Magnolia Wednesdays

At forty-one, Vivian Armstrong Gray''s life as an investigative journalist is crumbling. Humiliated after taking a bullet in her backside during an exposé, Vivi learns that she''s pregnant, jobless, and very hormonal. This explains why she says ''yes'' to a dreadful job covering suburban living back home in Georgia, a column she must write incognito.

Down South, it''s her sister''s ballroom dance studio that becomes her undercover spot where she learns about the local life-and where unexpected friendships develop. As she digs up her long buried roots, she starts to wonder if life inside the picket fence is really so bad after all.

Read Wendy Wax''s post on the Penguin Blog.