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These Empty Places

by Sarah Loudin Thomas

Loss, rebuilding, and new beginnings in North Carolina

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AlbakiReads Editorial

Loss, rebuilding, and new beginnings in North Carolina

Set in a small North Carolina community on the eve of the Great Depression, the novel brings together Claire Roth and Lena Hawkins after upheavals reshape both women’s lives. Claire hopes to restore Lake Toxaway after its dam breaks, while Lena arrives penniless with her husband following their fall from wealth. Their connection grows through Claire’s plan to build a personal library that will offer the struggling community jobs and education. The story links friendship and second-chance romance with questions of what to leave behind and how to begin again, against a backdrop of economic uncertainty.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in Southern historical fiction set around the Great Depression.
  • Those drawn to stories of friendship, second-chance romance, and new beginnings.
  • Book clubs seeking a novel with themes of loss, independence, and community.

Themes

FriendshipSecond chancesEconomic hardshipCommunity and educationLetting go of the past

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

When their worlds are upended, two women brought together by their loss discover what truly matters most.

Claire Roth sacrificed love for a life of comfort on Lake Toxaway--until the dam broke, and the lake washed down the side of the mountain. Fourteen years later, she longs to see the lake restored to its former glory even as the country faces hard economic times on the eve of the Great Depression.

Socialite Lena Hawkins married her first love, who swept her off her feet after skyrocketing from rags to riches by speculating in the stock market. Now penniless and rejected by her family, Lena and her husband have arrived at Lake Toxaway for a fresh start. There, Lena forms an unexpected connection with Claire, who hires her to assist with the personal library Claire is building to provide jobs and education for their struggling North Carolina community. When Claire is given a second chance at love and Lena a tempting chance at a life of independence, both women must release the past to fill tomorrow with promise.

Sarah Loudin Thomas paints a rich Southern historical story of friendship, second-chance romance, and new beginnings set in small-town North Carolina on the eve of the Great Depression. This read is perfect for book clubs and fans of Patti Callahan and Lisa Wingate.
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