<p><B>A big-hearted novel of a Southern woman's trials and tribulations: "Kincaid's voice is a true original" (Alice Hoffman, bestselling author of <I>The Rules of Magic</I>).</B><BR /> <BR /> When Bobby died in a car wreck with another woman at his side, Verbena was left with five kids, a small house, and a big empty place in her heart. She did her best to pick up the pieces&#8212;and pick up where her husband left off, paying the mortgage, mowing the lawn, and raising her children so they'd turn out reasonably decent.<BR /> <BR /> Five years later, Bena's got two daughters who have run off with no-good men, a backyard full of marijuana plants none of her kids will own up to, and a semi-personal relationship with Jesus. But she's trying. And when she's ready to fall in love again, she knows whom she wants: Lucky McKale. And despite the fact that he's married, he seems to want her too, in this "touching account of a middle-aged widow who puts her life back together even more spectacularly than it came apart . . . A well-told and likable tale" (<I>Kirkus Reviews</I>).<BR /> <BR /> "Bena Eckerd has one of those fabulously unpredictable and noisy households that can both drive you crazy and make you sane again . . . Down-to-earth humor . . . and the nonstop plot twists keep us riveted to the adventures of her unruly clan and her messy search for love and meaning." &#8212;<I>Orlando Sentinel</I><BR /> <BR /> "Exuberant . . . Kincaid has a terrific knack for capturing Southern speech, customs, and characters." &#8212;<I>The Cincinnati Enquirer</I>