A Spear of Summer Grass
by Deanna Raybourn
Synopsis: [sex and violence present but not
graphic]
Paris, 1923
The daughter of a scandalous mother, Delilah Drummond is
already notorious, even among Paris society. But her latest scandal is big
enough to make even her oft-married mother blanch. Delilah is exiled to Kenya
and her favorite stepfather's savanna manor house until gossip subsides.
Fairlight is the crumbling, sun-bleached skeleton of a faded
African dream, a world where dissolute expats are bolstered by gin and jazz
records, cigarettes and safaris. As mistress of this wasted estate, Delilah
falls into the decadent pleasures of society.
Against the frivolity of her peers, Ryder White stands in
sharp contrast. As foreign to Delilah as Africa, Ryder becomes her guide to the
complex beauty of this unknown world. Giraffes, buffalo, lions and elephants
roam the shores of Lake Wanyama amid swirls of red dust. Here, life is lush and
teeming—yet fleeting and often cheap.
Amidst the wonders—and dangers—of Africa, Delilah awakes to
a land out of all proportion: extremes of heat, darkness, beauty and joy that
cut to her very heart. Only when this sacred place is profaned by bloodshed
does Delilah discover what is truly worth fighting for—and what she can no
longer live without.
A Spear of Summer
Grass, by Deanna Raybourn
384 pages, ISBN 978-0778314394, MIRA
Available in trade paperback at Amazon, B&N, Indiebound,
Books-A-Million or digitally for Kindle, Nook, Kobo, or from iBooks.
Author bio:
As a sixth-generation native Texan, I grew up in San
Antonio, where I met my college sweetheart. I married him on graduation day and
went on to teach high school English and history. During summer vacation when I
was twenty-three, I wrote my first novel. After three years as a teacher, I
left education to have a baby and pursue writing full-time.
Fourteen years and many, many rejections after my first
novel, I signed two three-book deals with MIRA Books.
"Sex, lies and awesome clothing descriptions" is
how one reader described my debut novel, Silent in the Grave, published
in 2007. The first in the Silent series, the book follows Lady Julia Grey as
she investigates the mysterious death of her husband with the help of the
enigmatic private enquiry agent Nicholas Brisbane. From the drawing rooms of
the aristocracy to a Gypsy camp on Hampstead Heath, Silent in the Grave
was my love letter to Victorian London.
The series continues with the second book, Silent in the
Sanctuary (2008), a classic English country house murder mystery with a few
twists and turns for Brisbane and Lady Julia along the way, while the third
book, Silent on the Moor (2009), is set in a grim manor house on the
Yorkshire moors. My favorite part of writing Moor was getting to spend
time in Yorkshire, one of the most wildly beautiful places I have ever been.
March 2010 saw a departure from the series with the release
of The Dead Travel Fast, a mid-Victorian Gothic thriller that chronicles
the adventures of novelist Theodora Lestrange as she leaves the safety and
security of her Edinburgh home for the dark woods and haunted castles of
Transylvania. I returned to Lady Julia and her companions with Dark Road to
Darjeeling (October 2010), this time delving into my most exotic setting
yet in the foothills of the Himalayas. The fifth series book, New York Times
bestseller The Dark Enquiry (July 2011) saw Lady Julia back in her
beloved London again, while a digital holiday novella, Silent Night
(November 2012) highlighted the March family festivities at Bellmont Abbey.
But 2013 introduces a new setting to my work—1920s British
East Africa. In A Spear of Summer Grass (May 2013), disgraced flapper
Delilah Drummond is sent to Africa to weather the storm of her latest scandal.
There she meets Ryder White, a local legend for more reasons than one—and the
perfect man to teach her about the continent he loves. Ryder was introduced to
readers in the digital prequel novella Far in the Wilds (March 2013).
I am thrilled that 2014 will see another 1920s
release, City of Jasmine (May 2014), and I am hard at work on my next
project in my little pink study in Virginia with a doodle draped over my feet
as I write.
You can find me blogging a few days a week at http://deannaraybourn.com/blog/.
Be sure to sign up for my monthly newsletter, check out my contests and book trailer videos,
and find me on Twitter
and Facebook.
My thoughts…
Truly a mesmerizing journey from cover to cover. A Spear of Summer Grass was more than a
novel; it was a gift that touched my very soul.
I had no idea when I began the adventure that Deanna Raybourn had
planned so many twists and turns, half starts and reversals, but oh she did and
I am the much better for it!
A Spear of Summer
Grass isn't just a novel. Rather it
is an exceptionally rich interweaving of many characters and plot lines that
each dare to drag you in another direction at the beginning of each chapter and
just when you have your bearings the story knocks you over again. The story is so full and the narrative so
rich I daresay there is something in the pages of A Spear of Summer Grass for everyone.
For this reader, this novel sings the song of a continent
near and dear to my heart, Africa. I
discovered African history as an undergraduate and remember leaving every
lecture in awe of the rich history that had been denied to be until that
point. It always seemed so tragic to me
that most students wouldn’t have the chance to learn about the Africa that I
was coming to know and love. Therefore,
I was almost knocked off my feet when Raybourn’s novel led me back to one of my
favorite regions of Africa, the Horn, to the land now known as Kenya.
Having never read a novel based in colonial Africa I was
filled with eagerness with a touch of anxiety, but truly my anxiety was
misplaced. Raybourn provides her reader
with a true portrait of Kenya and Africa, a land rich so rich in history and
natural beauty inhabited by a culturally diverse population of a myriad of
tribes and clans that it seems overwhelming, but truly Raybourn has succeeded
in giving her reader the essence of Africa.
I felt every tingle of delight, every twitch of fear, could almost smell
the animals and hear the wind on the savannah.
A Spear of Summer Grass is a
truly wonderful contribution to historical fiction and a wonderful gift to
Africa herself.
I raise another metaphorical toast to Raybourn for giving me
the pleasure of Delilah Drummond’s company.
Oh, again this character, just truly spoke to me. I felt a bit of a kindred spirit to Delilah
and couldn’t help but laugh when she reminded me of myself, but did she
surprise me? Yes, most certainly and I
am so very glad she did.
Needless to say I recommend A Spear of Summer Grass without a moment’s hesitation and would add
that if you don’t find it at least a tenth as superb as I have described you
might want to check your pulse.
In full compliance with FTC Guidelines, I received a free
trade paperback edition of this book from the author and France Book Tours in
exchange for a fair and honest review. I
was in no way compensated for this post, and the thoughts are my own.
VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR SCHEDULE
Monday, July 8
Review + Giveaway at Let Them Read Books
Tuesday, July 9
Interview+ Giveaway at Words And Peace
Wednesday, July 10
Giveaway at Vvb32 Reads
Thursday, July 11
Review at The Most Happy Reader
Review at Griperang’s Bookmarks
Friday, July 12
Review + Giveaway at Caffeinatedlife.net
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