THE BESTSELLING NOVEL NOW A SUCCESSFUL MINISERIES STARRING SALLY FIELD 'Bess is so remarkable a character' NEW YORK TIMES 'A delightful reading of large, splashy doings in the small pond' KIRKUS REVIEWS 'Irresistible . . . nothing about it is ordinary' LOS ANGELES TIMESAt the turn of the century, a time when women had few choices, Bess Steed Garner inherits a legacy - not only of wealth but of determination and desire, making her truly a woman of independent means. From the early 1900s through the 1960s, we accompany Bess as she endures life's trials and triumphs with unfailing courage and indomitable spirit: the sacrifices love sometimes requires of the heart, the flaws and rewards of marriage, the often-tested bond between mother and child, and the will to defy a society that demands conformity. Told in letters we follow the remarkable life of Bess from her childhood in 1899 to her death in 1977.