Literature -- 4 1/2 stars
It's 1920, and Mary Bayly, owner of a vast Chesapeake Bay property known as the Retreat, is dying. Before she passes, she is determined to find a descendant of the original immigrant owners of the property and will the land to him. Edward Mason thinks he can twist Mary around his little finger, get his name in the will, and be home in time for dinner. He has no idea of the strength Mary Bayly still contains in her small frame, and no idea of the story she will tell or the effect it will have on his own life and family. ----- I'll admit to having a soft spot for strong female characters and Mary Bayly fits that bill quite nicely. The story she weaves is an intricate, well written telling of an early 19th century Southern culture where race and class rule who you are and what you can hope to be.
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