The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder: A Novel [Paperback]

In the small river town of La Luna, Louisiana, Calla Lily Ponder bursts into being, a force of nature as luminous as the flower she is named for. Under the loving light of the Moon Lady, the feminine force that will guide and protect her throughout her life, Calla enjoys a blissful childhood—until it is tragically cut short. From her mother, Calla learns compassion and healing through the humble womanly art of fixing hair. On the banks of the La Luna River, she discovers a sweet, succulent first love that is as enticing as the music, food, and dancing of her Louisiana home. When heartbreak hits, Calla leaves the familiarity of her hometown and heads downriver to the untamed city of New Orleans, where her destiny further unfolds.

The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponderis the story of a pink-collar heroine whose willingness to remain vulnerable in the face of adversity opens our own hearts to the possibility of love growing from sorrow.

The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder will remind you of your first love and power of friendship. As the saying goes, Youll laugh, youll cry. But, really, you will.Calla Lily is a sweetie. . . . This is a novel full of miracles, with characters more colorful than a Crayola 64-crayon box. Its just the right dose of Southern charm.Many readers will recognize that all the characters . . . are creations of a literary goddess in her own right. . . . Down-to-earth and comforting . . . [A] good-hearted, wishful-thinking book.Wells writes genuinely about her native Louisiana. . . . Its hard not to fall in love with the people in this magical place, where love is as plentiful as the dancing, gumbo and ice-cold Cokes. . . . A perfect beach read about mothers and friends and sisters.Charming and luminous . . . A perfect summer indulgence thatll have you peeking out your window on a muggy night in search of the Moon Lady, wholl wrap her nurturing arms around you from afar.Wells brings back the lushlƒ6