"Unforgettable." The Washington Post Book World.
The Civil War is still twenty years away when Rose, an escaped mulatto slave girl, arrives in the town of Pequot Landing. Soon after, a school for "colored misses" is established. This fuels a firestorm between the abolitionist Talcott family and the wealthy Grimes family, owners of mills that depend on slave-picked cotton. Into the blaze steps schoolmistress Georgiana Ross and rakehell sea captain Sinjin Grimes. Now all these players find themselves caught up in the dramatic sweep of history . . .
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Old-fashioned in style and structure, flowery (to the point of near-parody) in language, and soap opera-ish in plot and character, the late Tryon's sequel to The Wings of Morning (1991) is the second in a planned quartet of novels set in Connecticut in mid- 19th century and continues the two overriding themes of its predecessor: the decades-old feud between the powerful Talcott and Grimes families, and the great moral and economic debate over abolition in the years prior to the Civil War. Returning to Pequot Landing from New York while bearing his abolitionist daughter Electra home for a visit, Appleton Talcott saves a runaway mulatto slave girl, Rose Mills, from slave catchers and introduces her into the family home, Kingdom Come. The arrival of Rose precipitates the founding of a controversial Free School by Georgiana Ross, the illegitimate Grimes daughter who was the focus of the first book, set some ten years earlier. That starts trouble, and the subsequent return to Pequot Landing of Georgiana's half- brother, sea captain Sinjin Grimes (fresh from opium smuggling in the China seas), compounds matters. Almost from the moment of his arrival, Sinjin becomes involved (literally) with Rose, whose beauty of face and form have already begun leading her into trouble, as has her tart personality and often mean-spirited independence. Then the long-absent and now-widowed Aurora Talcott Sheffield, the only woman Sinjin ever loved, also comes home, carrying a horrifying secret. As the various relationships play out and the battle over the Free School becomes more intense, the tempest always simmering just beneath the town's surface boils over. Tryon's death last year will most likely leave this magnum opus incomplete, sad news for those who can overlook its weaknesses (slow pacing and excessive length among them). For such readers, the ``Kingdom Come'' novels are a pleasant and engrossing diversion. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Set, like its predecessor, in pre-Civil War New England, this sequel to The Wings of the Morning matches both the verbosity and the compulsive readability of the earlier novel, as Tryon continues to focus on the lives of the citizens of Pequot Landing. In the wake of the ill-fated romance between roguish sea captain Sinjin Grimes and well-bred Aurora Talcott, daughter of the Connecticut town's leading citizen, the bitter feud between the proslavery Grimes family and the fiercely abolitionist Talcotts still simmers. The catalyst of the action here is patriarch Bobby Talcott, who attempts to found a free school for Negro and Indian girls under the direction of Georgianna Ross, a Talcott protege. Her first pupil is Rose Mills, a fugitive slave who proves surprisingly truculent and devious. The small school faces immediate danger from town rowdies, and more permanent damage from a restrictive state law sponsored by the Grimes faction. Subplots abound, splintering into distracting miniplots, as an almost overwhelming number of archtypal figures (the indomitable Talcott matriarch; the hypocritical deacon Grimes; the doomed lovers) weave their way in and out of countless overwritten episodes. Despite Tryon's excesses, uncontrolled verbiage, fans of the genre will enjoy this literate romantic saga and will lament the fact that the author passed away before seeing to completion the third volume of the projected trilogy. BOMC alternate.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
FREE
Within U.S.A.
Shipping:
US$ 4.30
Within U.S.A.
Seller: Reliant Bookstore, El Dorado, KS, U.S.A.
Condition: acceptable. This book is a well used but readable copy. Integrity of the book is still intact with no missing pages. May have notes or highlighting. Cover image on the book may vary from photo. Ships out quickly in a secure plastic mailer. Seller Inventory # RDV.0804113025.A
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: SecondSale, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00052514904
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Wonder Book, Frederick, MD, U.S.A.
Condition: Very Good. Very Good condition. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain light spine creasing or a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp. Bundled media such as CDs, DVDs, floppy disks or access codes may not be included. Seller Inventory # F18A-03427
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # 3501732-6
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # 45140097-6
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Reno, Reno, NV, U.S.A.
Mass Market Paperback. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.75. Seller Inventory # G0804113025I4N00
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Mass Market Paperback. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.75. Seller Inventory # G0804113025I4N00
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Mass Market Paperback. Condition: Fair. No Jacket. Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.75. Seller Inventory # G0804113025I5N00
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Mass Market Paperback. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.75. Seller Inventory # G0804113025I4N00
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Colorado's Used Book Store, Englewood, CO, U.S.A.
Mass Market Paperback. Condition: Good. Creases to the spine with some edgewear to cover. All Orders Shipped With Tracking And Delivery Confirmation Numbers. Seller Inventory # 394518
Quantity: 1 available