The Hand I Fan With

For the more than 250,000 readers of Ansa's two previous novels, her return to the small town of Mulberry, Georgia in "The Hand I Fan With" has been welcome news. And she has drawn thousands of new readers to the lively, eccentric and terminally nosy folk of Mulberry. Lena McPherson--the protagonist in "Baby of the Family" --is all grown up now. In fact, she's forty-five. And, with the death of her parents in a plane crash five years earlier, she has become someone upon whom everyone depends. She is the hand that they all fan with. This is great for the townspeople of Mulberry, because they know they can always rely on Lena for their needs: a loan, advice, help with an elderly parent, a good buy on a new house (she runs the only realty company in town)--whatever. For Lena, however, it's turning out to be a royal pain in the ass. She runs around from dawn to dusk, taking care of everyone else with barely a moment for herself. All the material needs have been satisfied: she has a gorgeous house in the woods, fabulous cars, and stylish and expensive clothes, but she has a big hole in her heart. One night, she and her best friend perform a ritual to conjure up a man for Lena. The result is at first shocking, then romantic, then very, very sexy and ultimately an important and life-affirming lesson for Lena. With lively prose, powerful descriptive passages and some hot, down-and-dirty love scenes, Tina McElroy Ansa has created her third memorable tale filled with quirky, distinctive characters, lush and palpable environments and most importantly, strong life-lessons for all those lucky enough to read her work.