iUniverseEditor's Choice and Reader's Choice Selection
"Scarlett O'Hara at her worst has nothing on Mary Eliza Pillow.... A fascinating novel drawn from the pages of history.... a remarkable work of historical fiction" -- Amazon Reviewer
"the story is told from several perspectives, the most intriguing being that of Kizzie ... whose guileless naivete and earnest voice are reminiscent of another 19th century orphan of the south, Huckleberry Finn....engaging..." Kirkus Discoveries Review
"Sex, lies, but no videotape---although the unscrupulous main character of Allen’s scandal-packed story would doubtlessly have concealed a few cameras, had they been invented back then.... An ideal fireside read." Delta Magazine
Illicit romance, scandal, three highly publicized trials, a noontime murder on Main Street -- A SERPENT CHERISHED is a new historical novel based on the true story of Mary Eliza Pillow, the determined and litigious widow of Confederate General Gideon J. Pillow. Set in Lee County, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tennessee, in the late nineteenth century, this intricate tale recounts the beautiful young widow's seduction of Colonel H. Clay King and her lawsuits to take his plantation, resulting in murder.
Left destitute after the death of her famous husband, Mary Eliza Pillow insinuated herself into the life of Colonel H. Clay King and his wife, moving onto their property, driving the wife away, and persuading Colonel King to give her a deed to his Arkansas plantation. Their tumultuous love affair led to scandalous allegations in the newspapers and a series of bitter lawsuits. Will Mrs. Pillow reveal the King family's secrets in order to achieve the wealth she so desires? How many lives will be destroyed by the lovers' revenge?
The Pillow Home in Memphis
A Sketch of the Murder from the Appeal-Avalanche March 11, 1891
Refusing to divorce his wife, Colonel King is both relieved and miserable when Mrs. Pillow is persuaded by her family to leave his home. But the ever determined widow records her deed as she leaves Arkansas, infuriating Colonel King and beginning a path of destruction that ends in murder.
The story is narrated by the drunken idealist Colonel King, his embittered wife Sallie, and the widow's young companion Kizzie, who describes the sensational events she witnesses as she struggles to find dignity and a life of her own. Woven into the narrative are actual passages from the late nineteenth century newspapers which reported the events as they occurred: the scandals, the trials, the betrayals, and the deaths.
Someone Submitted an Advertisement for a Husband for Mrs. Pillow
Mrs. Pillow's Grave at Arlington Cemetery
Based on a true story, A SERPENT CHERISHED recounts the tangled tale of a nineteenth century woman determined to use any means -- lies, scandal, lawsuits -- to get what she wants and a vulnerable man driven to do anything to protect his honor.
Read the Reviews
"Lust, greed, passion - and a dose of middle-aged foolishness - all this and more with Memphis as the background in Ann Roscopf Allen's A Serpent Cherished."
Perre Magness, Memphis Historian
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A "Victorian Era 'Fatal Attraction'..." Arkansas Times, July 7, 2005
A Serpent Cherished is a new historical novel by Ann Roscopf Allen, a Helena native who now lives in Maryland. It’s from iUniverse, paperback, $16.95. It’s a kind of Victorian Era “Fatal Attraction,” nicely written, well-paced, and both spooky and funny in the same way that movie was. It also keeps close to the true story as it played out in the Memphis newspapers and the Arkansas Gazette in the 1890s.
Sex, lies, but no videotape---although the unscrupulous main character of Allen’s scandal-packed story would doubtlessly have concealed a few cameras, had they been invented back then. The plot of A Serpent Cherished unfolds in the last years of the 19th century, in Memphis and the rural Arkansas Delta. It is the true tale of Colonel H. Clay King, a prominent lawyer and Confederate veteran, who seeks to aid the lovely young widow of his late commanding officer in recovering some of her lost property. Before long, his beautiful and charming client, Mary Eliza Pillow, has taken over his life, installed herself on his plantation, and run off his long-suffering wife. A series of highly-publicized lawsuits ensue, and everything crashes to a tragic close with a noontime murder on Main Street in Memphis. Allen drew her plot from old newspapers, court documents, and letters, spicing the narrative with the voice of a fictional lady’s maid, Kizzie. Kizzie is a female version of Huckleberry Finn---ingenuous, unlettered, and entirely honest---a perfect foil to her lying, scheming employer. An ideal fireside read for anyone who enjoys a good “fool for love” story, with a bit of courtroom drama tossed in.
Brenda Ware Jones
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"A fascinating novel drawn from the pages of history..." Amazon Review, June 7, 2005
Scarlet O'Hara at her worst has nothing on Mary Eliza Pillow, and the real life story of this woman and the troubles she brought upon her flawed knight in shining armor form the basis of this remarkable work of historical fiction. Ann Roscopf Allen's historical novel A Serpent Cherished reads like a story lifted from today's headlines, complete with lies, deception, greed, lust, sex, scandal, fury and - in the end - murder, but the events retold in this novel date back to the late nineteenth century South (centered in Arkansas and Memphis). The very public drama of these events scandalized Southern society of its day; now, in this modern retelling of the story, it offers readers a most unusual look into that Victorian society of the 1880s and early 1890s.
Mary Eliza Pillow was the wife of General Gideon Pillow, a hero of the War Between the States. The general's economic fortunes declined after his return home, and his young widow was left destitute following his death. Far too proud to ever admit she was poor (or to curtail her spending), Mrs. Pillow is in a very real sense rescued by Colonel H. Clay King. Clay owed a great deal to his former commanding officer (General Pillow basically covered up a charge of desertion against him), and he tells his wife that it is only right that he help the widow of the man who helped him so much during the war. So it is that Mary Eliza Pillow moves on to Clay's Arkansas plantation, ostensibly to manage the place. It's pretty obvious to all concerned, including Mrs. King, that the 60-year-old Clay has taken quite a fancy to the young, beautiful Confederate widow, however. Mrs. Pillow puts her womanly wiles to use and, in little time at all, manages to usurp Mrs. King's place in the mansion (with Mrs. King safely ensconced in Memphis). She takes on all of the wifely duties, and King agrees to bequeath the plantation to her when he dies. That isn't good enough for the new mistress of the house. King eventually seeks to appease her by drawing her up a deed to the property (but never intending for it or a second deed to be filed). This is where the trouble really starts. Eventually, Mary Eliza files the one surviving deed drawn up by Colonel King, claiming she is just trying to protect herself and her children. King refuses to divorce his wife, for religious and proprietary reasons, and now the beautiful yet deadly woman he invited into his own home forces him to either back down and marry her or fight for what is rightly his. Things get ugly, threats are made, and the battle lines are drawn.
Several court cases ensue, wild and racy affairs featuring as many lies as truths, as justice is rather egregiously mocked inside the courtrooms. By the time the drama plays out completely, lives are ruined, reputations are destroyed, and one person is dead - shot down in the streets of Memphis. It is really an ugly series of events that sometimes seem unbelievable - yet the basic facts of the case are true. The author relies upon both primary and secondary resources in terms of framing the story, and she incorporates newspaper reports of the sensational trials into the novel.
I was constantly amazed by the devious things Mary Eliza Pillow did in order to lay claim to all of Colonel King's property, and I marveled at the continued weakness of the Colonel in acceding to her requests. You cannot help but commiserate with him in his eventual rage, yet there's no doubt that the bed he found himself lying in was one of his own making. The whole drama has much to reveal about the Victorian mindset of the late-nineteenth century South. Colonel King, as a successful lawyer, went to great pains to keep his relationship with Mrs. Pillow out of the public eye. He didn't have a problem abandoning his wife and taking a live-in mistress, but he was constantly afraid that the truth would get out and he would be scandalized. Mrs. King also cared more for appearances and her own reputation than she did for her husband's faults. It just would not do to divorce him, and she could scarcely imagine what would happen to her if the Colonel's living situation became known among those of her social circles in Memphis. Vain though she was (and no paragon of virtue herself), Mrs. King suffered more than anyone at the cold and calculating hands of her husband's mistress.
A Serpent Cherished is a truly fascinating read. I should note, however, that the narrative perspective changes from one chapter to the next. This can be somewhat disconcerting early on, as the "speaker" of each chapter is not readily identified. Allen is a wonderfully skilled writer, however, and one soon gets to know these characters quite well. We basically hear the story through the voices of Colonel King, Mrs. King, and Mrs. Pillow's companion Kizzie. Each of these characters brings a completely different viewpoint to the drama, especially Kizzie, whose loyalty to Mrs. Pillow is stretched to the limit as she watches her friend and benefactor lie, cheat, and destroy a man who always treated her well. We do not hear from Mary Eliza herself, but her presence overshadows every page of this story. Readers' feelings for the main characters of this sordid tale may vary to some degree, but no one can be any less than fascinated by the actions and exploits put on display in this intriguing work of historical fiction.
"A fascinating novel drawn from the pages of history..." Amazon Review, June 7, 2005