<ð^p2^aIp_` Q1JKi}ZXX¥"8ŀ^<~RdMRЀ;Ǿ?LΰMh%$;GQ#j=2n/q& %DYJAF]}8N }4 6/Wږ#-p-,9Ή}T(- 3kl˓qDcR R4J0nQABs{yV/ "\4@`˄.bJE t[0uh &5QX?(J]2ϫni٬!a !ވBrbaŧ&W}?Y |3>fa%k%/4S.Refs%BʕT|Zxa0DPQonY;.ir"ԭ糩Et]yQvQaw˿b/ "k@3PB"E(ra9j͊=+tt9,f gsk'or4pcx@͸Hňe>Ryy4~ukNhZgn"\ V S>κ5"ᚫZnІ=./ϓ/;1z/a'v!+^WbWy-bb՛5R%'+r=¾\̚6~~ #aآ|0ZsK&L]:EѣwZlwCSgLd;gWЙHx05p,hb (e a֕ 2#*"3SBkI+@FC~q% pP Y[^b!ܥѝ"RB0I*)^haÅ5=X*N L3#sE\&I&E  R"ģ^&ϚBȴsۣh1F_YQ,I)Q zЯD'ϞF_/jJtmՇ\5/ȹ:,s.6Zcu/f a'oaT$ȣm[F, Q5 :QVCeşfe~⌃PlN!Sfb-1}΅rlVRn v11d2P}]ۭ$afuӐ̷oKe0q-QA'n"[r{P~%QiF=5t 6'>6x dvNQG}_ڼ$b$"ބF϶r;55{uT;0C H2];Xcۜ.v Aݜd q2I%(8} =]IWXZDAFѐN+U\ҀǤ_ka]-}:5%:b_Գu.WԒ{sQA+8ToiDuQRɣkPTyE}'W`Z$2ݤtN-%pY}J@DdAr4*ڤ٠=!Mᠭ=M.rk1/d1,u1o\$aJ]\˜S cmWYM& :X(%"rPn2xVoeҢR[cQ>I{I*5@23^s@>6;0N{U(u?h!"տ GLi6lqOHt2}|IDeǀ.U=oq ^4KGtJ;r#anG*Q҄)F13ܖЩP$FW>ב*2˄%'>;I<,!N`:{+%z*"IC ȯP.'f'C<_2Yrw1-,3KTf8ފ=h[XvvQ6b3)_M>m{i4҆" q*`prBܻo㙳G-]LlkKW;#uPK8F w^ŏRhw1%oc6%Ns QUS|uS );OXYFB"@#Kٮ~Q2NM˓KIti͒,mQ>|nzQ84LRus!;g/>uqq5ePErCB߳mԆyP.OK'5qy#V1Xg8g!Y=)Ľnu%mW]QA1F&x`F]ƁZ6`A:[ɚD}F9XHR21ޓ*ڿ :f-CZMֲƾ,8H8a3 @,N54^:E׶(f8A;He\[ "Z:j ۱&^_n٧J3&6NCZf0ޛsjˆ wCn<+OBڇshrq Z3 ؂ǝ[Q%زZ=SVNR:*eGS?:X`ġa-`H=iޠI/w{w0`I7 8^o c,/vqTuU]ƬϻU  ?jytjϱH7'Y 8S.LIiGvv+uj|5RcJ>T1eD riMГJ&fu]Ɏ?ABK (lTPO P*N. Fə]\uޮu3)j-CG r LXu^,;.=-s8PtU>m)ߺϬQ.!/V[K+nsyJ>FhXFu2S#+d(2 -W^?#=ĄAs )3;t\ Wfof)sAd΁-4 R/`Xv)i`PcF9c%1}J-Nd^JnHPAb~ F6_[j3`]qҖr5j _e_SO}BXą[IQd$ltAź2>Ä0H!x5Ofɓ TqWr zPW{%ӶooÓ>5ug"w Vo\BU2y9z_yI-y"jVu/%=5VIk5/؍XA R:NXbZE0 CS$DzXXZCuWzSТ3J+$xn$'%9hVROr[LyNeG@A)G TɦdgwwwU*QUG1i3RЏ"L?u2$>~B\& q&.M(TuN33uO19<]OLGd?d 6 aw/ ǀ[!h `@9yPD_[4_aݭ=9ㅼKԄ:FY.Li&: M "=Ѹh7QnmFc;{+QlmU cdW=%(UȢ&l{7Z3u 쌏*6=(AL#LIy$qW%$jz0^9VUk݀ ;QI6zh{U3J z$x.;iIdJ89$y TNLog/9 ,pS }> |Zm d2Ldz;S}x[Z%=H{iz %G #C-{9 ]m}aI%,ڐe.;3Ukʕ=Vtr0{r{@4A1|"!oB!KWzt&7 *ƥP'ߵ7A]g3 }I< ܙGgmd%|Jb3Dl_Ib@c>=>M\q. W.q>d]Y{Y-yE9"}馨>"蚼]z.uenذI%\#>3_!ʠ8V){јzR8E+~?cxVe9͊#,@ʫߣ l/+"MϤ|Ih[/IqyFhR86Cz== SfOFy^@eӸHLAovQ(I~@h\aE[fzuZV`i8b*x `JUzw\`i+d}CwYU7JB+:=Rz#+7#KY­BԮ=F£j^|m/6Fl5.CT[vX}&#Z_# ZܒwK>ceIC];\żdX39u5΅,f^kj>D]"zlu>!8t7$ 0w=OٕcW~^! I߻5/KepS8m\\N}kv}v;W`YVҨv `f0A1)^SČ,l;ءNQlj?E\Rڴ8T#9<cooP8B%K8|3u5-wFS[vGvͷ̮9NL=nL95 4ѣ fs|gAui7I差?BDv] A;na^E|jx;V0mӵoּ&4 ] ZB+9f,3_`*ǃ1RUc%O7Vd>1lR3m)#ݾ[goECIp%rA8++!Dy𷚺K ᝳX6)WmH&BY_Q K*-z;OIʚVAP_+?_u0l_?od\j+aNu92N#CRקo+B~LL}ֻ,hx`ώ9=rI{md;g i8hDO}n@(}nr@< yNb^<b݉lsO }A 1=ق[eQ4ahv^ɍ<%3#}d'7;FҢdl片 JG&*FaCtFnaiSĨ7 qŀo uzn+sfxLTusTs0ϰBADz9x۪@.t$)p>szCX~SѼ\ȾeLX+;:{|FޚW?J .o&띤U0%ipYkV.sz;;E)_2ͫs>aS6iײ{c>3+xźa< l\M-d.S9un F#B-{~;F1ARx<Ҧ;;BotHBVx|P7ԧogGL57Urp_}BCkuN`d;.&&$wŨLcr4磃z z8 u+&hhsp33 i9㚒UC}ӱcQnp}L K-8[R30*USE=P]Ʀ/EBϙDqrh@ JӺFQ1F_mw~^ U5Xvl7#yp V陑\063p @u;d|_.q3ӒS-(uJtܑⱜ0* w(Bo<\>v:LWL,93@)R–#%!i!S~!T3>s>]<9b#L߷5 pUm 2ics_콩4vxFxà%+^oB(`N~uv\+Eì|Ӌ7{ŕ_/E&,LxKL꓈ lbo}a{G M˕ p€)s:فK)PgTq"1=}Ơxoz>>d
    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1