A beautifully written book about a beautiful young girl who navigates the trials of life with love and dignity. A compassionate book that makes you love and cherish the characters. Will purchase this book and add to my permanent library.

Under the Magnolias is one of the very best books I've read in a long time. T I Lowe has put everything but the kitchen sink in the book and all of the conflicts only add to the depth of the plot. She has dealt with mental illness in one of the characters with dignity and compassion, while at the same time showing how mental illness affects more than just the person who has it--it affects the whole family.

T I Lowe's writing reminded me of some books I read a long time ago by Bailey White, with a cast of characters that are sure to entertain but touching the heart at the same time. The overarching theme of the book is acceptance, and while the eccentricities of the characters are entertaining, the plot moved me to tears more than once.

From the time Ox was thirteen years old, she has been holding her family together by the skin of her teeth. As the second oldest of seven children, the eldest of whom was developmentally delayed, it fell to her shoulders to keep body and soul together for all of the others, especially after her mother died having twins when no one else was at home. She never had the opportunity to just be a kid because she was too busy being an adult. Her one refuge was the library in town. She could go to the librarian and ask for books on a specific subject and get all the information she needed. It was the one thing that kept her sanity through the rest of the years as she was growing up.

One of the most unforgettable lines and my favorite line in the book was, "I just never figured out how to stop loving you."
This is a five star book, with two thumbs up, and a Twinkie™ for comfort.

Tyndale House and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I have read T.I. Lowe's books before, but Under the Magnolias is something else. Loved it from the beginning, I feel in love with Austin from page one. She is one very special young lady, trying to hold her family together while her father spirals into madness after the loss of her mother.
It was one of the books that you want to climb into and help the family, who are pretty much left on their own because the community just doesn't life or trust them. Young Austin raises her siblings in the best manner she can, while protecting the family secret and protecting her heart.
I did not want to lay the book down, I kept reading long into the night because I needed to know what was going to happen next. It is not a light gentle read. It it a book that lets you understand what it is like to live in a family that suffers from a parent with mental illness. How the family is always waiting for the next shoe to drop.
This book will break your heart and make you fall in love with them all as they struggle to survive.

UNDER THE MAGNOLIAS by T.I. LOWE takes place in Magnolia in South Carolina in the late 1980's. Just as the huge magnolia trees hide secrets under their "skirts', so the Foster family hide the truth about their father's mental decline after the death of his wife.
I really enjoy this author's novels and the way she tackles hard subjects with a good infusion of humour. Her characters are unforgettable and very real. I particularly like to see how Austin Foster takes on the responsibility of her six siblings, her father, and their tobacco farm at the tender age of thirteen.
Vance Cumberland, the mayor's son, has family responsibilities of a very different nature, but in spite of the difference in the realities of their lives, there is a glimmer of hope that perhaps they could have a future together. That you will have to find out!
It is a story that will draw you right in as you meet the strangest people, all with hearts of gold, who truly become the Fosters' extended family This is part of the strong Christian message running through the novel.
I highly recommend Under The Magnolias as a really good read.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Tyndale House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.