On the Occasion of My Last Afternoon
About this book
“Deeply satisfying. . . . A muscular narrative that humanizes all sides of that bloody conflict—North and South, Black and white, male and female. . . a robust novel that deserves to be set on the shelf alongside Cold Mountain .” — Orlando Sentinel Emma Garnet Tate Lowell, a plantation owner's daughter, grows up in a privileged lifestyle, but it's not all roses. Her family's prosperity is linked to the institution of slavery, and Clarice, a close and trusted family servant, exposes Emma to the truth and history of their plantation and how it brutally affected the slave population. Her father, Samuel P. Tate, has an aggressive and overpowering persona that intimidates many people—including Emma. But she refuses to conform to his ideals and marries a prominent young doctor. Together they face the horrors of the Civil War, nursing wounded soldiers, as Emma begins the long journey toward her own recovery from the terrible forces that shaped her father's life. This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.