The Rose Series

The Rose Series, by acclaimed author Nan Turner, follows the dramatic and compelling life of Rose Collins, a young Melungeon girl from the mountains of Kentucky, who battles prejudice and endures both tragedy and joys as she comes of age in Virginia in the 1950s.

The first book of the Rose Series, The Journey Home, begins when, Rose Collins, a 12 year old Melungeon girl from the mountains of Kentucky, has been orphaned. She is sent to live with her only relative, Aunt Margaret,who lives and works on the Keller estate in Virginia. This is the early 50's and Rose encounters bigotry in school primarily by Carl Cutlipp. After an accident Rose's blood is typed revealing that she has been adopted. The hunt for her birth parents takes them back to Kentucky and an orphanage that keeps showing up in Rose's dreams. Upon their return they discover that Mr. Keller has died; thus begins the twists and turns of finding the rightful heirs of the Keller fortune.

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View From The Attic, the second book in the Rose Series, picks up the struggle to determine who is the rightful heir to the Keller estate. In the meantime Rose continues to encounter the prejudices of race through the spokesman of her classmate, Carl Cutlipp. Rose deals with Carl's illness, another trip to Bridgetown in the search for her birth parents and a birthday gift which brings sadness and adventure. Aunt Margaret and James are married in a spring ceremony. A strange woman dressed in a blue suit shows up; she turns out to be Rose's "Granny Esther." The newlyweds leave on their honeymoon to the Smoky Mountains – with Rose in tow. Their effort to keep her from Esther turns out to be a comedy of errors with a cast of mountain characters. The remainder of the story recounts the finality of the 'rightful heir story' and the move to the Keller mansion.

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Promises To Keep is the third book in the Rose Series. It continues the story of Rose Collins. The story is set in the 1950s on a country estate near Bristol, Virginia. Rose finds that being a dark-skinned child brings hurt and humiliation in the classroom. Carl Cutlipp is the bigoted student who is the bane of her existence. Rose’s blood is typed after she is injured in a traffic accident revealing that she is not the daughter of the persons she called mama and daddy. She and Aunt Margaret go on a quest to find her birth parents. On their journey, they meet some memorable characters such as Preacher Smith and his embittered wife. They return to Kentucky to find a children’s home that haunts Rose’s dreams with a woman dressed in black, wearing granny shoes. John Keller dies and leaves his estate to his former wife, Margaret. An unknown half-brother shows up at the funeral. Thus begins the legal battle for the Keller Estate. Aunt Margaret and James are married. A stranger crashes the wedding reception, who turns out to be Rose’s Granny Esther. She threatens to take Rose home to Belleview, Kentucky. The honeymooners leave for the Smoky Mountains with Rose in tow. Their effort to keep her from Esther turns out to be a comedy of errors. Daniel Lewis enters Rose’s class late in the school year, causing havoc for the teacher and for Rose. The remainder of the book recounts the end of the “rightful heir story,” and the move to the Keller mansion. The inheritance does not insure Rose, her family, and friends that life will be without its stresses and crises. There is a tragic fire, an attack on Margaret, an intricate web of lies to hurt Rose at school, and a near fatal traffic accident. Rose nears graduation from high school, which leads into Book IV, Return to Bridgetown.

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Return to Bridgetown, the fourth book in the Rose Series, begins the summer after Rose's graduation from high school. Her friend, Lily, marries against everyone's advice. A new house takes shape on the site of the Keller mansion, which burned to the ground in View From the Attic and Aunt Margaret becomes obsessed with its planning and neglects family and friends.

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Rose's Song picks up when Rose enters Nursing school in Kentucky to be near her Granny Esther. Her friends and family endure joys and tragedies as the Rose Series comes to an end. She is stopped for speeding and meets the love of her life, Andy McCray. A colorful cast of characters contribute to this story's twists and turns.

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Lily is Rose's best friend in "The Rose Series." She is a nurse, divorced and a single mother. She and her baby, Anna Rose, move to Bristol to begin a new life. Doug, her former husband,reappears, much to her dismay. A mysterious half sister, Teresa, appears and makes plans to take out her revenge on Lily. Most of the characters from the "Rose Series" are in or mentioned in the book.