Dreams of Falling - by Karen White (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

New York Times bestselling author Karen White crafts evocative relationships in this contemporary women's fiction novel, set in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, about lifelong friends who share a devastating secret.

On the banks of the North Santee River stands a moss-draped oak that was once entrusted with the dreams of three young girls. Into the tree's trunk, they placed their greatest hopes, written on ribbons, for safekeeping--including the most important one: Friends forever, come what may.

But life can waylay the best of intentions....

Nine years ago, a humiliated Larkin Lanier fled Georgetown, South Carolina, knowing she could never go back. But when she finds out that her mother has disappeared, she realizes she has no choice but to return to the place she both loves and dreads--and to the family and friends who never stopped wishing for her to come home.

Ivy, Larkin's mother, is discovered badly injured and unconscious in the burned-out wreckage of her ancestral plantation home. No one knows why Ivy was there, but as Larkin digs for answers, she uncovers secrets kept for nearly fifty years--whispers of love, sacrifice, and betrayal--that lead back to three girls on the brink of womanhood who found their friendship tested in the most heartbreaking ways.

Review Quotes

"Three lifelong best friends. One dark secret that will reverberate for generations to come. Told in multiple timelines of the present and the past, this is Southern fiction at its best. A novel about dreams, friendship, and family, Dreams of Falling will make you long for home."--PopSugar

"Intricate storytelling across generations and time periods, using eloquent language, makes for deep characterization alongside a brisk-paced plot. Full of family secrets and southern charm, Dreams of Falling serves equal helpings of drama and comfort to fans of Dorothea Benton Frank, Mary Alice Monroe, and Barbara Claypole White."--Booklist

"Atmospheric and rich, White's writing is an indulgent pleasure to read...Offering a blend of women's fiction, romance, mystery and a touch of historical fiction, Dreams of Falling dips in and out of time, subplots and characters' consciousness with grace and fluidity. It showcases White's skill at building a cast of emotionally rich characters, as she juggles the fears and desires of five strong-willed women, all at the brink of revelation and disaster. Her keen emotional insights and warm authorial voice invite the reader into her stories the way one might welcome home a long-lost daughter."--Shelf Awareness

"White's lovely tale of enduring friendship brings coastal South Carolina to life and examines the redemptive powers of love and loss"--Publishers Weekly

"A multi-generational novel of friendship, second chances, betrayal, and long-held secrets, Dreams of Falling is a poignant piece of Southern fiction, one that will stay with you long after the final chapter."--Historical Novel Society

"This wonderfully woven novel has it all--intrigue, romance, echoes of lingering regrets--and the pages are brimming with compelling characters. Dreams of Falling is the best kind of novel--it's a past-and-present love story expertly wrapped in mystery. Karen White never fails to deliver."--Susan Meissner, bestselling author of As Bright as Heaven

"Kate White once again works her literary magic...once you open that first page, you will be a captive reader and cannot let go until everything is explained."--Fresh Fiction

About the Author