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"A spirited Southern family saga" from the acclaimed author of The Ice House: "Fans of Fannie Flagg will enjoy this novel" (The Plain Dealer).
Once enlivened by the trade in Palm Sunday palms and moonshine, Utina, Florida, hasn't seen economic growth in decades, and no family is more emblematic of the local reality than the Bravos. Deserted by the patriarch years ago, the Bravos are held together in equal measure by love, unspoken blame, and tenuously brokered truces.
The story opens on a sweltering July day, as Frank Bravo, dutiful middle son, is awakened by a distress call. Frank dreams of escaping to cool mountain rivers, but he's only made it ten minutes from the family restaurant he manages every day and the decrepit, Spanish moss–draped house he was raised in, and where his strong-willed mother and spitfire sister—both towering redheads, equally matched in stubbornness—are fighting another battle royale. Little do any of them know that Utina is about to meet the tide of development that has already engulfed the rest of Northeast Florida. When opportunity knocks, tempers ignite, secrets are unearthed, and each of the Bravos is forced to confront the tragedies of their shared past.
"An incandescent first novel set in the small town of Utina, Florida, whose inhabitants struggle to balance tradition and progress." —O, The Oprah Magazine
"Intelligence, heart, wit . . . Laura Lee Smith has all the tools and Heart of Palm is a very impressive first novel." —Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Empire Falls
Praise for Heart of Palm
“[A] fine, funny first novel . . . A heaping dose of Southern soul with a whole lot of chutzpah thrown in.” —Gina Webb, Atlanta Journal Constitution
“An incandescent first novel set in the small town of Utina, Florida, whose inhabitants struggle to balance tradition and progress.” —Abbe Wright, O Magazine
“Remarkable . . . Heart of Palm is Smith’s first novel, and it’s a knockout. With its knowing but sweet-natured humor, its flawed and believable characters, its convincing depiction of small-town life, its delicious little plot twists and its insight about the human heart, it reminded me often of the novels of Richard Russo.” —Colette Bancroft, Tampa Bay Times
“Smith’s debut novel exudes authenticity. . . . She turns a phrase with wit. . . . Writ[ten] with agility and empathy.” —Publishers Weekly
“Intelligence, heart, wit . . . Laura Lee Smith has all the tools and Heart of Palm is a very impressive first novel.” —Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Empire Falls
“Heart of Palm . . .will leave you crying, laughing, and longing for a bygone era.” —Florida Travel + Life
“I could feel the heat, the glare off the Intracoastal. Like a sandspur, Heart of Palm sticks with you, drawing blood.” —Rita Mae Brown, author of Southern Discomfort and Rubyfruit Jungle
“A spirited Southern family saga.” —Tara Quinn, Cleveland Plain Dealer
“Deep, compassionate, and often heartbreakingly funny. . . . Smith is a brilliant writer, and Heart of Palm brims with lush vitality, loss, and desire.” —Julianna Baggott, author of Pure and The Prince of Fenway Park
“A big, engrossing and very Southern look at a family in turmoil, Heart of Palm is made to be read on a veranda during the steamy summer months.” —Randy Cordova, Arizona Republic
“A complex novel, finely developed with multifaceted characters. . . . Compelling. . . . [A novel] that will stay with the reader long after turning the last page.” —Nancy Carty Lepri, New York Journal of Books
“What an extravagantly and engagingly flawed family this is! Smith is an enchanter casting her spell with lyrical prose, evocative details, and spellbinding characters. She explores familial chaos, reckless behavior, and hopeless love with grace, intelligence, and tenderness. She gives me what I long for in fiction: compassion and provocation. What talent, what nerve, what a wondrous and spellbinding story. Trust me, these Bravos will haunt your dreams.” —John Dufresne, author of Requiem, Mass. and Louisiana Power and Light
“From the lyrical opening that sets up this story, Smith’s voice moves to an earthy voice grounded in the tradition of our great yarn-spinners, giving us a Florida Cracker family saga rich in humor and vivid characters who are all-too-realistically violent, crazy, hilarious, big-hearted, and tragic. This is a heartily ambitious novel that’s also a real page-turner, a real story with real people in a place rendered in such palpable detail you feel you know it as well as the people who live there.” —Brad Watson, author of The Heaven of Mercury and Aliens in the Prime of Their Lives
“Well-developed characters confronted by an undercurrent of change propel this unhurried family saga. Smith is a careful, detailed writer who assembles big, bold, well-drawn scenes—moments from the everyday lives of the Bravos that resonate with deeper insights into how personal regrets and longings shape the fates of all involved.” —Kathleen Gerard, Shelf Awareness (online)
“Smith skillfully sets multiple stories in motion, most, it seems, designed to showcase the vanity of human wishes. Smith is a kind and understanding creator, and even the most venal of her characters, we see, is just trying to get by—and usually not succeeding. . . . A lot of fun.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Heart of Palm is pure North Florida. . . . Derelict dads, battling brothers and flawed, beautiful women inhabit this lovely story with its dysfunctional family, just one generation removed from the Snopes, Ewells and Lesters of Southern literary lore. . . . [Smith] is a capable writer and has delivered an enjoyable story.” —Tim O’Connell, The Florida Times-Union
Laura Lee Smith’s short fiction was selected by guest editor Amy Hempel for inclusion in New Stories from the South in 2010. Her work has also appeared in The Florida Review, Natural Bridge, Bayou and other journals. She has taught at Flagler College and currently lives in Florida, where she works as an advertising copywriter.