| Author: | Steven J Hicks | ISBN: | 9780999601426 |
| Publisher: | Steven J. Hicks | Publication: | January 11, 2018 |
| Imprint: | Steven J. Hicks | Language: | English |
| Author: | Steven J Hicks |
| ISBN: | 9780999601426 |
| Publisher: | Steven J. Hicks |
| Publication: | January 11, 2018 |
| Imprint: | Steven J. Hicks |
| Language: | English |
Set against a southern California backdrop stretching from sacred burial grounds on an island off the Santa Barbara coast to the sprawling San Fernando Valley, Ambition & Fate is a highly charged tale of greed, honor and hubris. Based on actual events in the author’s own young years, it is a novel that reads like a memoir—rooted in truth, yet artful and unpredictable.
Adam Spencer and Katherine Walker seem destined for one another—he the bright, sincere, future doctor; she the spirited, green-eyed beauty trained to run her powerful father’s real estate empire. But they are soulmates in a sea of uncertainty, buffeted by the undercurrent of love found, then lost, then reawakened through a surprising connection.
While Adam and Katherine’s story is the heart of the novel, it is fickle Nature that propels the narrative: Santa Ana winds, consuming fire and an unforgiving sea alter the familial and political landscape. Characters bring the tapestry to life: a longtime Simi Valley pioneer, a cantankerous but heart-of-gold Navy chief, a government official scheming to profit from California’s post-WWII housing boom, and vaqueros descended from displaced Chumash Indians. The events that bind this disparate cast become a crucible of character.
Steinbeckian in tone, Faulkneresque in theme, Ambition & Fate manages to be both lyrical and down-to-earth—a very satisfying read!
Set against a southern California backdrop stretching from sacred burial grounds on an island off the Santa Barbara coast to the sprawling San Fernando Valley, Ambition & Fate is a highly charged tale of greed, honor and hubris. Based on actual events in the author’s own young years, it is a novel that reads like a memoir—rooted in truth, yet artful and unpredictable.
Adam Spencer and Katherine Walker seem destined for one another—he the bright, sincere, future doctor; she the spirited, green-eyed beauty trained to run her powerful father’s real estate empire. But they are soulmates in a sea of uncertainty, buffeted by the undercurrent of love found, then lost, then reawakened through a surprising connection.
While Adam and Katherine’s story is the heart of the novel, it is fickle Nature that propels the narrative: Santa Ana winds, consuming fire and an unforgiving sea alter the familial and political landscape. Characters bring the tapestry to life: a longtime Simi Valley pioneer, a cantankerous but heart-of-gold Navy chief, a government official scheming to profit from California’s post-WWII housing boom, and vaqueros descended from displaced Chumash Indians. The events that bind this disparate cast become a crucible of character.
Steinbeckian in tone, Faulkneresque in theme, Ambition & Fate manages to be both lyrical and down-to-earth—a very satisfying read!
