Southern Ruby

By Belinda Alexandra

Front cover of the book titled "Southern Ruby" by Belinda Alexandra, showing a close-up of a woman with dark hair and purple eyes, with a house and trees in the background, and pink flowers in the foreground.

Buy Southern Ruby:

Find it at your local bookstore →
Find it at your local bookstore →

Forbidden love. Family Secrets. A twist of fate. A stunning generational saga.

In New Orleans - the city of genteel old houses and ancient oak trees covered in Spanish moss, of seductive nightlife, of Creole culture, voodoo and jazz - two women separated by time and tragedy will find each other at last.

Amanda, orphaned as a child and suffering the loss of her beloved grandmother, has left Sydney in search of a family she never knew.

Ruby, constrained by the expectations of society and class, is carrying a lifetime of secrets. Amanda's arrival sparks revelations long buried: a double life, a forbidden love, and a loss that cannot be forgotten.

Southern Ruby is a sweeping story of love, passion, family and honour. Alternating in time between the 1950s and the eve of Hurricane Katrina, it is also a tribute to a city heady with mystery, music, and superstition, which has borne the tumults of race and class and the fury of nature but has never given up hope.

Book Club Questions
Book Club Questions
Read a Chapter Sample
Read a Chapter Sample
Forbidden love. Family secrets. A twist of fate. The stunning new generational saga from Belinda Alexandra, bestselling author of Tuscan Rose and White Garde...
Better Reading - Book of the week
Better Reading - Book of the week
I'm talking to Belinda Alexandra about her book Southern Ruby and why we shouldn't assume that women's fiction is only for women.

Product Details:
PRINT ISBN: 9780732296629
Publisher: HarperCollins Australia
Published: 21st August 2017
Pages: 608
Historical Fiction

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What people are saying about Southern Ruby:

  • Book cover for 'Southern Ruby' by Belinda Alexandra, featuring a woman’s face, a house in the background, and pink flowers.

    Herald Sun

    ‘The term ‘sweeping saga’ might be a cliché, but it’s the best way to describe this novel, which doesn’t let social ills, racism, death and negativity bog down a buoyant story with lots of juicy revelations.'

  • Book cover for 'Southern Ruby' by Belinda Alexandra, featuring a woman’s face, a house in the background, and pink flowers.

    Canberra Weekly

    ‘Belinda Alexandra is one of Australia’s most successful international novelists and her latest is another sweeping historical saga … a big, bold novel with an evocative sense of place that will captivate Alexandra’s many fans’

  • Book cover for 'Southern Ruby' by Belinda Alexandra, featuring a woman’s face, a house in the background, and pink flowers.

    Newtown Review of Books

    For a book with such deep themes, Southern Ruby is an easy read, told in an entertaining narrative that draws us along like a conversation with a close friend. It is a thought-provoking novel that should leave the reader feeling satisfied as well as entertained.’

  • Book cover for 'Southern Ruby' by Belinda Alexandra, featuring a woman’s face, a house in the background, and pink flowers.

    @1Girl2ManyBooks

    This is the first Belinda Alexandra book that I have ever read, but I do have another one on my TBR shelf that I picked up ages ago. Definitely going to have to bump it up my list because this was one of my most enjoyed books of the year. I just really loved the story and the way in which history and culture were weaved into such an enjoyable narrative.’

  • Book cover for 'Southern Ruby' by Belinda Alexandra, featuring a woman’s face, a house in the background, and pink flowers.

    @sharrynt

    ‘This book has so many twists and turns I didn’t want to put it down. I’ll definitely be reading more from this great author. Rated: 5/5’

SOUTHERN RUBY FEATURED ON THE BLOG:
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BELINDA ALEXANDRA’S BOOKS:

Book cover for 'The Italian Correspondent' by Belinda Alexandra, featuring a woman in a red dress and headscarf sitting by a scooter on a beach with a bright blue sky and clouds.
Book cover for 'The Masterpiece' by Belinda Alexandra featuring a side profile of a woman with wavy hair, wearing a teal beret and a purple coat, with a cityscape and some brush strokes in the background.
Front cover of a paperback book titled "The French Agent" by Belinda Alexandra. The cover features a profile image of a woman with dark hair styled back, wearing a dark blue jacket with a colorful scarf. The background has a blurred blue and gray ton
Book cover titled "The Mystery Woman" by Belinda Alexandra, depicting a woman in a red dress walking on a beach, carrying a blue jacket and a bag, with waves in the background.
Cover of the book "The Invitation" by Belinda Alexander, featuring a woman in a vintage hat and dress standing by a city waterfront.
Book cover of Southern Ruby by Belinda Alexandra featuring a close-up of a woman's face, a historic Southern house, and pink flowers.
Book cover for 'Sapphire Skies' by Belinda Alexandra, featuring a woman in a vintage blue dress and blue beret, set against a snowy cityscape with iconic Russian architecture.
A woman with dark hair in a bun, wearing a red dress, touching her neck with her eyes closed, standing in front of a backdrop of a city with church spires and warm, orange tones. The book title is "Golden Earrings" by Belinda Alexandra.
Book cover for 'Tuscan Rose' by Belinda Alexandra featuring a woman with short brown hair holding a pink jacket against a background of rolling Tuscan hills and a farmhouse.
A book cover featuring a woman in a white vintage dress and a pink hat, standing against a sunset landscape background. The title is 'Silver Wattle' by Belinda Alexandra.
A book cover titled "Wild Lavender" by Belinda Alexandra featuring a woman with dark, vintage-style hair, wearing a teal dress with lace sleeves and a black beaded necklace, sitting with hands clasped, against a backdrop of lavender fields and a pink
Book cover titled "White Gardenia" by Belinda Alexadra featuring a woman in a blue coat holding a red umbrella and a suitcase, walking in front of a background with red lanterns and a traditional Asian street scene.
Book cover titled 'The Divine Feline' by Belinda Alexandra, featuring an illustrated woman with a high bun hairstyle, red lips, a gray cat on her shoulder, and a blue background.
Cover of a book titled 'Emboldened' by Belinda Alexandra, featuring red flowers with gold accents on a black background and a quote about finding fire when all seems lost.
A pink and white journal titled "The Feel Good Now Journal" by Belinda Alexandra and Kelly Morton, featuring a silhouette of 3 cats and a pug sitting on a ledge.

International bestselling author. Lover of nature, beauty and magic.