Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor'easter

August 17, 2009
In Patton's plucky debut, naïve daddy's girl Leelee Satterfield acquiesces yet again to her spoiled husband, Baker, who wants to move the family of four from Leelee's beloved Memphis to middle-of-nowhere Vermont to buy and run an inn. Leelee grudgingly agrees to keep the inn as is for a year while the former owners, less-than-personable German siblings Helga and Rolf Schloygin, dictate how the delicate Southern belle should run her home and the business. Though readers will initially agree with Helga's stern pointers, they will inevitably adore Leelee as she weathers each storm, gaining backbone while simultaneously shedding the helpless princess persona. Her transformation is (of course) accomplished with the aid of boisterous best friends, unlikely new allies and a heaping helping of girl power. The author is none-too-subtle about the changes (Leelee, for instance, “never, ever would have had the nerve to say any of the things I did if Daddy were still alive”), and, though owing heavily to formula, Patton's novel delivers on its feel-good moments and inspiring fantasies of finally making it on your own.

July 15, 2009
Patton debuts with a peachy-keen summer read about a Southern woman's misadventures as a Vermont innkeeper.

Leelee Satterfield is a bona fide Memphis gal of the country-club variety, part of the ladies-who-lunch set and not at all eager to leave behind this privileged society. But when her gorgeous, sweet-talking husband Baker wants to buy an inn in Vermont and move up north with their two young girls, Leelee reluctantly acquiesces. She may be slightly spoiled, but she is devoted to her man right down to her well-manicured toes. Vermont proves to be everything she feared it would be—cold and lonely, for a start. As Leelee and Baker take on their misfit roles as innkeepers, predictable comedic chaos and challenges ensue; then an unexpected darker twist leaves Leelee alone and for the first time in charge of her own life. This adds weight to the otherwise just-for-kicks narrative and creates a nice balance: Leelee grapples with major life changes, but she's also as fun and flaky as the peach cobbler she whips up in her inn's restaurant. The book overflows with Southern charm, and although our heroine at times appears flighty and superficial, the obvious importance and profundity of her friendships and her love for her daughters are her saving graces. Leelee slowly comes around to her less fashion-conscious Vermont neighbors, heavy snowfall and actually lifting a finger to make a living. The appearance of a very cute new head chef adds a flirty element of romance, and her colorful best friends from Memphis provide a whirlwind of animated comedy. This sassy, lighthearted romp twists and turns toward a conclusion that is not at all foregone, but is immensely satisfying.

Dixie chicks and damn Yankees alike will enjoy seeing the world through Leelee's eyes.

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

October 27, 2009
Southern belle Leelee Satterfield moves to Vermont from Memphis to follow her husband's dream of managing an inn. It doesn't take long before realizing that following someone else's dream isn't working for her-she hates the cold and finds life different in the North, in a bad way. When her husband leaves her for another woman, Leelee is forced to run the inn alone. But when her Southern girlfriends pay a visit, they help transform the inn into a place of Southern charm. Leelee's life starts to look up even more when a sexy sous chef, Peter, comes into the picture. Verdict This debut by a Southern author who, like Leelee, spent three years as an innkeeper in Vermont, is sure to please Adriana Trigiani and Fannie Flagg fans. Filled with colorful characters who prove the South has nothing on the North when it comes to eccentrics, and with the ambiguous ending regarding Leelee's romance with Peter, this will have readers eagerly awaiting the sequel. [75,000-copy first printing; library marketing campaign.]-Karen Core, Detroit P.L.

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