Where Shadows Go

Price's 38th novel is like molasses--treacly and slow. The second book in the Georgia Trilogy that began with Bright Captivity follows the nearly charmed life of John and Anne Couper Fraser from 1825, when the couple leaves London to return to Anne's (and Price's) home on Georgia's St. Simons Island, to 1839. Surrounded by the natural beauty of the family's coastal plantation, John overcomes his abhorrence of slavery to become a respected planter. He and Anne adore each other, raise their children and ponder the problems that seem to plague everyone but them. Late in the tale, friendship with the English actress/abolitionist Fanny Kemble Butler causes Anne to consider for the first time the moral implications of her lifestyle. When tragedy finally touches her, faith and the support of her children provide Anne with the fortitude to carry on. While Price's simplistic storytelling skills have sufficed in previous novels, this one disappoints: the characters that really bring it to life, the Butlers, appear too little and too late. Tedious pacing and insufficient dramatic action make this a saccharine narrative unredeemed by Price's obvious feeling for her characters and their milieu. Doubleday and Christian Herald Book Clubs. (Apr.)