Light a Distant Fire - Softcover

Robson, Lucia St Clair

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0345375610 ISBN 13: 9780345375612

Publisher: Ballantine Books, 1991

Synopsis

Osceola had no illusions that the struggle would be an easy one. But after years of humbly acquiescing to the white men's demands, he was ready to fight no matter what the cost. The young men would have the chance to earn war honors. Their women would have reason to be proud of them again.
When "Old Man" Jackson declared war on the Seminole, he never envisioned battling a people who would become symbols of courage, loyalty, and patriotism. Led by the mighty warrior Osceola and witnessed by his beloved daughter Little Warrior, they were men and women fighting an unjust war of greed and aggression -- and the bonds of love and rebellion that united them would thrust them into the heart of a conflict that would change the world and their lives forever.
"Robson is especially good at detailing the daily life of the 19th Century Seminoles and her Osceola is a charismatic and proud hero." -- The Orlando Sentinel

About this title

About the Author:

Osceola has been Lucia St. Clair Robson's hero from fourth grade on. She went on to become a Peace Corps Volunteer, a teacher, and a librarian. After her first novel, Ride the Wind, appeared on the New York times best seller list, she began writing full time. While researching Light a Distant Fire, she revisited the wilderness she remembered from childhood, and explored the rivers and mangrove swamps where she had camped, canoed decades earlier.

From Publishers Weekly:

The author of Ride the Wind powerfully recreates the mid-19th century Seminole Indian Wars and the life of Osceola, who courageously led his people against an unjust U.S. government. Robson draws the reader into her story gradually with a portrait of Osceola's youth and family, which includes a couple of wives and daughters and a feisty grandmother named Fighting in a Line. The characters are authentic and substantial, and the plot, though loosely woven and slow moving at times, supplies the requisite love, struggle, danger and betrayal. The novel picks up speed when Robson introduces Lt. John Goode, a young West Point graduate. She deftly builds a relationship between Goode and Osceola, demonstrating Goode's initial perception of the Indians as savages, his growing admiration for them and his falling in love with and marrying a Seminole woman. By volunteering for Indian raids, the Lieutenant manages to steer the militiamen away from Osceola and his family. Goode's divided loyalties ultimately bring tragedy to Osceola, but the personal bond triumphs over political enmity. Robson's clear sympathy for the Seminole Indians does not prevent her from creating fictional portraits that illuminate the complexities on both sides.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 0345375610
• ISBN 13: 9780345375612
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 431