Nashborough by Elsie Burch Donald
HarperCollins
ISBN: 006018633X - Hardcover
Historical Fiction to Contemporary

Reviewed by Barbara Buhrer, MyShelf.Com
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This is a saga of two southern families, the Nash's and the Douglas', who are leading citizens in the Tennessee town of Nashborough. Beginning in the 1920's following the lives and fortunes of the two families through the years, the reader witnesses many events: the visit of the Prince of Wales to America in the 1920's; the circle of Gertrude Stein and Alice Tokias in Paris; the Great Depression; the exodus of the blacks from the South and the subsequent civil rights movement; the emergence of the Democratic party in the South; and Hollywood as a reflection of our culture. We read how the events influenced and changed the lives of the members of these two families.

This is a beautifully crafted book; well-written; with a fine sense of place and time. Attention is given to details about atmosphere and events. The characters are fully developed and they come across as real people. It is a marvelous portrayal of the action and interactions of the families.

The author has successfully evoked the spirit and places of the three decades in the lives of the characters. This reads like an old-fashioned English family saga, full of atmosphere, character, and sense of history.