The Butterfly's Secret
Book 2 of 2
Novels
By:
Josephine DeFalco
Forced to leave her family farm when only a young child, Leandra abandons the bitter memories of growing up on the East Coast and returns to North Carolina.
Life begins anew with a past romance and marriage, while she dives head first into the cultural upheaval of the Vietnam War, the civil rights movement, challenges of rural healthcare, and women’s rights. Bolstered by her deep-rooted love for Appalachia and her people, she takes on new roles, some of which she chooses while others are thrust upon her.
As the years pass by, more and more secrets are revealed to her, then buried, each one redefining who she has become. At some point she must choose to share these secrets or die with them, and a decision is made that will forever change the Barker family and future generations.
“Josephine DeFalco’s latest historical novel is a bittersweet story about life’s enduring connections—to family, to community, and to the places we call home. With descriptive prose, she treats the reader to the sights, sounds, and scents of Appalachia, to a time and place that has passed and yet lives on in secrets revealed and memories shared.”
-- Jessica McCann, award-winning novelist and co-leader of the Historical Novel Society, Arizona Chapter
"Beautifully written. In the mist of the Appalachian Mountains life and death, age and youth, relationships and regrets are presented in this portrait of one woman’s journey to understand the purpose of her life and all the memories folded within."
-- Emil Cicogna, author and instructor in the College of Education, Grand Canyon University
Both The Butterfly Bush & The Butterfly's Secret are recipients of the Penmasters Global Fiction Awards.