The Fiery Pantheon: A Novel [Paperback]

Acclaimed for her gleeful and contagious love of language (Los Angeles Times),Nancy Lemann evokes the tattered glamour of fading traditional Southern society like no other writer. Now she introduces the aristocratic Stewart clan of New Orleans, in particular, the self-effacing Grace, who is vacationing with her family at a rambling old resort in Virginia and mulling over her recent engagement to Monroe Collier, her ideal Southern gentleman. When she spots the crazed but brilliant Walter, she pegs him as a likely candidate for a nervous breakdown, but he determinedly attaches himself to Grace and begins to work his charms on her.
Will Grace remain true to laconic Monroe and the ideals of her homeland or will she fall for the strangely charismatic Walter? Who will gain entry into the Fiery Pantheon, Grace's personal gallery of beloved and honored heroes? In the tradition of Evelyn Waugh and Walker Percy,The Fiery Pantheonis a witty and rapturous novel about the weight of past glory, the attachment to place, and the love of a man.Nancy Lemann is the author of The Fiery Pantheon, a Simon & Schuster book.The Boston GlobeA New Orleans version of Jane Austen.Entertainment WeeklyLemann's writing -- at once wry and sumptuous -- will glue you to your chair with the intoxicating effect of a mint julep on a sultry summer day.Julia ReedThe New York Times Book ReviewSeductive...The Fiery Pantheonis a lovely, lyrical work of fiction.Mary Kay ZuravleffThe Washington Post Book WorldDelightful...your resistence proves futile. Good thing, because once you surrender, you can accompany this accomplished, generous storyteller on a trip around the world. Ultimately, stand in awe as Nancy Lemann asks where in the world is home and then arrives at an answer as satisfying as it is tender.The Times-PicayuneA perfect barometer of the Southern soul.Chicago TribuneThis is Lemann at her witty best, showing us the quirky mannerismsl“Å