Land of the Afternoon Sun

by Barbara Wood

Overview

New York Times bestselling author Barbara Wood's latest novel follows a disinherited English baron and a young New York heiress who marry and move West to build an agricultural empire in Palm Springs in the 1920s when it was just a budding town on the edge of the Mojave Desert. It's a saga about ambition on both large and small scales and the rapidly modernizing world as the harsh, sun-drenched landscape transforms from a Native American haven'to the playground of Hollywood's rich and famous.

Land of the Afternoon Sun is also the story of a woman finding her own personality and strength in the West against a breathtaking desert landscape that changes constantly and shows its deadly side in poisonous snakes, flash floods and sand storms, with dramatic moments of forbidden romance, reversals, treachery, betrayal and, ultimately, triumphs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681623887
Publisher:	TURNER PUB CO
Publication date:	07/12/2016
Pages:	512
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.80(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

BARBARA WOOD is the international bestselling author of 27 acclaimed novels, including New York Times bestseller Domina. Her work has been translated into over 30 languages. Barbara lives in Riverside, California.

Editorial Reviews

05/09/2016
In Wood’s (Rainbows on the Moon) ambitious 1920s saga, a disinherited English aristocrat and a stifled American heiress marry and settle in largely rustic Palm Springs, Calif., which is just beginning to develop. Seeking his fortune, Nigel Barnstable, Baron Stullwood, begins aggressively building an agricultural business by planting date palm trees. His wife, Elizabeth, who relishes the newfound freedom from her loving but domineering parents, embraces the West and their neighbors, the Native American Cahuilla tribe. As Nigel becomes increasingly controlling and violent, he terrorizes Elizabeth and provokes the Cahuilla by infringing on their land and water. The story is a bit overlong at intervals, but Woods’s meticulous research provides a moving portrayal of the Cahuilla and their struggle to adapt to the technological and cultural progress that is increasingly affecting their way of life. But most compelling is Elizabeth’s awareness that she has gone from controlling parents to a controlling husband, followed by her evolution from a victim to a courageous defender of the environment. After she frees herself, she seeks out a romantic relationship based on true partnership. At its essence, Wood’s narrative is about respect, resilience, and rebirth. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"At its essence, Wood’s narrative is about respect, resilience, and rebirth."—Publishers Weekly

"This riveting story brings a clash of cultures and changes in the American West to light, along with the growth of well-developed characters. The author has researched her period well. Both Prohibition and women’s rights are being challenged, and laws make it difficult for women to obtain divorces and birth control devices. Readers will become aware of the many concurrent issues of this era in America’s growth as a country, as well as the impact of the laws concerning women and the need to challenge them. The story has an exciting and satisfactory conclusion." - Historical Novel Society

"Barbara Wood is an entertainer." - Washington Post Book World

"A master storyteller." - Tulsa World

From the Publisher