A work that will be for many readers as memorable as the last decade's Superior Women, and her exquisite novel from the 1970s, Listening to Billie."--San Francisco ChronicleIt is 1939, a brief, hopeful moment between the Depression and war. The Baird family--Harry, Cynthia, and their precocious daughter Abby--have escaped the burdens of their Connecticut life to salvage themselves in the sleepy southern town of Pinehill, North Carolina. But the Bairds soon discover that their new home is not quite as idyllic as it seemed up north. And while the family's fondest desire is to be enveloped by the timeless town and its eccentric characters, clouds of war loom darkly, suggesting the possibility of change. But who among them will change, and in what startling ways, remains to be seen. . . ."What a terrific book. I loved its rich, recognizable characters, the intricacies and excitement of the plot, the beauty of the writing. I laughed out loud a number of times, growled with jealousy at Alice's skills, and stayed up all night to finish it."--Annie Lamott"Deliciously readable, evocative, sensuous, and intoxicating as a gossip with an old, smart friend."--Mary Gordon"A seductive panorama of a small southern town in the late 30s . . . With great truth and clarity, this novel captures it all."--The Boston Globe"Adams is a modern-day Jane Austen. . . . A Southern Exposure is a timeless comedy of manners."--The Dallas Morning News