In the Shadows of Savannah
What adventures and opportunities, loves and losses await Ali In The Shadows
of Savannah?
Adrift and in sorrow of soul after her mother's recent death, Alison Davies surreptitiously
climbed the steps to take her seat on the last southbound train to Savannah. Ali was by nature
an independent woman and admirer of the courageous Suffragettes, but in 1906 Wilmington,
North Carolina, this was not the manner in which a well-bred young lady conducted herself. Her
father left his particular imprint on her, as did her dear mother's kindness and support. Ali and
her mother whispered and conspired in the safety of Mama's bedroom about the life Ali would
lead once she arrived in Savannah. Beyond the eavesdropping of her father and nosey
stepsisters, they planned for her eventual escape to a new life. Then the unthinkable
happened-her mother, Josephine, passed away, not unexpectedly because she was frail and
had been in failing health of late, yet how could one prepare for such a devastating loss?
Josephine knew what awaited her precious daughter when she was no longer there to shield
her. She had secretly squirreled away money her father gave her for her own and Ali's escape if
she could no longer bear it. Her cousin Edyth in Savannah, Georgia was on the ready should this
plan become necessary. And now it was necessary but Ail wouldn't be going away with her
mother. She had to somehow summon the courage to follow the steps they so carefully
planned alone. She secretly boarded the night train to Savannah as soon as she had seen her
mother properly laid to rest. Ali invoked her mother's spirit to travel with her, clutched her
rosary, and wondered, what kind of life is before me, will I meet a man who can love me, will I
find a position for income, will Father find me...what will my life be, who will I be?
Cousin Edy warned her when she accepted the position at the bank that the vice president,
John Meadows had a sullied reputation as a womanizer, but the vulnerable and still grieving
young woman was less interested in her reputation than Cousin Edy. She wanted to bathe
herself in her newfound independence and she found herself drawn to the forbidden
fruit...Johnnie Meadows. Ali was beguiled by his confident swagger and charismatic personality.
Her heart beat like a rabbit's and she was flustered whenever he was nearby. After being
regarded as a spinster for so long, could it be that she had finally found the man who could
breathe life back into her? Would he even notice her? Was she fully prepared to risk
everything, including her reputation? Dare she indulge this hope that Johnnie might be hers
one day...In the Shadows of Savannah?
Loosely based on actual events in the late 1800s and early 1900s in Wilmington, NC and
Savannah, GA, this is the story of Ali, but also three other women across generations in her
family and their singular choices in the midst of very private circumstances. From the beginning
of civilization women have faced the same challenges and subsequent heartaches,
disenfranchisement, ostracization, and ruin because of the disproportionate burden placed on
them through pregnancy and childbirth. With topics as relevant today as in 1906, the author
offers In the Shadows of Savannah as a safe place to begin the conversation with open hearts
and minds. In the Shadows of Savannah is an insightful, compelling, and thought-provoking
read.
