“We began the dress on the last evening in October.” For three sisters, it will become a banner of hope, spun from delicate memories of genteel tradition and woven with threads of possibility. Through the desolate landscape of winter, it will act as a beacon of unexpected fortune and faith in a world void of promise. It will inspire the noble heart that lies dormant beneath layers of grief. Together, the stalwart ladies of Oak Creek, Virginia will fashion their impossible dreams into . . . THE WEDDING DRESS Virginia Renfro Ellis’s extraordinary work of historical fiction evokes the tattered essence of the post-Civil War South, where widows, children, and scarred veterans were left to reconstruct a country. There is little to wish for in the lives of the Atwater women. Julia and Victoria were barely brides before their husbands marched off with the doomed Confederate army. Now alone, with scarcely enough money to see them through until spring, they embark on an impetuous mission to bring a sparkle of joy back into their youngest sister’s eyes. Seventeen-year-old Claire has always wanted to be married. And though she has no intended groom, her sisters decide to sew her a wedding gown. As the dress takes shape, the gates of their meager plantation home welcome the arrival of Sergeant Monroe Tacy. He has come to fulfill a dying man’s last request, but his presence begins a series of remarkable events that will transform the Atwater sisters forever. The Wedding Dress is an unforgettable lesson in hope, written with the natural simplicity and beauty of a born storyteller.

The Wedding Dress: A Novel

Literature & Fiction

Ellis, Virginia

Contemporary

Ballantine Books

As a nation of young soldiers marches off to war, two women left behind will embrace a final keepsake, a profound reminder of the moment before their lives changed forever—its bittersweet images telling the story of an innocence lost, of a love just beginning, and of a family that may never be whole again. . . . THE PHOTOGRAPH In her highly acclaimed hardcover debut, The Wedding Dress, Virginia Ellis earned a place among the new stars of women’s fiction with her unforgettable portrait of sisters mending their dreams from the tattered remains of the Civil War. Now she triumphs once again in this stirring new novel of hope and the enduring spirit of those bound by the passions of the heart. For Maddy Marshall, it was a time of jitterbug contests and drugstore sodas. Then on her seventeenth birthday, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Suddenly all the boys she grew up with, including her fiancé, ran off to enlist, ready to defend their country. It was all incredibly romantic to Maddy. Until the fateful night before her brother Davey shipped out, the night she danced with dreamy Lieutenant Tull-Martin, the night of the photograph—when her world fell apart. Only Davey’s frail wife, Ruth, will discover what happened, helping Maddy to hide her grave secret and its undeniable consequences. Together these sisters of the heart maintain a deception that, like the shifting reflections of a picture, becomes a beacon of possibility to be cherished until fate brings their men home. Written with warmth and grace, The Photograph is a moving celebration of the women who lived, loved, and came of age in a time of overwhelming heartbreak.

The Photograph

United States

The Wedding Dress

“We began the dress on the last evening in October.” For three sisters, it will become a banner of hope, spun from delicate memories of genteel tradition and woven with threads of possibility. Through the desolate landscape of winter, it will act as a beacon of unexpected fortune and faith in a world void of promise. It will inspire the noble heart that lies dormant beneath layers of grief. Together, the stalwart ladies of Oak Creek, Virginia will fashion their impossible dreams into . . . THE WEDDING DRESS Virginia Renfro Ellis’s extraordinary work of historical fiction evokes the tattered essence of the post-Civil War South, where widows, children, and scarred veterans were left to reconstruct a country. There is little to wish for in the lives of the Atwater women. Julia and Victoria were barely brides before their husbands marched off with the doomed Confederate army. Now alone, with scarcely enough money to see them through until spring, they embark on an impetuous mission to bring a sparkle of joy back into their youngest sister’s eyes. Seventeen-year-old Claire has always wanted to be married. And though she has no intended groom, her sisters decide to sew her a wedding gown. As the dress takes shape, the gates of their meager plantation home welcome the arrival of Sergeant Monroe Tacy. He has come to fulfill a dying man’s last request, but his presence begins a series of remarkable events that will transform the Atwater sisters forever. The Wedding Dress is an unforgettable lesson in hope, written with the natural simplicity and beauty of a born storyteller. From the Hardcover edition.

Chosen by the Romance Writers of America as One of the Top Ten Favorite Books of the Year As a nation of young soldiers marches off to war, two women left behind will embrace a final keepsake, a profound reminder of the moment before their lives changed forever—its bittersweet images telling the story of an innocence lost, of a love just beginning, and of a family that may never be whole again. . . . For Maddy Marshall, it was a time of innocence. Then on her seventeenth birthday, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Her fiancé and all the neighborhood boys ran off to enlist, ready to defend their country. It was all incredibly romantic to Maddy. Until the night before her brother Davey shipped out, the night she danced with dreamy Lieutenant Tull-Martin, the night of the photograph—when her world fell apart. Only Davey’s wife, Ruth, will discover what happened, helping Maddy to hide her grave secret and its undeniable consequences. Together these sisters of the heart maintain a deception that, like the shifting reflections of a picture, becomes a beacon of possibility to be cherished until fate brings their men home.

Women's Fiction

Thorndike Pr

A collective novel details the lives of the residents of Mossy Creek, from the rambunctious patrons of O'Day's Pub and Mama's All You Can Eat Cafe, to a sharp-tongued gossip columnist.

Mossy Creek

Smith, Deborah

Ball, Donna

Dixon, Debra

Chastain, Sandra

Knight, Nancy

Humor & Satire

A collective novel follows the residents of the town of Mossy Creek as they prepare for a twenty-year high-school reunion.

Reunion at Mossy Creek (The Mossy Creek Series)

Romance

Fourteen short stories by Southern writers offer a humorous and nostalgic look at life in the South.

More Sweet Tea (Thorndike Press Large Print Clean Reads)

Six popular Southern writers present a selection of original short stories that defines what it means to be "Southern," with works by Donna Ball, Sandra Chastain, Debra Dixon, Virginia Ellis, Nancy Knight, and Deborah Smith.

Sweet Tea and Jesus Shoes (Thorndike Press Large Print Clean Reads)

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Ellis, Virginia. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Ellis, Virginia

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Ellis, Virginia. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Wedding Dress: A Novel

The Photograph

The Wedding Dress

The Photograph

The Photograph

The Wedding Dress

Mossy Creek

Reunion at Mossy Creek (The Mossy Creek Series)

More Sweet Tea (Thorndike Press Large Print Clean Reads)

Sweet Tea and Jesus Shoes (Thorndike Press Large Print Clean Reads)