In pre-Civil War Mississippi, cholera claims the life of Amanda Satterfield’s 12-year-old beloved daughter, Becky. Mistress Amanda blames her husband for refusing to call for a doctor in time to save their only child. Grief-stricken and plunged into madness, Amanda orders an ebony-skinned newborn slave girl brought to the great house as a replacement for her daughter.

In pre-Civil War Mississippi, cholera claims the life of Amanda Satterfield’s 12-year-old beloved daughter, Becky. Mistress Amanda blames her husband for refusing to call for a doctor in time to save their only child. Grief-stricken and plunged into madness, Amanda orders an ebony-skinned newborn slave girl brought to the great house as a replacement for her daughter.

Mississippi plantation mistress Amanda Satterfield loses her daughter to cholera after her husband refuses to treat her for what he considers to be a “slave disease.” Insane with grief, Amanda takes a newborn slave child as her own and names her Granada, much to the outrage of her husband and the amusement of their white neighbors. Troubled by his wife’s disturbing mental state and concerned about a mysterious plague sweeping through his slave population, Master Satterfield purchases Polly Shine, a slave reputed to be a healer. But Polly’s sharp tongue and troubling predictions cause unrest across the plantation. Complicating matters further, Polly recognizes “the gift” in Granada, the mistress’s pet, and a domestic battle of wills ensues.  
 
Seventy-five years later, Granada, now known as Gran Gran, is still living on the plantation and must revive the buried memories of her past in order to heal a young girl abandoned to her care. Together they learn the power of story to heal the body, the spirit and the soul. 
 
Rich in mood and atmosphere, THE HEALING is the kind of novel readers can’t put down --- and can’t wait to recommend once they’ve finished.

In this memoir, Charlotte Silver recalls her childhood growing up in her glamorous mother’s Harvard Square restaurant. When the restaurant nears financial collapse, Charlotte realizes the sacrifices her mother has made in running a kitchen while raising a family. 

Like Eloise growing up in the Plaza Hotel, Charlotte Silver grew up in her mother's restaurant. Located in Harvard Square, Upstairs at the Pudding was a confection of pink linen tablecloths and twinkling chandeliers, a decadent backdrop for childhood. Over dinners of foie gras and Dover sole, always served with a Shirley Temple, Charlotte kept company with a rotating cast of eccentric staff members. After dinner, in her frilly party dress, she often caught a nap under the bar until closing time. Her one constant was her glamorous, indomitable mother, nicknamed "Patton in Pumps," a wasp-waisted woman in cocktail dress and stilettos who shouldered the burden of raising a family and running a kitchen. Charlotte's unconventional upbringing takes its toll, and as she grows up she wishes her increasingly busy mother were more of a presence in her life. But when the restaurant --- forever teetering on the brink of financial collapse --- looks as if it may finally be closing, Charlotte comes to realize the sacrifices her mother has made to keep the family and restaurant afloat and gains a new appreciation of the world her mother has built.