Published: Dec. 01, 2011
Words: 89,715 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781465992932

Short description

In 1970s Oregon, Jenny Cope’s cloistered ways are tested by a challenged man. Alvin Harris’ simple manners thaw her frozen heart, but horrific childhood memories threaten their happiness. Alvin eases Jenny through her deepest fears as Sam Cassel waits, in love with a woman altering all she meets.

Extended description

On the run for nearly half her life, Jenny Cope’s arrival in Oregon’s Willamette Valley touches all she meets. She most affects two men, one mentally challenged, the other emotionally strangled. Jenny falls in love with Alvin Harris, whose childhood tumble leaves him with few worries. Sam Cassel’s wounded heart pounds with unrequited love for Jenny, but his lifelong friendship with Alvin precludes Sam’s advances. That and a sense of familiarity, Jenny similar to Sam’s late wife, a woman brutally murdered.

Introducing the series, this novel weaves 1970s history through the lives of Alvin, Jenny, Sam, and Tommie Smith, Alvin’s best friend. Tommie carries his own injuries while balancing Sam’s hidden feelings. When Alvin and Jenny have a child, Sam steps away. Jenny learns some of Tommie’s burdens, a tragedy Sam also endured when his wife died. When Jenny’s horrific past emerges, she seeks Sam's comfort, not the man she truly loves.

Love and betrayal tangle with vill.. (Read more) On the run for nearly half her life, Jenny Cope’s arrival in Oregon’s Willamette Valley touches all she meets. She most affects two men, one mentally challenged, the other emotionally strangled. Jenny falls in love with Alvin Harris, whose childhood tumble leaves him with few worries. Sam Cassel’s wounded heart pounds with unrequited love for Jenny, but his lifelong friendship with Alvin precludes Sam’s advances. That and a sense of familiarity, Jenny similar to Sam’s late wife, a woman brutally murdered.

Introducing the series, this novel weaves 1970s history through the lives of Alvin, Jenny, Sam, and Tommie Smith, Alvin’s best friend. Tommie carries his own injuries while balancing Sam’s hidden feelings. When Alvin and Jenny have a child, Sam steps away. Jenny learns some of Tommie’s burdens, a tragedy Sam also endured when his wife died. When Jenny’s horrific past emerges, she seeks Sam's comfort, not the man she truly loves.

Love and betrayal tangle with village feuds and narrow minds as a trio navigates roads rainy but lush, colors bright from thunderstorms which scare Jenny to death. The reason behind her anxieties can’t be altered, but in Alvin or Tommie’s arms Jenny finds solace. Yet in Sam’s grasp, whether on the dance floor or reliving her terrifying childhood, Jenny knows a deliberate calm. That peace threatens to unravel all Jenny and Alvin have built together on a farm harboring ancient secrets as disturbing as Jenny’s past.
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Adult-content rating: This book contains content considered unsuitable for young readers 17 and under, and which may be offensive to some readers of all ages. For more information, see the Support FAQ.

Tags

love, family saga, 1970s, parenthood, sexual assault, disabilities, familial relationships, self medication

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Reviews

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Review by: tag on Feb. 18, 2012 :
I really enjoyed reading this book. Alvin grabbed me with his innocence and great incite all wrapped in one. I can't wait to read the 2nd in this trilogy.
(review of free book)

Review by: juliekrose on Jan. 13, 2012 :
Anna Scott Graham has an amazing ability to create characters that get under your skin. It happened for me with Marthe and Kell in The War on Emily Dickinson, and it happened again with Alvin and Jenny; I keep dreaming about these characters!

The focus is on everyday life and "regular" people, but Scott Graham has an amazing way with uncovering the pain and secret histories present in every family. It's not lurid, though: she approaches these characters with sensitivity and humanity.

This is the first in a trilogy and I'm anxious for the release of The Thorn and the Rose.
(review of free book)

Review by: Jeffra Hays on Jan. 08, 2012 :
Alvin in particular grabbed me from the moment he appeared -- simple dialog that expresses so much. Graham writes with love for her story, and for her characters, and the reader feels that love throughout.
(review of free book)

Review by: Suzy Stewart Dubot on Dec. 02, 2011 :
Excellent! A very touching story that makes one wonder if it is fiction as the author has written with such sensitivity that her characters could very well be real. The words used are a pleasure in themselves.
(review of free book)

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