Blue Willow
A Novel
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A powerful novel of a man and a woman from different worlds whose passion binds them together even as it tears them apart—from the bestselling author of When Venus Fell and A Place to Call Home
There had always been MacKenzies and Colebrooks at Blue Willow, their histories entangled like the graceful branches of the rare willow trees that thrived there. Artemas Colebrook and Lily MacKenzie shared more than that history, their souls bound to each other and to the land the day the boy held tiny Lily minutes after her birth. But the tragedy that has brought Lily back to the small farm where she spent her childhood has also made Artemas’s brothers and sisters her bitter enemies. Torn between family loyalties and their shared sense of destiny, Artemas and Lily must come to terms with a childhood devotion that has turned to bittersweet desire, a passion that could destroy all they have struggled for—even Blue Willow itself.
Praise for Blue Willow
“Smith knows how to generate genuine emotion.”—Publishers Weekly
“Smith [is] a remarkably talented prolific storyteller who creates unforgettable characters.”—Booklist
“A moving journey into the heart and soul of enduring love.”—Julie Garwood
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Artemas Colebrook is the stuff of myth: a proud, intelligent boy who vows to salvage his Southern family's name, which has been tarnished by his father's philandering and squandering of the Colebrook fortune. Though Artemas's quest is vaguely medieval, the story is planted squarely in the 20th century. At age seven, Artemas is precocious enough to assist at the birth of Lily Mackenzie, linking them forever. A series of family squabbles and misunderstandings keeps these two star-crossed lovers from each other, although as the book progresses the reasons for their separation become more and more ridiculous. All is exaggerated and melodramatic: after Artemas loses his virginity in the forest in a tender (and anatomically unbelievable) scene, his father rides by on a horse, snatches up his son's beloved and rapes her. An architectural collaboration between Lily's husband and Artemas's sister collapses, killing the celebrants at the building's opening gala. The battle over who is at fault for this tragic accident drags on, and even when Lily and Artemas can finally be together, Smith ( Miracle ) fails to resolve definitely the question of blame.
