On the Occasion of My Last Afternoon

Award-winning author Kaye Gibbons has won popular acclaim for her authentic characters who meet life's injustices with strength and pride. The quiet triumph of Ellen Foster and A Virtuous Woman stayed with listeners long after the last tapes played. Growing up in a wealthy Southern family has not protected Emma Tate Lowell from life's darker side. A relentlessly abusive father, the deaths of her tormented mother and brother, and the horrors of slavery and Civil War have all scarred her sensitive soul. Yet, somehow, she has always found the courage to go on. Now, at the end of her days, she ponders the wisdom of having taken her husband's advice to "face it all dry-eyed." Mastering the rhythms and patterns of language and an unusual attention to detail, Kaye Gibbons has created yet another memorable novel with a distinctive southern voice. Sally Darling's narrative expertise and melodic accent capture Emma Tate Lowell to perfection.