Egrets to the Flames by Barbara Anton has been chosen as a Book Sense Notable for December, 2007. Book Sense, a campaign launched in 1999 by the American Booksellers Association, was created to increase visibility and raise consumer awareness of the unique qualities of independent booksellers while providing a way for publishers to reach this important market.
Oceanview Publishing will release Egrets to the Flames on November 1, 2007. Author Barbara Anton, an acclaimed playwright, celebrated jewelry designer and award-winning writer, passed away on May 20, 2007 after a brief illness.
Egrets to the Flames (Oceanview Publishing $23.95, ISBN-10: 1-933515-11-2, ISBN-13: 978-1-933515-11-3) introduces the Hamptons, a wealthy, privileged family of sugar cane growers.
In Egrets to the Flames, patriarch James Henry Hampton struggles to maintain his holdings and preserve his and his family’s way of life. But there is trouble in the fields: James Henry must answer to forces demanding retribution for the egregious impact on the fragile environment, and the exploitation of Jamaican sugar cane cutters.
As he juggles a wife and a mistress, James Henry’s family begins to unravel. He must fight to save son Henny from self-destruction and a disastrous marriage to a field hand’s pregnant daughter; son Jeffrey and his cherished bride face immeasurable loss, while daughter Melisandra marries an impoverished prince intent on taking her riches at any cost. And despite her concern with appearances, wife Grace has some unseemly secrets lurking just below the surface. But, in the end, James Henry will face his toughest battle yet -- a battle that may be his last. Will the very things that hold this family together ultimately tear them apart?
In Egrets to the Flames, Barbara Anton deftly juxtaposes the crazed egrets diving into the burning cane, with the
Susan Greger, Publisher at Oceanview, commented, “We are tremendously humbled and honored to have Egrets to the Flames chosen as a Book Sense Notable. Egrets to the Flames is so much more than a gripping saga of one family’s struggle; it is a candid, eye-opening look at the sugar cane industry and a bittersweet tale about tradition, temptation, and the ties that bind a family together. Barbara had a tremendous passion for life that shines through in this phenomenal work.”
Oceanview Publishing (http://www.oceanviewpub.com/) is an independent press headquartered in
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