strange book. I think it is too modern for my taste. maybe too real??? ( )

Like discovering Ellen gilchrist again. Can't wait to read her other three books. Wonderful cast of characters who would fit well into the Gilchrist model of following family tree. Caroline a delicious character much like Rhoda. Louise very complicated and layered. And Nanny Rose is just the perfect type to follow through an entire life span. The cast is just too perfect and wonderful to only exist on the pages of one 330+ pages. ( )

I loved this book! Susan Rebecca White has become my new top favorite author! Bound South was so compelling and kept me laughing until the wee hours of the morning! Being I am from the south (Carolinas) and spent most all my life living in Atlanta – she was right on about stereotypes, old pretenses and the way they hide their true feelings.
Each of the main three characters --- so real and loved the first person narrative from each perspective. Wow, family secrets, scandals, and lots of humor and plenty of growth from the characters. I really started loving Louise by the end and would love to see a sequel as want to hear more from Missy and her dad and the possible connection to this family. Great writing!!!

I also love the tidbits of Atlanta as lived on Biscayne Drive off Peachtree in a high-rise- (south of Peachtree Battle area) and could walk to Houston’s on Peachtree where she mentions as their place for celebration at the end of the book to praise her mother-in-law’s life. Love Ansley Park and makes me want to move back (since I now reside in South Florida). Sure miss the Silver Comet Bike Trail!

I would encourage readers to read all her books – I loved her latest – “A Place at the Table” (excellent). It has been sometime since I read “A Soft Place to Land’ so may need to re-read. Looking forward to much more from this author!
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I would say that Bound South is a group of connected short stories. There's not really one plot that connects the chapters. Instead, I would say that the author uses these stories, told from the points of view of three different Southern ladies, to explore issues they each face and how hard it can be to move past them, even when they try.

I thought the author did a fantastic job giving each character her own voice. With each story being written in first person, it was very important that she get this right and she did. Louise, the upper-class society matron who holds some surprising views; Caroline, her teenage daughter who is constantly seeking; and Missy, their housekeeper's daughter who tries to hold tight to religion in an increasingly sinful world. Each told her own story in her own way and had something to contribute to the story.

At times funny, sometimes sad, and always thought-provoking, some of the issues the women face are the obvious, such as race, sexual orientation/identity, poverty, religion, and a middle-aged woman's constantly shifting role in her children's lives. Some of the others are not so obvious, such as the surprising directions exploitation can come from, stupid choices that can affect your whole life, how sometimes you're not the only one who carries the weight of your sins, and how hard it is to watch your children make mistakes. But these women face each challenge as it comes, do the best they can, and try to learn from it.

I loved this passage, as Louise is thinking about her daughter:

"How do I tell her that what I want is to know her, to know the woman who made these birds, to see what she might become if she is allowed to spread out, to expand. How do I say, Darling, please. Don't shrink yourself so soon." (Emphasis is the author's)

But I like to feel a connection to the characters I'm reading about and that never happened for me in this book. I loved that I was forced to think about my own beliefs and values, but I did miss that connection. That's why I only gave it three stars. But readers who don't mind that and who want to see what a Southern woman has to say about some current issues, should pick this up. ( )

A delightful readable tale of three women of the South. This is a contemporary tale with the three women connected through life and blood. Some of this was laugh out loud funny. A writer that can accomplish this is a skilled one! ( )