Fox's Earth is a great read centered in the old south with a host of dramatic and interesting characters. I love a good novel that takes you through the generations and teaches you the character's history along the way. Ruth, the main character, is so domineering and mean-spirited, but in the tradition of the old south, she plays a role where she hides her dark side very well. Rip, her long time servant, knows all her secrets and schemes and makes it her mission to protect the family. I would haven given it 5 stars but for the fact it does tend to go on and get a bit wordy in spots (you know the type....where it takes the author 3 pages to describe a tree). All in all, a great read and I highly recommend it.