Anyone asking about Eugenia Price and where to begin, I'd say grab 'Savannah' and don't look back. That book got its hooks into me years ago, mostly because the way she builds the city itself feels so lived-in. You're not just following characters; you're tracking the growth of a place, its smells and social codes, all through these families she invents that feel real enough to have left diaries behind. The pacing is gentle, almost meandering by modern standards, but that's the point—it lets the atmosphere settle. After that, sticking with the Savannah Quartet ('To See Your Face Again', 'Before the Darkness Falls', 'Stranger in Savannah') makes sense because you're already invested in the setting's evolution.
Honestly, trying to jump into her other series first, like the Florida Trilogy with 'Maria', felt a bit disconnected for me. It's still solid historical fiction, but without that foundational attachment to her Southern world-building from the first quartet, it didn't click as hard. A lot of readers I've talked to online seem to echo that—starting with her standalone 'The Beloved Invader' can be hit or miss, too, since it's earlier work. 'Savannah' really is the gateway; it sets the tone for her whole approach of blending meticulous research with a very character-driven, almost quiet drama. My copy is full of marginal notes about the architecture descriptions alone.