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The Farthest Eden: California

by Louise O'Flaherty (Goodreads Author)

4.67 · rating details · 3 ratings · 2 reviews

To a dusty, flea-ridden pueblo, Los Angeles in 1851, sailed Captain Patrick Donovan with his spirited, headstrong daughter Bets and his sister Mary, abandoned by her Spanish husband, robbed of her child, but still upright and proud. They came to settle, fighting for fortune and happiness in The Farthest Eden California!

Paperback, 576 pages

Published September 12th 2000 by Backinprint.com (first published December 12th 1978)

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Apr 07, 2011

Karla (Mossy Love Grotto) rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: fans of fat sagas and soap operas

Shelves: historical-fiction, historical-romance, california, multi-generational, civil-war-and-reconstruction, forbidden-love, illegitimacy, love-triangle, race-issues, secret-baby, western-and-pioneers, 2011-april, 5-stars

I love a good historical soap opera family saga, and the late 70s and 1980s really have a wealth of titles to choose from. This one had sex, revenge, murder, jealousy, incest... What's not to love, I ask you?

This family saga of mid-19th century Los Angeles had periods of uneven pacing and moments of infodump, but overall it was a sprawling read with lots of entertaining soap opera plotlines and a central theme of culture clash through the years (Californio vs. American, American vs. ...moreI love a good historical soap opera family saga, and the late 70s and 1980s really have a wealth of titles to choose from. This one had sex, revenge, murder, jealousy, incest... What's not to love, I ask you?

This family saga of mid-19th century Los Angeles had periods of uneven pacing and moments of infodump, but overall it was a sprawling read with lots of entertaining soap opera plotlines and a central theme of culture clash through the years (Californio vs. American, American vs. Chinese).

The Donovans - Patrick, his sister Mary Frances, and his daughter Elizabeth ("Bets") - arrive in L.A. with high hopes of making a living in the rancho business. They eventually succeed, although the local Californio old guard aren't eager to do business with the intruding Americanos, even though they're mortgaged up to their eyebrows. Bets and her aunt have a rocky relationship from the get-go, rooted in Mary's desertion of a husband and child in Spain, and matters aren't improved when the handsome John Carew catches Bets' eye - except he ignores her in favor of courting Mary. Until that day when he realizes Mary isn't a free woman and Bets is available and willing... But when the evidence of that passionate afternoon shows, how will it go down with Bets' Californio groom-to-be, Miguel Aguirre, who suffers from the life-long burden of being an eternal disappointment to his ogre of a dad?

There is far, far more to the story, but I'd be rambling forever to describe it all. Even though at times I thought the story tended to meander (particularly the interlude of Mary Frances in Panama en route to Spain to see her grown son), I realized that it did serve the plot, even if it seemed a bit long-winded in places. (I think the author really liked Mary Frances and I have to admit that the extended scenes there added much to her character.)

The story was packed full of everything: People marry, lose money, barter for the survival of their beloved ranchos, discover their life's calling, argue, love, and resent the hell out of each other. They fight amongst themselves and any perceived outsiders. They resign themselves to fate or try to work everything to their advantage. Banks fail, riots run riot, droughts blister the landscape, and bandits terrorize the countryside. It's pure soap opera and it was awesome.

The one thing that struck me was that there were really no purely good or bad people in this book. Even Bets', arguably the main protagonist, isn't entirely likable. She's such a snippy little miss to her poor auntie, and her obsession with John Carew doesn't really show her in her best light. By the end, however, she has suffered much and done what she could to keep her marriage (such as it was) and legacy intact. Very tough and admirable. And Felipa Rodriguez...wow. While she eventually becomes a tough, clear-headed wife (who I really liked), her earlier years as a thwarted, jealous spinster are just...words fail to describe what she did in that barn because Bets stole her man.

There are two storylines that are left open-ended and we - as well as the characters - are not sure of the outcome, as sometimes happens in life. So while there isn't a neat and tidy bow on everything, the major parts of the tale do have one.

And yes, there is an HEA - if such a thing is mandatory for your reading pleasure.

O'Flaherty wrote several novels set in California, and I intend on reading all that I can find. She has a knack for writing soap opera with very human characters.(less)

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Apr 24, 2011

Misfit rated it

· review of another edition

Los Angeles, 1851. Patrick Donovan has sold his beloved ship and brought his family to California for a fresh start at life. Patrick's sister Mary Frances claims to be a widow, although she still has a husband and child in Spain - a husband who wants nothing to do with his wife. There's also Patrick's daughter Bets, young and beautiful and catching the attention of all the young men, but she only has eyes for John Carew, who in turn only has eyes for Mary Frances, who of course can't marry him ...more

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Jan 05, 2012

Rebecca marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Nov 14, 2011

Sharon marked it as wish-list · review of another edition

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Apr 04, 2008

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Feb 23, 2008

Katherine Riolo rated it

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5-stars

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2011-april

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western-and-pioneers

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secret-baby

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race-issues

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multi-generational

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love-triangle

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illegitimacy

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