Morris, Henriette Hampton 1924–

PERSONAL: Born 1924; married Ben R. Morris.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, University of South Carolina Press, 718 Devine St., Columbia, SC 29208.

CAREER: Writer.

WRITINGS:

Sisters in Love, Summerhouse Press (Columbia, SC), 1999.

SIDELIGHTS: Henriette Hampton Morris's novel Sisters in Love begins in the late twentieth century, with nursing-home resident Lucy Willoughby recalling her childhood and life in South Carolina. She is one of six sisters, the others being Lyda, Sally, Daphne, Mary, and Jenny. The novel focuses on the three middle sisters—Lucy, Sally, and Daphne—and their loves, marriages, and breakups. Lucy leaves her fiancée for Adam, her true love, but he dies suddenly. Sally's marriage to the alcoholic Crawford fails, and she turns to working as a secretary to support herself. Daphne marries Mary's suitor for his money. Sisters in Love has a large cast of characters, and an attendant number of happy events and crises overseen by the family patriarch, who advises on family loyalty and proper Southern manners.

A Publishers Weekly contributor felt that, with such a complicated plot, Morris leaves "little room for character development" in Sisters in Love, but added: "Still this story will appeal to readers who enjoy an old-fashioned gentility and light, simple prose." Writing in Booklist, Alexandra Shrake called Morris's characters "likable" and felt that "the simpler, more innocent time Morris describes is a refreshing one to inhabit."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, November 15, 1999, Alexandra Shrake, review of Sisters in Love, p. 608.

Publishers Weekly, October 25, 1999, review of Sisters in Love, p. 50.