Pug Sheridan

By Sandra Cline

      Sandra Cline's debut novel, Pug Sheridan tells of a young girl who comes through the difficult transition to womanhood in the rural south of one hundred years ago. Though she has no racial prejudices, most of the people around her are more narrow minded. Two of her best friends are an Indian girl and a Negro girl. They, along with their friends, form a secret sorority that dares to transcend racial taboos, struggling against the evil of a renewed Ku Klux Klan that is threatening the entire area. The evil and darkness that Pug encounters puts her resourcefulness, fortitude and valor to the test, and even tests her mettle to repay violence with violence.

    This is a dramatic, soul-searching story of becoming a strong self-sufficient woman, in an age when women were dependent upon their families for everything. The characters are compelling, believable, and sympathetic. It's a story that you can't put out of your mind. The well thought out plot takes many surprising twists in a very emotional story...the first one in a very long time that had me laughing and weeping by turns.

   Do plan to read this book through to the end, once you start it. Sandra Cline is a first class storyteller, and she has certainly found her niche in this wonderful story.