num_pages: 272
description: Nobody in Nashville has a bigger name to live up to than Bezellia Grove. As a Grove she belongs to one of citys most prominent families and is expected to embrace her position in high society. That means speaking fluent French dancing at cotillions with boys from other important families and mastering the art of the perfect smile. Also looming large is her given name Bezellia which has been passed down for generations to the first daughter born to the eldest Grove. The others in the long line of Bezellias shortened the ancestral name to Bee Zee or Zell. But Bezellia refuses all nicknames and dreams that one day she too will be remembered for her original namesakes courage and passion. Though she leads a life of privilege being a Grove is far from easy. Her mother hides her drinking but her alcoholism is hardly a secret. Her father who spends long hours at work is distant and inaccessible. For as long as she can remember shes been raised by Maizelle the nanny and Nathaniel the handyman. To Bezellia Maizelle and Nathaniel are cherished family members. To her parents they will never be more than servants. Relationships are complicated in 1960s Nashville where society remains neatly ordered by class status and skin color. Black servants arent supposed to eat at the same table as their white employers. Black boys arent supposed to make conversation with white girls. And they certainly arent supposed to fall in love. When Bezellia has a clandestine affair with Nathaniels son Samuel their romance is met with anger and fear from both families. In a time and place where rebelling against the rules carries a steep price Bezellia Grove must decide which of her names will be the one that defines her.
language: English
title: The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove
publisher: Crown