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 clichΓ©d (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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