Stranger in Paradise - Hardcover

Goudge, Eileen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0670899879 ISBN 13: 9780670899876

Publisher: Viking Adult, 2001

Synopsis

In the first volume of a new Carson Springs trilogy, a woman falls in love with a much younger man, igniting a storm of disapproval and dismay among the inhabitants of this unique California valley in which families have deep and tangled roots and hide dangerous secrets. 100,000 first printing.

About this title

About the Author

Eileen Goudge is the author of The New York Times bestseller One Last Dance, and The Second Silence as well as Garden of Lies, Thorns of Truth, Trail of Secrets, Such Devoted Sisters, and Blessing in Disguise.

Reviews

"A woman alone is no good to anyone" could be the rallying cry for bestselling author Goudge's kickoff to a new series, the Carson Springs trilogy (following One Last Dance). Situated east of Santa Barbara, Calif., Carson Springs and its Spanish-style architecture and orange groves provide the scenic backdrop for a tale about second chances, focusing on 48-year-old Samantha "Sam" Kiley and her daughters, Alice and Laura. As the story opens, Alice is about to marry Wes Carpenter, a Ted Turneresque entertainment mogul nearly 30 years her senior. Then Wes's son, Ian, takes a shine to Sam and the two become romantically involved, alarming Sam's daughters and setting the gossipy town abuzz. Laura, divorced because she couldn't bear children, and given to taking in strays, gets a new lease on life when she provides shelter for 16-year-old female runaway Finch, introduced to the reader in the prologue as being on the lam following a violent incident in Brooklyn. Goudge's fictional test of one of society's great inconsistencies that it's okay for a man to be with a much younger woman, but not the reverse is interesting, but the supposed scandal caused when Sam reveals she is pregnant is dated, given how increasingly common it is for older women to bear children. Despite Finch's dramatic appearance in the prologue, her story line is incidental, forgotten for long stretches of time and, when it is finally wrapped up, like everything else in this Fiction Lite territory, it's in a too-neat package. Agent, Susan Ginsburg of Writers House.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Goudge launches a new trilogy set in lush Carson Springs, CA, with the story of a woman's passion for a much younger man and the havoc it wreaks.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Carson Springs, California, is a town draped in bougainvillea and nestled in rolling green hills, but enjoying the breathtaking scenery is not the only diversion the townspeople enjoy. Fresh gossip is always a welcome addition to a predictable day, and Sam Kiley provides just that when she falls in love with a much younger man. Sam is caught in a whirlwind of her true feelings, the expectations of two grown daughters, and fear of a town that might not forgive her indiscretions. Things become even more interesting when Sam's daughter takes in a willowy teenage runaway with a mysterious demeanor and a tight lid on her past. When the mangled body of a transient turns up in the hills, speculation as to who could be capable of such a murder has everyone's nerves on edge. Goudge's first installment in the Carson Springs trilogy is tinged with just the right blend of humanity, romance, and suspense to produce an intelligent page-turning read with a storyline that is enticingly unpredictable. Elsa Gaztambide
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Viking Adult
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0670899879
• ISBN 13: 9780670899876
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 321