This truly compelling novel is a magnificent kaleidoscope of the emotions that we most cherish -- and fear. Showcasing the rare talent of Anne Rivers Siddons at her finest, Hill Towns probes deeply into the multiple meanings of love and relationships, as seen through the prism of one woman& 39;s life.

As a small child, a single event irrevocably changed the life of Catherine Gaillard -- and rendered her unable to leave her cloistered mountaintop town in Tennessee for the next 30 years. Her devotion to her husband, Joe, and her desire to forever put this incident behind her propel Cat on a life-changing voyage to Italy.

Making their way across the Tuscany countryside in the company of newly married friends and an exuberant painter and his enigmatic wife, Cat and Joe feel the fabric that holds their marriage together -- so carefully woven together at home -- begin to unravel. The once-carefree trip turns into a journey to the very heart of their relationship... and the ultimate test of their love.

"Evocative...Siddons artfully conjures a violently seductive, sensual world peopled by characters boiling with elemental emotions: fear, lust, aching love."
--Publishers Weekly