Lottie Deno

Thurmond's novel follows a girl becoming a woman in pre-Civil War Kentucky, through a romantic involvement in Detroit, and then into adulthood as she becomes the notorious gambler, Lottie Deno, in postwar New Orleans, San Antonio, and points Southwest. Her business acumen and fearlessness bring opportunities. Her love life takes several turns, and her character matures in often colorful, surprising ways.