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A Spear of Summer Grass

(A Spear of Summer Grass #1)

Deanna Raybourn (Goodreads Author)

3.85 · Rating details · 4,321 ratings · 691 reviews

Paris, 1923

The daughter of a scandalous mother, Delilah Drummond is already notorious, even amongst 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 savannah manor house until gossip subsides.

Fairlight is the crumbling, sun-bleached skeleton of a faded African dream, a ...more

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Paperback, 370 pages

Published April 28th 2013 by Harlequin MIRA

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Feb 03, 2015 Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ rated it it was ok

Shelves: historical-fiction, dnf, i-can-tame-the-bad-boy, not-my-cuppa-tea, cheating-cheaters-who-cheat

DNF at about 30%. I have issues with this one on several levels:

• I should have known this one wouldn't be for me when, in the first few pages, our main character Delilah (<-----oooh symbolism) explains how it's okay that she occasionally sleeps with her ex-husband, who is now married to another woman and has a child with her, because she "had him first" and she doesn't intend to ever take him away from his second wife. So it's all good. Um, no. It's not.

• Delilah is a wealthy, privileged white ...more

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Mar 31, 2013 Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies rated it really liked it

Shelves: adult, uk, alpha-male, mental-illness, twenties, romance, wwi, africa

The men stood back, chanting a song of one who would not be forgotten, of loved ones lost and returned to the earth, and of the land itself which does not die but is always born anew with each fall of the long rains. They chanted of life, which is short as a spear of summer grass or long as the heart of the Rift itself, and of the silent land that waits beyond. They chanted of Africa.

My apologies in advance for the liberal use of quotations within this review. The writing is beautifu

The men stood back, chanting a song of one who would not be forgotten, of loved ones lost and returned to the earth, and of the land itself which does not die but is always born anew with each fall of the long rains. They chanted of life, which is short as a spear of summer grass or long as the heart of the Rift itself, and of the silent land that waits beyond. They chanted of Africa.

My apologies in advance for the liberal use of quotations within this review. The writing is beautiful, exemplary, and I couldn't help myself.

Deanna Raybourn has a skill for writing spectacular settings and believably flawed characters. I have always enjoyed the beautifully vibrant atmosphere she creates, along with the rich and varied characters within her novels, be it her Lady Julia Gray series, or one of her standalones. Her typical repertoire usually takes place in 19th century Europe, and we do have a change of pace here. Nevertheless, the quality of writing still remains, and despite the slow pace of the novel, Deanna Raybourn has once again established her talents as a writer.

I have always loved her heroines; they are independent, strong, and not surprisingly in historical novels, ahead of their times. I had mixed reactions to Delilah at first; she is initially not a likeable character. The story is narrated from her first person point of view, and what we know of Delilah in the first hundred or so pages did not endear me to her in the least. Compared to the other heroines in Deanna Raybourn's books, Delilah initially comes off as a typical free-spirited woman of the 20s, spoiled from her wealthy upbringing, loose of morals, with a string of discarded husbands and broken hearts in her wake.

We do get initial flashes of vulnerability, but it is more or less upstaged by her antics and her larger than life (and not in a good way) presence. She eats men for breakfast, lunch, and dinner...maybe even brunches and elevensies, too. It would take an entire day's worth of Hobbit meals to fit in all the men she has devoured, left behind, battered and their spirit broken, in her wake.. Delilah spends money like it's water, and is seemingly more interested in clothes, fashion, and being the penultimate trendsetter among her clique of social elites than about the consequences of her actions.

Her scandal (and it's not a huge one) is nevertheless enough for her socialite mother, her fair-weather friends, and still-besotted former husbands to want to banish her in order to avoid further disgrace. Delilah is notorious among her set, and that comes with a price of its own.

"Notoriety was indeed contagious. If you were a carrier, decent people didn’t care to spend time with you lest they come down with it. Infamy was an infection most folks could do without, even if the price for it was living a very small and colourless life."

Faced between exile and being financially cut off by her wealthy, controlling grandfather, Delilah chooses the former.

Africa is her sequestered destination. At this time, British colonization is still firmly in place, and there are quite a few British expatriates living abroad. Africa is a wild place, full of promise and danger, beauty and brutality. The setting is the star here, and in none of her books (not even the one set in Transsylvania!) has Deanna Raybourn built up the atmosphere and the feeling of the place as vividly and distinctly as she has here.

I heard nothing but the long rush of wind up from the valley floor. It carried with it every promise of Africa, that wind. It smelled of green water and red earth and the animals that roamed it. And there was something more, something old as the rocks. It might have been the smell of the Almighty himself, and I knew there were no words for this place. It was sacred, as no place I had ever been before.

Africa may be beautiful, but her new home, Fairlight, is a wreck.

It was like being shown a photograph of a winsome orphan one meant to adopt, only to arrive and find the child had rickets and a snotty nose and was dressed in rags. I felt my shoulders sag as I stood, rooted to the spot.

Once faced with the harsh truth of living on a crumbling estate, surrounded by nature and all the danger it entails, Delilah asserts herself, and we see what kind of a woman she is underneath her glamorous and carefree façade once it starts to crumble.

“You have always been dazzling—the life of every party, the glamour girl who dances until dawn.”
“Well, I am. But I’m dancing on broken glass. I’m Miss Havisham’s wedding cake, Kit. A frothy, expensive, mice-eaten confection. I’m the Sphinx’s nose, the fallen Colossus. I’m a beautiful ruin, and it’s time that has done the deed.”

Delilah proves to be no shrinking violet, she plays hands-on nurse relying on her experience during World War I, caring for the sick and injured villagers; she weathers the harsh new lifestyle better than I expected, with unexpected fortitude and her usual carefree attitude. Eventually the story of her past unfolds, and we learn why she hides herself the way she has, why she breezes through life so carelessly so she doesn't have to think about the past. The land and the new situation helps to heals her, but some things can never be entirely fixed.

"Do you know what a cicatrix is, Ryder? It’s a scar, a place where you have been cut so deeply that what’s left behind is something quite different. It doesn’t heal, not really, because it isn’t the same ever again. It’s impenetrable and it’s there forever, to protect you from hurting the same place again.”

The attitudes of the white colonists range from downright disdain to a paternalistic one. The overwhelming attitude among the white expatriates is one of condescension. They view the natives as one would a child: they do not think the natives capable of taking adequate care of themselves and their land, and this results in rampant poverty, disease, illiteracy, and a decay of morals. The white men are less men than gods, saviors, as they view themselves.

Imperial attitudes prevail, and there is an underlying tension between the natives and the white expatriates. Even more evident are the lurking strain between the expatriates themselves; they are small group of people who have been reluctantly thrown together due to their proximity more than their similarity of minds.

"Something seemed slightly off with the company. There were undercurrents of tension I didn’t quite understand. In any close group of people there are bound to be secret resentments, and this group was closer than most...But little things could fester in the African heat, and I wondered if any small thorn prick had been left to turn septic.

The romance develops slowly, and is believable and painstakingly, subtly portrayed. Both Ryder and Delilah have scarred past, both are scared to become involved. The gradual progress in their relationship is not the backbone of the story, but a result of it. Like Delilah, Ryder is not the most likeable character when we first meet him as he is thrashing the bloody life out of a man. That man turned out to be a wife-beater. Ryder turns out to be the perfect foil for Delilah, he is rough, bluff, and nothing like the sycophantic suitors that she is used to. There is no blind worship in their relationship; they are on equal footing, and he proves to be a match for our heroine.

I loved this book, it is like a lullaby. The subplot seems almost forgettable and slow in its pacing; but it is the characters, their growth, and ultimately the landscape itself that makes this book as beautiful as it was. Highly recommended for a lovely, lyrical read. ...more

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Feb 18, 2013 Angie rated it it was ok

Shelves: what-did-i-just-read

Originally reviewed here @ Angieville

Have you ever seen Out of Africa? It's this old Sydney Pollack film starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, and it is sort of loosely based on Isak Dinesen's (pseudonym of Danish author Karen Blixen) autobiographical book of the same name. I ask because it (and its soundtrack) was a staple in my house growing up, and when I first read the brief synopsis for Deanna Raybourn's latest standalone novel, A SPEAR OF SUMMER GRASS, it was literally the first thing Originally reviewed here @ Angieville

Have you ever seen Out of Africa? It's this old Sydney Pollack film starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, and it is sort of loosely based on Isak Dinesen's (pseudonym of Danish author Karen Blixen) autobiographical book of the same name. I ask because it (and its soundtrack) was a staple in my house growing up, and when I first read the brief synopsis for Deanna Raybourn's latest standalone novel, A SPEAR OF SUMMER GRASS, it was literally the first thing that popped into my mind. They just sounded fairly similar what with the same setting, though the time period is a good decade later in Raybourn's novel than in Pollack's film. Since I have fond memories of the movie as a girl, this only upped my eagerness to read the book. I get all excited when an author I love changes things up on her readers. I am a devoted fan of Raybourn's Lady Julia Grey Victorian mystery series and I thoroughly enjoyed her standalone Gothic novel, The Dead Travel Fast. As far as I was concerned 1920s Africa complete with a British/American flapper fish out of water could only spell bliss.

Delilah Drummond is a household name among the London and Paris socialite sets. Daughter of an infamous society wife in her own right, Delilah has worked her way through a few marriages of her own. Unfortunately, the latest crashed and burned so luridly that her mother and current stepfather have called Delilah home for a little Come to Jesus. In fact, they're packing her off to Kenya so she can cool her heels a bit while the scandal back home runs its course. It so happens her stepfather (the best in a long line of her mother's spurious husbands) has an estate called Fairlight on the Kenyan savanna. Accompanied only by her cousin and sometime maid Dodo, Delilah arrives at Fairlight to find the place crumbling around her feet. Determined not to let the man (or men) in her life get her down, she immediately starts issuing orders, procuring help from the local Africans in setting the manor to rights. It doesn't take long for the European expat social life to find Delilah and she is more than happy to dive into the swirling politics and pandering that involves. She even runs across a few old friends in the process, as well as encountering some new ones. Most notably a Canadian transplant by the name of Ryder White--a man as wild as the African wilderness he inhabits and one who just might be larger than life enough to measure up to Delilah herself.

I do love this setting and time period. And what a master Deanna Raybourn is at capturing the sights, tastes, and sounds of the worlds her characters inhabit. The descriptions of everything from the scrumptious clothes to the sweeping landscape positively drip with vibrancy. And the writing, as always, is exquisite. Where I ran into trouble was, oddly, with the characters. Delilah is hard as nails. She's as bright and devil-may-care as they come, and she has zero interest in anything that does not involve pleasure. Interestingly, that was not always the case. We are given a few meager hints that indicate a more sedate and driven past, one in which she married for love (for once) and worked as a nurse during the war. All that was smashed to smithereens, of course, and she is who she has become--a woman who barely resembles the girl she once was. Now doesn't that back story sound intriguing? Add to that the truly crushing details of her last marriage and the fallout it must have left somewhere inside her, and we have got ourselves a recipe for some serious character depth and development! The thing is . . . it never happens. I mean it rather dismayingly never happens. The bits of depth we get are distributed seemingly at random, in too small quantities, and in entirely the wrong places to maintain the thread and drive of Delilah's story. The result being that she is by and large wholly unsympathetic. Sort of monumentally callous and insipid, as a matter of fact. She dashes about her story taking pleasure where she will, heedless of the consequences, lifting her hand for a dubious good deed here or there, but more often intentionally risking her neck and courting destruction by toying with the caged lion that is Ryder. Who, by the way, I found little better than Delilah as far as his ability to secure any scrap of my affection goes. The potential was there on the grand scale. But somehow the decadence of Delilah's life and that of almost every other person around her completely overwhelmed the more subtle possibilities of her story. Her relationship with Dodo remained distressingly unexplored. The unfolding of the plot continued flat and unsurprising. And the crisis, when it came, failed to incite my sympathy given how little I cared for anyone affected by it. I finished it feeling tired out and sad. It could have easily gone so very differently. It's worth pointing out that while I can't recommend this one, it is the only misstep I've had from Raybourn, and I wholeheartedly recommend her other books, all of which are on my Beloved Bookshelf. ...more

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May 28, 2013 Misfit rated it really liked it

"Don't believe the stories you have heard about me. I have never killed anyone, and I have never stolen another woman's husband. Oh, if I find one lying around unattended, I might climb on, but I never took one that didn't want taking."

Best opening lines ever?

"I might have been heading to the wilds of Africa, but there was no excuse to look untidy."

Delilah Drummond has finally dug herself into one scandal too many, and she needs to go someplace in the back-o-beyond and cool her heels until the ...more

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Mar 14, 2013 TheBookSmugglers rated it did not like it

Shelves: sexist, what-the-fuck-is-this-shit, not-really-feminist, terrible-books, poc, historical-fiction

Ana’s take:

A Spear of Summer Grass starts really well and I loved the main character to start with. Delilah is a scandalous woman, an unrepentant, egotistical, multiple-time divorced in the early 20s. After a recent scandal in Paris, she is exiled to Kenya until gossip dies out.

Of course, this set-up is potentially problematic for two main reasons:

One is that the story could turn into a redemption story because god forbid a female character be unlikable and not-nice. Two is that said redemption ...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Janga rated it really liked it

Shelves: a-z-reading-challenge

I had a really difficult time deciding how to “grade” this book. Deanna Raybourn is an amazing writer, and her skills are evident from the opening line to the final one. Her vivid descriptions of Kenya frequently made me feel as if I were watching a movie on a theater screen rather than reading a book. That was the effect of this description:

A tiny herd of elephants looked infinitesimal from our lofty height, and when Ryder stilled the engine, I heard nothing but the long rush of wind up from th I had a really difficult time deciding how to “grade” this book. Deanna Raybourn is an amazing writer, and her skills are evident from the opening line to the final one. Her vivid descriptions of Kenya frequently made me feel as if I were watching a movie on a theater screen rather than reading a book. That was the effect of this description:

A tiny herd of elephants looked infinitesimal from our lofty height, and when Ryder stilled the engine, I heard nothing but the long rush of wind up from the valley floor. It carried with it every promise of Africa, that wind. It smelled of green water and red earth and the animals that roamed it. And there was something more, something old as the rocks. It might have been the smell of the Almighty himself, and I knew there were no words for this place. It was sacred, as no place I had ever been before.

Her prose is always beautifully lucid and often lyrical as well. When Delilah arrives at Fairlight expecting to see the place she had imagined when she was a child and finds instead a house falling apart, she expresses her disillusionment:

Of all emotions, disappointment is the most difficult to hide. Rage, hatred, envy—those are easy to mask. But disappointment strikes to the heart of the child within us, resurrecting every unsatisfactory Christmas, every failed wish made on a shooting star.

The poignancy of some passages is powerfully moving, as in this passage when Delilah responds to Dodo's question about whether Delilah ever loved any of the men in her life after her first husband:

You close your eyes and suddenly he’s not there anymore. What you loved, or thought you loved, just isn’t there, and there is a man-shaped hole in your memory of where he used to be. The sad part is when it happens when he’s sitting at the same table or lying in the same bed. You can turn and look at him and not even remember his name because he was just a visitor. He was a man who was only passing through your heart, and you never really made a place for him, so he just keeps passing. My husbands since Johnny have been passing men. Not a stayer among them.

At the other end of the emotional spectrum are tiny details that left me with a delighted smile, details such as Delilah’s car, a lipstick-red Hispano-Suiza with leopard upholstery that seems perfect for her and also evoked images of the Hispano-Suiza in P. G. Wodehouse’s Blandings Castle short stories and novels and the book, Fordyce’s Sermons, which Delilah had to balance on her head when learning to walk like a lady. (Fordyce’s Sermons is the 1767 guidebook to female conduct from which Mr. Collins read to the Bennet sisters in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.)

In the con column is a heroine I could not like. Delilah is at times entertaining, she is more rarely sympathetic, and she is always interesting, but she is also, for much of the book, selfish, shallow, and amoral. She treats her cousin with condescension some times and with careless cruelty at other times. When she spends her last night in Paris with former husband #2, a married man with two young children, she thinks she may even be rendering a service to his wife since he’s jollier after sex with Delilah and the guilt over his infidelity leads him to purchase an expensive present for his wife. The list of her offenses that the lieutenant governor in Nairobi names include “stealing a car outside a Harlem nightclub and driving it into the Hudson” and being “caught in flagrante with a judge’s eighteen-year-old son in Dallas.” Granted Delilah changes, but by that time, I disliked so many things about her that I could not feel any real connection with her. I’m not a reader who needs to identify with the heroine, but I do, especially with the intimacy between character and reader that comes with a first person point of view, need to like her.

If the vivid evocation of time and place, an atypical heroine and hero, and wonderful prose are sufficient to make you love a book, you may be one of the readers giving A Spear of Summer Grass high marks. If likeable characters are a prime criterion for you, you may, as I did, have mixed reactions to this novel.

See full review at The Romance Dish:
http://www.theromancedish.com/2013/04...
...more

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Dec 24, 2012 Julie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, edelweiss-review

Wow! What a great story!
We start out in Paris in 1923. Delilah Drummond is informed by her family that she has been involved in one too many scandals. Her grandfather has threatened to cut her off financially if she doesn't agree to lay low for a while. Her step father owns property in Africa and it is decided that would be the perfect place for Delilah to spend on a little vacation.
Delilah has been married three times and has had numerous lovers. He first marriage though, broke her heart and s Wow! What a great story!
We start out in Paris in 1923. Delilah Drummond is informed by her family that she has been involved in one too many scandals. Her grandfather has threatened to cut her off financially if she doesn't agree to lay low for a while. Her step father owns property in Africa and it is decided that would be the perfect place for Delilah to spend on a little vacation.
Delilah has been married three times and has had numerous lovers. He first marriage though, broke her heart and she has never again let herself be open to that sort of love and pain again.
So, when she and her prim and dowdy cousin arrive in Africa, Deliliah's introduction to a man named Ryder, has her putting up all kinds of defenses and she is in deep denial of her feelings for him.
As Deliliah begins to meet people in her area, she realizes there is a great deal of political unease. The threat of wild animals, the ways of the natives and the separation between white and black , the dirt blowing into her food,and terrible insects at every turn is too harsh of an environement for Deliliah. She makes the best of her exile by keeping company with others of her class, and promtly begins a casual affair with Kit, an old friend . She also befriends an African boy and his brother. However, Deliliah still yearns for her old life and longs to return to Paris.

But, tensions reach an all time high when a murder is committed within their little community and an innocent person is about to be held responsible. For the the first time in her life Deliliah makes an adult, self sacrificing choice.
Will Deliliah finally let go of the monster hurt that keeps her from really falling in love? Will she find out who the real murderer is? Will Deliliah finally grow up and will she admit that Africa has gotten under skin?

I have read Deanna Raybourn's historical romances in the past. They are great mysteries and the author has a real talent. I had no idea what to expect when I started this book. This is unlike anything I have read from this author previously.
The descriptions of Africa are startling clear and vivid. All the beauty and harshness combined gave up a true life vision of the setting. The characters were also sharply drawn, the dialogue real and deep. This story was so absorbing I couldn't put it down.
This is part romance, part drama, part mystery. It is the most unique novel I have read in a long time. I absolutely loved it. I can not recommend highly enough. An A+ all the way.
Thanks to edelwiess for the advance copy! ...more

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Nov 12, 2012 Caz rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance-contemporary-and-other, mystery-thriller, 4-stars, arc, romance-1850-1900s, rhfl-2013, ht-challenge-2013

4.5 stars

I’ve read and enjoyed Ms Raybourn’s Lady Julia Grey books, so when I saw she’d written a story set in the 1920s, I was intrigued and at the same time a little apprehensive. Not only was the author treading new ground, but so was I – my taste in historicals tends to run to the 17th, 18th and 19th Centuries. Maybe because I was born and grew up in the second half of the 20th Century, it’s still a little too close for me to really regard it as “historical”!

Fortunately, however, my apprehe ...more

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Apr 01, 2013 Delilah Dawson rated it it was amazing

An utterly stunning stand-alone title from one of my favorite authors. The worldbuilding was so poetic and beautiful and the characters so deep and raw that I didn't want a plot, but the plot arrived unbidden and jerked my heart around dreadfully. If this book were a pair of shoes, I would dance in them until I fell over dead. Oh, how I wish it were a series! ...more

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Jul 31, 2018 Fred Shaw rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Scandalous Delilah Drummond is being exiled by her family from Paris to her step-father’s estate near Nairobi, Kenya, until the the press frenzy over her latest soiree has subsided. Delilah has embarrassed her wealthy family and this is a final warning. The time is sometime shortly after WWI.

When arriving in Nairobi, she is a duck out of water, a very beautiful duck, arriving in expensive silk frocks and high heel shoes. On her way to the estate, her driver, guide and neighbor, Ryder White, sto ...more

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Jun 02, 2013 Amy S rated it it was ok

I still think that Deanna Raybourn is a great author with a lot of skill, great character development, and a master at witty repartee. She just lost me here. Didn't love it.

Delilah Drummond is not a likeable character, along with 90% of the characters in the book. This is not a dealbreaker by any means, but there just wasn't the growth that I'd hoped for with this character, who began with a lot of potential. Ryder (a pun, I am guessing?), the romantic interest is a cardboard cut-out who likes t ...more

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Mar 01, 2013 Ali Trotta rated it it was amazing

“Because if we're on the road to hell, we're going to dance the whole damn way and give them something to talk about when we're gone.” A Spear of Summer Grass, 334

A Spear of Summer Grass, is Deanna Raybourn’s latest masterpiece. Once again, she crafts a perfect opening line – opening paragraph, truly – “Don’t believe the stories you have heard about me.” And with that single sentence, a reader wants to know what, exactly, those stories are. It is the ultimate invitation to witness a bit of chic “Because if we're on the road to hell, we're going to dance the whole damn way and give them something to talk about when we're gone.” A Spear of Summer Grass, 334

A Spear of Summer Grass, is Deanna Raybourn’s latest masterpiece. Once again, she crafts a perfect opening line – opening paragraph, truly – “Don’t believe the stories you have heard about me.” And with that single sentence, a reader wants to know what, exactly, those stories are. It is the ultimate invitation to witness a bit of chic wickedness, clothed in scarlet, circled in smoke. If Delilah Drummond offers you a drink (gin and tonic, most likely), you would gladly take it. If she levels a gun at you, you would do well to run.

Imagine a New Orleans-born Dorothy Parker, given to Paris society. Picture her in 1923, with a bob sleek enough to cut glass – and a tongue sharp enough to scar a heart. Delilah is a wild one, a woman with a backbone who does exactly what – and whom – she pleases, with no regard for society’s demands. She is, after all, “nobody’s best example” (177). However, she can handle a gun as deftly as any man, which comes in handy when, after one too many scandals, the it-girl is banished to Africa until the media circus moves on.

There she arrives, with her plain and sullen cousin Dora, to an expected world rife with expected and unexpected predators. Just as she’s stepping off the train, Delilah meets a man as formidable as Rochester and Lord Byron (mad, bad, and dangerous to know), but as wild as lions he so expertly hunts. Ryder is not one to suffer fools, and his temper is only guided by a strong sense of justice – an oddly founded morality that serves him well. Thrown together by circumstance, the two form a tenuous relationship, one predicated not strictly on a game of cat-and-mouse – but of two equal people who worship their own walls. Broken and troubled, but fierce, both possess scars – seen and unseen. Their relationship is shaded by their own difficult, tumultuous pasts – and yet, there is a mutual respect that falls between them, breathtaking as any African sunset.

Delilah takes up residence at a house belonging to her ex-stepfather, Nigel. Fairlight is full of potential, but has fallen into disrepair. Delilah and her cousin begin to set things to right, but the resistance they are met with, at turns, is palpable. Situated amid a gaggle of displaced acquaintances, including an artist and dalliance of Delilah’s (Kit), Delilah comes into her own and starts letting people in, whether or not she realizes it. Troubling as any lion, Kenya is rampant with change and a shifting political landscape, as the colony’s British rule is uncertain. Delilah quickly learns that nothing is exactly as it seems, and she must navigate its numbered dangers. True to her tenacious persona, she takes no quarter from anyone, man or beast, while waiting out her sentence.

But a landscape is often a living thing, as much a character as any person. Delilah finds herself in a love affair with Kenya and its people – but is it enough to keep her there? And, for that matter, is Ryder? A charming and dangerous man, when he murmurs, “Sin with me,” it is seduction at its best. While Delilah may be his match, she is no stranger to art of manipulation – a spider to any willing fly. Yet, as Ryder points out, some scars are visible – while others are easily hidden, like a woman who has “been holding hands with ghosts for too long” (348). Delilah might be the dazzling party girl, with a bright red mouth, but she is “dancing on broken glass” (231). What makes Delilah’s forgivable – and even likeable – is that she’s layered. She’s what is easily seen by prying eyes and flashbulbs. And yet, she is also a whole world of history that’s never truly been witnessed. Her walls are built with care and reason, perhaps with less of an eye toward keeping people out – and more as a means of self-protection.

Deanna Raybourn’s deft hand crafted a novel that is full of sharp wit, vibrant characters, and exceptional plot twists. (No, I’m not giving them away. But I will say this: Rosebud is a sled. And Han shot first.) Nestled within a dangerously beautiful country, she tackles the idea of identity, belonging, and owning who you are – and facing who you could be. This is very much a novel about finding yourself in the last place you expect. It is about burning everything to the ground and starting again, because sometimes, ashes make the most fertile soil. It may look like a wreck and a ruin at first, but every disaster is an opportunity – as Delilah certainly discovers. At one point, she muses, “You had to love someone completely to be willing to destroy them” (230). The reverse is also true: you must love someone completely to let them destroy you. But that is, truly, the only way we let anyone in, by tearing the walls down. What better place to tear those walls down than on an adventure?

It should be noted that I was lucky enough to be given an ARC of A Spear of Summer Grass by Deanna. I was not otherwise compensated or bribed in any manner, and this review was entirely my own idea. I do believe that’s enough disclaimer, before I simply tell you: you want to read this book. It is beautiful and wicked, with enough verbal calisthenics and divinely smeared red lipstick to demand that you read quicker than you thought possible. This is a book that will keep you up until the wee hours of the night, reading beneath the sheets with a flashlight. And truly, who wouldn’t want to take Ryder to bed? Or Delilah for that matter?

A Spear of Summer Grass is available April 30. You will adore it. ...more

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Dec 28, 2012 Christy B rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, fiction, arcs-and-galleys

A delightful story set in 1920s Africa starring a scandalous flapper.

Even from reading the summary beforehand, I still didn't know what to expect when I started reading this. It was a fast read, although I'm not sure if the reason for that was the writing style or the fact that the story just moved quickly. Regardless, I never really felt a lull in the story. While it took a little while for the story to get going, once it did, there was no stopping it.

I admit to not reading a whole lot of histo ...more

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May 24, 2013 Suzanna rated it did not like it

Shelves: historical-fiction, romance, fiction, 2013, why

Apparently, Deanna Raybourn outside of the Lady Julia Grey series just isn't for me. I really did not enjoy her last standalone book The Dead Travel Fast, but this one sounded so interesting I was excited to give it a go. I was very disappointed.

Quite frankly, this book was a bit of a mess from start to finish. The main characters are developed in sudden bits and pieces, and don't really make sense. The other white settlers are pretty awful, and pretty flat in most cases, and while I really like ...more

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Dec 08, 2012 Allison rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: setting-africa, adult-content, historical-fiction, mom-liked, favorites, sister-try, setting-1900s, published-2010s, own-ebook, romantic-elements

I became a fan of Deanna Raybourn through her Lady Julia series (and am desperately hoping there are more full length novels coming in that series!). I picked up A Spear of Summer Grass knowing from reviews that it's nothing like the Lady Julia books and hoping I would love it anyway. I believe the mark of a good author is that they can write books that don't feel like clones of each other, or like attempts to recapture a magic that has succeeded before.

In this book, Raybourn accomplishes a com ...more

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Apr 29, 2012 Doll Noa rated it it was amazing

Incredible. Amazing. Magical. Wonderful. More on Thursday on www.paperbackdolls.com ...more

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Oct 14, 2012 Jenny Q rated it really liked it

Shelves: blog-tour

Deanna Raybourn forever has a fan in me with her fabulous Lady Julia Grey series, so I couldn't wait to read her take on 1920s East Africa in her latest stand-alone novel. The story follows scandalized American socialite Delilah Drummond as she flees scrutiny over the somewhat suspicious circumstances of her latest husband's death by journeying as far from the public eye as possible: her former stepfather's estate in Kenya. I was instantly captivated by Delilah, whose fresh, sardonic voice and p Deanna Raybourn forever has a fan in me with her fabulous Lady Julia Grey series, so I couldn't wait to read her take on 1920s East Africa in her latest stand-alone novel. The story follows scandalized American socialite Delilah Drummond as she flees scrutiny over the somewhat suspicious circumstances of her latest husband's death by journeying as far from the public eye as possible: her former stepfather's estate in Kenya. I was instantly captivated by Delilah, whose fresh, sardonic voice and pragmatic yet privileged nature make her an intriguing and compelling--though far from perfect--heroine. Having met rugged, rigid adventurer Ryder White in the prequel novella, Far in the Wilds, I was looking forward to the moment these two seemingly opposite yet surprisingly similar people from vastly different backgrounds and life experiences would meet.

The story world is vibrant and pulsing with life. Lush, exotic, and wild, Africa seduces Delilah from the moment she arrives, and mesmerizes the reader with its heady mix of danger and beauty. As Delilah navigates a strange and intoxicating new world amid an eclectic assortment of British expatriots, faced with the responsibilities of an over-burdened estate and an ever-present undercurrent of danger as tensions rise in Kenya's quest for independence, tribal rivalries and prejudices run rampant, and wild animals reign supreme, Ms. Raybourn's depiction of Kenya becomes a living, breathing diorama of a land that is as unforgiving and hostile as it is inspiring and magnificent. Delilah settles into her temporary new life and finds herself slowly swept up in the magic of Africa, and in the reality of Ryder, though her independent, guarded nature fights it tooth and nail. As she faces one trying situation after another, she is forced to confront her mistakes and the ghosts of her past. And when her newfound community is rocked by a shocking crime, she realizes the land and the people--and Ryder--need her just as much as she needs them. But does she have the courage to fight for what's right, to take a chance on an uncertain future, to pledge her heart and soul to someone else's welfare after a lifetime of self-centered existence?

For all that I adored Delilah and relished her journey from spoiled, self-involved good-time chaser to compassionate, purpose-driven Bibi, I couldn't help but feel like I'd been held a bit at arm's length, and if I hadn't already read Far in the Wilds, I don't know that I would have grasped the essence of Ryder as well. And I kind of felt like Delilah and Ryder got off easy after an entire novel of sexual tension and pushing and pulling and denying their feelings for each other by having an outside influence intervene in bringing them together, and I really would have liked to see more interaction between them before their arc came together so swiftly at the end.

But all's well that end's well, and overall the story satisfies as all of Ms. Raybourn's stories do. The vivid description and well-researched snapshot of the political and cultural climate of a different and fascinating historical setting combine with larger than life characters for a delicious read for fans of historical fiction. ...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Barb rated it liked it

Shelves: around-the-world, vine, read-in-2013, new-in-2013, africa, deanna-raybourn

Everything Deanna Raybourn writes is very easy and enjoyable to read and I tend to snarf down her fiction in one or two big gulps. I've really enjoyed her Lady Julia Grey series and I enjoyed 'A Spear of Summer Grass' as well. I was able to read 'Far In the Wilds' which is the prequel to this story and felt it added to my enjoyment of this novel and would recommend others read that first as well.

I liked a lot of things about this book but I wish Raybourn had given the main characters a less pred Everything Deanna Raybourn writes is very easy and enjoyable to read and I tend to snarf down her fiction in one or two big gulps. I've really enjoyed her Lady Julia Grey series and I enjoyed 'A Spear of Summer Grass' as well. I was able to read 'Far In the Wilds' which is the prequel to this story and felt it added to my enjoyment of this novel and would recommend others read that first as well.

I liked a lot of things about this book but I wish Raybourn had given the main characters a less predictable and more realistic relationship. Delilah Drummond is confident, sassy and irreverent. I love her opening lines; "Don't believe the stories you have heard about me. I have never killed anyone, and I have never stolen another woman's husband. Oh, if I find one lying around unattended, I might climb on, but I never took one that didn't want taking." Delilah is a little over the top sometimes, as is out hero Ryder White, for the most part I enjoyed that aspect of these characters but there are moments when their confidence and abilities seem almost super human.

I enjoyed the setting, Africa 1923, and the back story the author gives the protagonists. I enjoyed all of the supporting characters and thought they were well drawn. I liked the relationships Delilah developed when she arrived in Africa. The conflicts in Kenya made for an interesting backdrop for the story and the pacing was good. The mystery portion of the story added tension but the ending with the murderer's confession and the response to that confession felt forced and unrealistic.

There were other things that felt force and unrealistic that detracted from my enjoyment of the novel, most of them involved the relationship between Delilah and Ryder. Their relationship felt very much like a typical romance novel relationship and I think I would have liked the story better without it. However I have no doubt that Romance fans will love this story. I loved many of the ingredients in 'A Spear of Summer Grass' and I'm glad I read it, it's was a fun novel but a little on the light side for my tastes.

P.S.
I really liked the inclusion of the story of the Rougarou from Delilah's childhood. ...more

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Apr 15, 2013 Carole rated it it was amazing

A Spear of Summer Grass by Deanna Raybourn

If there is a more gifted writer than Deanna Raybourn, I don't know who it would be. I am normally a very fast reader, but in this book I found myself slowing down just to savor the way she told the story. Not an ill-chosen word nor a misplaced phrase, it was truly lovely to read.

I am a longtime fan of the Lady Julia and Brisbane series. Be forewarned: Delilah is no Julia. She is a very complex heroine of a different era, and she has quite a journey in ...more

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Apr 03, 2013 Kate Forsyth rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical, historical-romance

"Don't believe the stories you have heard about me. I have never killed anyone, and I have never stolen another woman's husband. Oh, if I find one lying around unattended, I might climb on, but I never took one that didn't want taking."

As soon as I read these opening lines, I sighed happily, knowing I was going to love this book. Deanna Raybourn is best known for her Lady Julia series of Victorian murder mysteries, and so A Spear of Summer Grass is a new departure for her. Set during the Roaring ...more

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Apr 15, 2013 Kathy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: highly-recommend, historical-fiction, setting-as-a-character, favorite-authors, africa

I have been a fan of Deanna Raybourn since reading her first Lady Julia Gray novel in that series. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters of Lady Julia and Brisbane, along with the mystery plots and the historical aspects. I was a bit apprehensive about Ms. Raybourn's venture into another character and romantic pairing. Alas, I worried for nothing. A Spear of Grass with Delilah Drummond and Ryder White as the main characters is another hit for this engaging author. Although Delilah starts out as so I have been a fan of Deanna Raybourn since reading her first Lady Julia Gray novel in that series. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters of Lady Julia and Brisbane, along with the mystery plots and the historical aspects. I was a bit apprehensive about Ms. Raybourn's venture into another character and romantic pairing. Alas, I worried for nothing. A Spear of Grass with Delilah Drummond and Ryder White as the main characters is another hit for this engaging author. Although Delilah starts out as someone not so admirable, her exodus to Africa after a scandalous event changes everything, most importantly what she values in life. Raybourn does an exceptinal job of bringing the scenery and people of 1920's Africa to life and persuading the reader that the country is indeed capable of stirring deep feelings and life changes. Reminiscent of another well-known novel, Out of Africa, this novel appeals to the romantic draw of Africa to instill courage and wonder. Delilah is in keeping with the author's other female lead, Julia Gray, in that both are women who have been hurt by love and who are determined to be independent and strong, to live life on their own terms. Delilah is face with the obstacles that all white settlers encountered in 1920's Kenya, but her choice to take a human interest in the local tribes, the people who worked for her, proves to add both more difficulties and more meaning to her Africa experience. Ryder is the local hunting expert, in addition to being a rather prosperous investor in the land, who is able to see Delilah as more than just a flighty socialite that intends to do her time in Africa and leave. The supporting cast of characters are as well-developed in their roles as are Ryder and Delilah in theirs. The storyline will take you racing through the book, and you might want to prepare for some late night reading.

One of the aspects of Deanna Raybourn's writing became evident to me only after meeting her at a book festival. She has a delightful twinkle in her eye and her demeanor that is carried over to her lead characters, a twinkle that is life affirming in its ability to find pleasure and joy in one's path in the world. It contains a hint of mischief, a touch of compassion, and an interest in people for who they are and where they're going. Ms. Raybourn herself encapsulates the very best qualities of her characters and, like her novels, leaves you feeling better and lighter than you were before you met. Hope for a better day and a better world is an unexpected bonus from your time spent with the author and her tales. If that doesn't deserve a 5 star rating, then we might want to reassess for what reasons we use a 5. ...more

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Mar 02, 2013 Linda Baker rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley

It is Paris in 1923 and Delilah Drummond is in hot water- again. Twice widowed and once divorced before the age of 30, the circumstances of her latest husband's death have even Delilah's own scandalous mother horrified. Delilah's behavior is beyond the pale even for the wide-open flapper era. As a result Delilah is to be exiled to Kenya until the furor dies down. Since she is in imminent danger of losing her allowance from her wealthy American grandfather, she agrees and sets off to Kenya with o It is Paris in 1923 and Delilah Drummond is in hot water- again. Twice widowed and once divorced before the age of 30, the circumstances of her latest husband's death have even Delilah's own scandalous mother horrified. Delilah's behavior is beyond the pale even for the wide-open flapper era. As a result Delilah is to be exiled to Kenya until the furor dies down. Since she is in imminent danger of losing her allowance from her wealthy American grandfather, she agrees and sets off to Kenya with only her mousy cousin Dora as a companion.

When Delilah and Dora arrive at Fairlight, her stepfather's Kenyan farm, she finds a house in decay, a farm lying fallow and an absent farm manager. Dora and Delilah immediately begin making Fairlight livable again. There is plenty of British ex-pat society as well, most of it decadent. Delilah falls right in with the group, as she knows most of them from her past. There is also Ryder White, a Canadian hunter and guide who is accepted into that ex-pat society, but somehow stands apart from it's worst excesses. Delilah quickly falls in love with Africa; it's heat, light, odors and especially it's people. When a murder occurs among the British group Delilah must choose what is really important to her.

Deanna Raybourn is one of my favorite authors. Her Lady Jane and Brisbane series is a must read for me and I also enjoyed The Dead Travel Fast. Raybourn has a wonderful ability to evoke places and times with her descriptions and A Spear of Summer Grass is no exception. The Africa of the early 1920's comes alive. Reminiscent of both Out of Africa and the notorious White Mischief murder case of 1940, A Spear of Summer Grass is a portrait of the Kenyan Colonial era and a splendid page turner.

Delilah herself is not- at least in the beginning- a likable character. She is spoiled, selfish and somewhat amoral. As the book progressed I came to understand why she is so hard-shelled. Her upbringing and the losses she has suffered have made her retreat behind a brittle shell. Africa, however, slowly breaks down her barriers.

Thanks to Mira Books and netgalley.com for a digital review copy.

RATING- 4.5 stars
...more

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Nov 26, 2019 Emily Crow rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-twentieth-century, audiobooks, historical, romance, african-setting, historical-jazz-age, villain-confesses-all-at-the-end, read-in-2019

*Actual rating: 3.5 stars*

So, my "rating" system is pretty random and purely subjective (especially for fiction), based purely off how much I happened to enjoy a particular book at the particular point in time that I read it (or in this case, listened to it). And I happened to enjoy this book a lot. I started listening on Saturday, when I decided it was time to stop living in squalor and do a proper fall cleaning, and continued through Sunday, as I continued said cleaning (what can I say? Things *Actual rating: 3.5 stars*

So, my "rating" system is pretty random and purely subjective (especially for fiction), based purely off how much I happened to enjoy a particular book at the particular point in time that I read it (or in this case, listened to it). And I happened to enjoy this book a lot. I started listening on Saturday, when I decided it was time to stop living in squalor and do a proper fall cleaning, and continued through Sunday, as I continued said cleaning (what can I say? Things had gotten pretty dirty), and honestly...it did not feel like I had been dusting and scrubbing and tidying up for almost eight hours. I really liked the story, and the narrator did a great job.

In particular, the things I liked:

1. The African setting (Kenya in the 1920s). There were lots of tidbits, like glimpses of weaverbirds and interactions with the Masai, along with some less savory tidbits that went along with colonialism.

2. The supporting cast of characters, who for the most part really lived up to being "characters" -- perhaps a bit implausible, but a lot of fun to "read" about. I especially liked "Tusker," the no-nonsense older Englishwoman.

But my enjoyment of the story does not negate the fact that there were also several things I didn't like so much--not enough to spoil the book for me, but they were noticeable. First off, I really didn't like the heroine, Delilah. She was such a spoiled brat, and her tragic backstory didn't mitigate that for me at all. The way she treated other people, especially her cousin "Dodo," was completely inexcusable! Some of her interactions with the Masai characters were a bit awkward too, brushing up against both the "magical negro" and "white savior" tropes. And finally, there was way too much animal killing for my tastes. (Granted, this is all probably appropriate for the period the story was set in, but I did say that my rating system is purely subjective....)

Would I recommend this book to others who are fascinated by the setting/time period? Absolutely, although I kind of wish that Tusker was the heroine instead of Delilah.... ...more

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Apr 29, 2013 Rochelle Barlow rated it it was amazing

From page one I was transported to another time and place. As I read I could smell the cigarette smoke, hear the clinking of ice, and just feel the energy rolling off the pages. Deanna Raybourn is a remarkable artist. The scenes she paints are vivid and clear and authentic. Africa itself was a character and so richly portrayed. You can't help but feel the heat and sweat sticking to your back while turning the pages. The main character's voice is very strong, I felt as though I were her the momen ...more

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Sep 26, 2012 Allison (The Allure of Books) rated it really liked it

Shelves: setting_1920s, historical-fiction, 2012

I have been excited about reading A Spear of Summer Grass by Deanna Raybourn since first hearing about it. Since she is already responsible for creating two of my all-time favorite characters, I had high expectations for what she could accomplish with a story set in 1920s Kenya. Overall? It was pretty darn good.

Unfortunately, A Spear of Summer Grass and I didn’t get off to the best start. Delilah Drummond is NOT a likable gal in the beginning. Trying to relate to her? Forget about it. The beginn ...more

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May 04, 2013 Annette Thompson rated it it was amazing

Once I started, I couldn't stop this amazing book! I've lived in Africa myself and loved the descriptions of Kenya in the 1920's. The story's romance is exciting and the ending unpredictable but satisfying. Nicola Barber is an excelent narrator. If you enjoyed the book or movie, "Out of Africa", you'll love "A Spear of Summer Grass." I hope Deanna Raybourn writes more books about the main character, Delilah! ...more

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Apr 28, 2013 Nan rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance, first-reads, imperialism, historical-fiction, serious-issues

This is an extremely difficult book to review. I'll try to make this review as spoiler-free as possible. Most of the details I need to engage with are at the level of setting rather than plot, so that should not be to much of a problem with plot spoilers.

It tries to find a position for itself among very troubling imperialist (and racist) fiction set in colonial Kenya without triggering so many of the elements that make those books unsettling for a modern audience. I'm not certain that it always ...more

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Apr 19, 2013 Lisa Wolf rated it really liked it

Shelves: love-stories, africa, 1920s

A Spear of Summer Grass opens in Paris, 1923, with a young woman in a great deal of trouble. Delilah Drummond thrives on scandal. The quintessential flapper, she’s the life of the party, basking in male attention, always the center of the action, never known to turn down a drink, a cigarette, or a lover. But when the latest uproar refuses to die down and Delilah’s escapades threaten to embarrass not just her hard-partying mother but her moneybags grandfather, drastic action is needed, and Delila A Spear of Summer Grass opens in Paris, 1923, with a young woman in a great deal of trouble. Delilah Drummond thrives on scandal. The quintessential flapper, she’s the life of the party, basking in male attention, always the center of the action, never known to turn down a drink, a cigarette, or a lover. But when the latest uproar refuses to die down and Delilah’s escapades threaten to embarrass not just her hard-partying mother but her moneybags grandfather, drastic action is needed, and Delilah is packed off to her stepfather’s Kenyan estate to cool her heels and wait for the media vultures to move on to the new scandal du jour.

Delilah is not one to go quietly — anywhere — and as she settles into life in Africa, she makes waves among the colonial government officials as well as among the upper class white settlers in her social mix. Yet at the same time, Delilah is charmed by the wildness and danger of her African surroundings and throws herself into the responsibilities of being mistress of an estate, treating the Kikuyu and Masai tribespeople with friendship and dignity.

Not that Delilah has abandoned her wild ways. She attracts the eyes of every adult male in the vicinity, and proceeds to wrap each and every one around her little finger, keeping them as objects of flirtation and sometimes more, but never letting anyone close enough to actually touch her heart. Only one man, enigmatic hunter Ryder White, seems immune to her wiles, and it’s this man who both captivates Delilah and is perhaps an equal for her strong-willed nature.

Delilah and Ryder have a bit of a Scarlett and Rhett vibe going for them. She’s used to being the belle of the ball, accustomed to having every man fall all over her to please and pamper her, hoping for just a bit of her attention and favor. Ryder is somewhat of a scoundrel; he’s respectable enough, but he goes his own way, society’s opinion be damned. They attract, repel, and frustrate each other. The physical attraction is certainly strong, and Ryder is perhaps the one man who can hold his own against Delilah. The outcome of the will-they, won’t-they dynamic is never really in question — it’s clear that these two are made for one another — but the getting there is tumultuous, to say the least.

There’s a lot to really like about A Spear of Summer Grass. The African landscapes and wildlife are described in lush detail. You can practically hear the wind through the savannah and smell the wildness in the air. It’s easy to see how the various characters, often against their will, get caught up in their lives in Kenya and can’t pull themselves away. I enjoyed Delilah’s transformation from spoiled party princess to something more, a woman of character. Delilah’s past is hinted at from the start, but over the course of the book we come to understand the suffering she endured as a result of world war, the losses that caused her to wall off her heart from any hint of vulnerability, and the slow evolution she undergoes as she starts, finally, to live and feel once again.

Ryder is, of course, a typical manly man with a heart of gold, quick to punish wrongdoers but dedicated to protecting the weak, whether people or animals, and righting wrongs wherever he sees them. Of course, he’s incredibly handsome in a rugged, Indiana Jones-ish way, and that doesn’t hurt in the least.

The author does a skillful job of portraying the flavor of expatriate life in colonial Kenya, showcasing the decadent lifestyle of the rich, white settlers, their loose morality, and their unwise indifference to the non-white majority of the country. The scandals, gossip, drinking, and sexual looseness all work perfectly to create a sense of a society adrift and out of touch with the world around them. Visually, there are some remarkable small moments, such as Delilah’s fine silks and delicate shoes falling victim to the blood and dust of Africa — details that convey deliciously the feeling of life lived on the edge of the wild.

What worked less well for me was the inevitability of the romance between Delilah and Ryder. The battle of wills notwithstanding, it’s obvious from the start that Delilah and Ryder are going to end up together, and there was nothing about their developing relationship that didn’t feel like something I’ve seen before. In fact — although this might be contrary to how these things usually go in popular fiction — I think A Spear of Summer Grass might have been a stronger story without the romantic subplot. In and of herself, Delilah is an interesting, strong-willed, trouble-making heroine, and I would have been perfectly content reading a novel that focused on her personal journey without the complication of her lovers and admirers.

That said, I did absolutely enjoy reading A Spear of Summer Grass, so much so that I stayed up past midnight to finish it and had dreams full of safaris and African skies. After finishing this book, I discovered that the author has also published a prequel, Far in the Wilds, as an ebook, and yes, of course I’m going to read it!

Review copy courtesy of Harlequin MIRA via Netgalley. ...more

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Dec 14, 2021 Natalie marked it as nevermind

I added this book because I love the Lady Julia series and the Veronica Speedwell series. I read one chapter and was super sketch so I went to check reviews and I decided it wasn’t for me.

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Jan 09, 2013 Blake rated it it was amazing

You know the saying, “You can’t judge a book by its cover”? Even in this case, it is true. A SPEAR OF SUMMER GRASS contains every bit the exoticism, beauty, and romance evoked in the picture above AND MORE. The beautifully composed story inside is breathtaking -- beyond anything an artist could capture on canvas. Filled with decadence, danger, passion, and heartbreak, it is the tale of a glamorous and damaged woman’s journey of self discovery.

As the summary suggests, the notorious Delilah Drummo You know the saying, “You can’t judge a book by its cover”? Even in this case, it is true. A SPEAR OF SUMMER GRASS contains every bit the exoticism, beauty, and romance evoked in the picture above AND MORE. The beautifully composed story inside is breathtaking -- beyond anything an artist could capture on canvas. Filled with decadence, danger, passion, and heartbreak, it is the tale of a glamorous and damaged woman’s journey of self discovery.

As the summary suggests, the notorious Delilah Drummond is not your typical heroine. In fact, when we first meet the thrice wed, sleek, sexy, make no apologies flapper, her conduct seems anything BUT befitting a protagonist. Delilah’s latest scandal has resulted in the threat of legal action and, desperate to avoid unwanted attention from the press and her grandfather’s snip of the purse strings, it is decided that Delilah’s best bet is to lay low for awhile… in Africa.

Delilah sets off for her former step-father’s estate in Kenya with her cousin, and dutiful chaperone, Dora in tow. A study in contrasts, Dora is as dull as Delilah is dynamic, and some of the wittiest moments in this novel occur at the expense of poor old “Dodo”. But like the yin and yang, there is balance in the contrast between the cousins; they are two opposites that co-exist in harmony (for the most part) and it is through Delilah’s interactions with Dora that we catch our first glimpse of what lies beneath Delilah’s powdered and painted party girl veneer.

Delilah and Dora are as different as night and day, but our headstrong heroine and our hero, J. Ryder White, are very similar indeed. Just like Delilah, Ryder has a commanding yet easy presence, and sex appeal that nearly lights the pages on fire. He is as mysterious as he is skilled at navigating the harsh and beautiful land of Africa. And to the surprise of the “Princess” who ‘… collected [handsome men’s smiles] like other women collected air to breathe.’(141), Delilah quickly discovers that she has met her match in the game of seduction.

As she adjusts to her temporary life in exile, Delilah finds that Africa holds many more surprises. With old acquaintances settled nearby, the creature comforts of Paris -- champagne, gossip, and dalliance -- are still very much within her grasp. But as she is thrust into a role of responsibility, forming alliances with Ryder and people of neighboring tribes, Delilah can no longer ignore the pull of Africa and the things that truly matter.

One of the strongest characters in this novel is Africa itself; the harsh, relentless beauty of the land and its creatures, the diversity and strength of its people. In a beautifully poetic way, Deanna Raybourn paints a vibrant picture of Africa as grand and breathtaking as a Thomas Cole landscape: “The sun was dipping low to the ground, brushing the last of its warm rays over the shimmering surface, and turning the waters to molten gold. A flock of flamingos rose suddenly, flashing their gaudy feathers in a pink farewell as they departed. Across the lake a hippopotamus wore a crown of water lilies draped drunkenly over one eye and munched contentedly as a light breeze ruffled the lake water. I took a deep breath and saw, for just an instant, the Africa I had thought to find. Then, in a violent burst of crimson and gold, the sun shimmered hotly on the lake and was gone, sinking below the horizon, leaving only purple-blue shadows lengthening behind.”(80)

There are so many things I love about this book, but if I had to narrow it down to one, it would be the character Delilah. I found her anything BUT hard to love. She is decadent, confident, sexy, bold, and witty. She is vulnerable, caring, broken, and scarred. Deanna Raybourn did a wonderful job of constructing such a well-rounded, multi-layered heroine. As the crowning jewel, Delilah sits at the top of my list of favorite characters.

Of course, I must say that my affection for Ryder also runs deep and strong. Raybourn first offered us a taste of this delicious character in the prequel enovella FAR IN THE WILDS. Whether or not you read it before A SPEAR OF SUMMER GRASS, rest assured, you will be left wanting more of Mr. J. Ryder White.

Known for her Lady Julia Grey series (one of my favorites), Deanna Raybourn has raised the bar with this stand-alone -- which I desperately hope will become a series. No one brings words to life like Deanna does. Her novels are not the kind one simply reads, they are the kind one steps into and becomes a part of – breathing the same air as the characters. Reading A SPEAR OF SUMMER GRASS, I was transported by Raybourn’s elegantly poetic prose. And if I look close enough, I just might see smudges of the red dust of Kenya on the pages of my copy.

This is a thing that I know – Deanna Raybourn’s talent is a true gift, to her and to readers. ...more

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Genres

Historical > Historical Fiction

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Romance

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Historical

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Fiction

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Cultural > Africa

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Romance > Historical Romance

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Mystery

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Adult

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Adventure

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About Deanna Raybourn

Deanna Raybourn

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New York Times and USA Today bestselling novelist Deanna Raybourn is a 6th-generation native Texan. She graduated with a double major in English and history from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of one, Raybourn makes her home in Virginia. Her novels have been nominated for numerous awards including two RT Reviewers’ Choice awards, the Agatha ...more

Books by Deanna Raybourn

A Curious Beginning (Veronica Speedwell, #1)

Silent in the Grave (Lady Julia Grey, #1)

Silent in the Sanctuary (Lady Julia Grey, #2)

A Perilous Undertaking (Veronica Speedwell, #2)

Silent on the Moor (Lady Julia Grey, #3)

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“But this is a thing that I know--to live with fear is not to live at all. A man will die every moment he is afraid.” — 18 likes

“He had strong, steady hands, and I could tell from looking at them there was little he couldn't do. Mossy always said you could tell everything you needed to know about a man from his hands. Some hands, she told me, were leaving hands. They were the wandering sort that slipped into places they shouldn't, and they would wander right off again because those hands just couldn't stay still. Some hands were worthless hands, fit only to hold a drink or flick ash from a cigar, and some were punishing hands that hit hard and didn't leave a mark and those were the ones you never stayed to see twice.
But the best hands were knowing hands, Mossy told me with a slow smile. Knowing hands were capable; they could soothe a horse or woman. They could take things apart -- including your heart -- and put them back together better than before. Knowing hands were rare, but if you found them, they were worth holding, at least for a little while.” — 14 likes

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