Raney

**From the author of** Walking Across Egypt **, the story of the first two years, two months, and two days in the life of a modern Southern marriage.** **”** Raney **is a gem, and Raney Bell Shepherd is a captivating character—a female Huck Finn whose voyage of discovery takes her into the treacherous currents of marriage.** **This book is too good to keep to yourself. Read it aloud with someone you love, then send it to a friend. But be sure to keep a copy for yourself, because you’ll want to read it again and again.” —Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey** Raney is a small-town Baptist. Charles is a liberal from Atlanta. And RANEY is the story of their marriage. Charming, wise, funny, and truthful, it is a novel for everyone to love. **”Utterly beguiling. Raney lives beyond the pages of this short novel.” —** New York Times **”What James Thurber might have written had he lived in North Carolina . . . A splendid first novel.” —** Washington Post **”A real jewel.” —** Richmond Times-Disaptch **”A funny, deft, heartening book. If I were single, I’d marry it.” —Roy Blount, Jr.**