North Carolina Author’s Novel Offers More Than Heart-breaking Drama

Margaret Garrison’s first novel “Prez: A Story of Love” (Abbott Press, 2014) deals with romance, family devotion, and spiritual grace, all of which are interwoven throughout the plot that involves a female university chancellor (nicknamed “Prez” by one of the characters), who battles a critical illness and daunting personal and workplace issues.
 
Readers will readily sympathize with the main character as she weathers the storm (literally and figuratively). The story’s fast-paced development, rich first-person narration, strong dialogue between characters, and explosive drama will sustain their interest as they flip the pages. Moreover, readers will love the numerous references to North Carolina’s landmarks and cultures, historical events, 1990’s pop culture, and literature.
 
Through “Prez: A Story of Love,” Garrison offers her readers a guided tour of sorts of North Carolina. She takes them to explore the state’s most famous universities (Duke and UNC); the Piedmont region; and some towns and cities of the Tar Heel State. She also invites her readers to experience North Carolina’s food culture and traditions.
 
The novel also offers readers a look into the major events of the past, one of which is the hurricane that ravaged North Carolina and its neighbors in 1989, and this event factors significantly in the plot of the novel. There are also references to the fall of the Berlin Wall in Germany; Desert Storm, which is about to unfold in the Middle East; and the presidency of George H. W. Bush. Garrison introduces readers to a world that is not digitally connected yet: a world without the Internet, smartphones, and social media. Anyone in their late 30s or older will revel in familiar events of the past.
 
“Prez: A Story of Love” is also rife with references to old TV shows and movies; classical literature such as “Moby Dick” and “Pride and Prejudice;” and lines from the poetry of Emily Dickinson, the favorite poet of the main character.
 
“Prez: A Story of Love” will attract eager readers who appreciate well-developed characters and plot as well as polished descriptive prose. Proud Tar Heels, literature lovers, and history and pop culture buffs should not miss this novel, which recently appeared at the 2017 London Book Fair New Title Showcase, held March 14-16, 2017.
 
 
“Prez: A Story of Love”
Written by Margaret Garrison
Published by Abbott Press
Published date: July 11, 2014           
Paperback price: $24.99
                                                                                          
About the Author
 
Margaret Garrison grew up in Concord, North Carolina, a part of North Carolina’s Piedmont region that appears in her novel. She spent an exchange year at Japan’s International Christian University in Tokyo. She earned an undergraduate degree from Lenoir-Rhyne University and a Master of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her extensive career has included several years in high school and college teaching and in university marketing and communications in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Indiana. She lives today in North Carolina. “Prez: A Story of Love” is her first novel.
 

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