James Henry Hampton wants only what's best for his family,
and he's frustrated they can't see that and just do as
they're told. Son Henny is insistent on marrying the field
hand's daughter he got pregnant, while son Jeffrey has
married a Japanese woman. And James Henry doesn't have time
to worry about these family problems because the
environmentalists are trying to destroy his sugar cane
holdings.
This family saga depicting the inner struggles of wealthy
sugar cane growers left me cold. The storyline was clichéd
(the domineering Southern father who won't let his son
marry his true love and pays off her dad to make sure it
doesn't happen) and there was little true feeling in this
book. While some of the situations were horrifying (James
Henry's mistress is the wife of his best friend -- and the
best friend knows it and condones it), I wasn't stirred to
passion for what was wrong and what this man was doing.
Part of the problem was that the point of view jumped
constantly, pulling this reader out of the book.
A steamy saga of love, passion, and greed, Egrets to
the Flames introduces the Hamptons, a wealthy, privileged
family of sugar cane growers.
Trouble in the fields:
patriarch James Henry Hampton must struggle to maintain
his holdings, as forces seek retribution for the egregious
impact on the environment and the exploitation of Jamaican
sugar cane cutters.
As he juggles a wife and a
mistress, James Henry's family unravels. 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 bride face immeasurable loss, while daughter
Melisandra marries an impoverished prince intent on taking
her riches at any cost. 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?
A splendid story of the
clash between old and new, and the struggle between
holding on and letting go, Egrets to the Flames is a
triumphant tale about ties, tradition, and temptation.
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