The Stone Flower Garden

Darleen Swannoa Union already knows how isolating wealth and privilege can be. As the only grandchild of Swan Hardigree Samples, the elegant and autocratic president of the Hardigree Marble Company and the chief employer in the town of Burnt Stand, NC, Darleen has spent her entire life confined to the family's pink marble mansion and its surrounding estate. Her only friend is Matilda, the daughter of Swan's assistant until Eli Wade comes back to town. When Darleen rushes to his defense against the local toughs, she learns that there are some problems money and power cannot solve and that true soul mates can be found in the oddest places. Smith's darkly convoluted tale of secrets buried for generations explores the meaning of family and love under the most trying of circumstances.