Minrose Gwin will be at Off Square Books signing The Queen of Palmyra.
This is the story of Florence Forrest, a young girl who has a front seat view to the horrors of racial intolerance and injustice in 1960s Mississippi. Neglected and lonely, Florence spends much of her time with her grandmother’s maid, Zenobia, ultimately being mentored and tutored by Zenobia’s niece, a young college student whose influence on Florence has a powerful effect. Minrose Gwin, who grew up in rural Mississippi, created an intelligent, insightful and brave character in Florence Forrest, the sort of person who uses lessons of youth to make a difference in the lives of others as an adult. And she gives us a story that emphasizes the value of remembering the injustices of the past, so they won’t be repeated. William Ferris calls The Queen of Palmyra “exquisitely beautiful.” I wholeheartedly agree. SLM
“The most powerful and also the most lyrical novel about race, racism, and denial in the American South since To Kill a Mockingbird.”
— Lee Smith, author of On Agate Hill