A Curious Heart: The Life and Letters of Elizabeth Boatwright Coker

In this poignant literary and family memoir, Penelope Coker Hall and Eliza Wilson Ingle give readers a front row seat to the remarkable life and career of award-winning author Elizabeth Boatwright Coker (1909-1993). Quoting liberally from Elizabeth's own letters, journal entries, book passages and interviews, A Curious Heart reveals for the first time the inner life of this complex, small-town Southern woman, who dreamed of becoming a published writer. Born in Darlington, South Carolina in an era when women could not vote and the legacy of the Civil War suffused nearly everything, Elizabeth was blessed with movie star beauty, a keen intellect and sense of humor, and boatloads of determination. At an early age, she was mentored by inspired teachers and some of the great writers of the 20th century. She would go on to challenge the status quo, in her life and her books. Elizabeth's journey juggling the demands of corporate wife and mother with that of working writer is a story of trial and triumph, heartbreak and joy. Her life spanned nearly the entire century, the second half of which yielded nine historical novels. With sensitivity and insight, the authors chronicle the passion, the powers of observation, the gift of storytelling, and the fierce independence that propelled their mother and grandmother to The New York Times bestseller list and the South Carolina Hall of Fame.