The Earth And All It Holds by Victor J. Banis

Now she felt drained & strangely light-headed. Here's a couple interesting interviews with Victor J.

He admitted in interviews to giving gay characters tragic endings or making them evil because that's what the publishers expected, and he enjoyed writing gay romance novels later on in his career. There's more I want to say about the portrayal of the gay son, I don't think the author (who was himself gay) was proud of the portrayal. She had the potential to be a little Scarlett O'Hara, but just if she somehow managed to settle down with her true love.

The author missed an opportunity with that. I forgot her name, but Claude and Danielle's oldest daughter? I think Mary? OMG I LOVED her romance with that other guy (forgot his name) and I'm saddened book 2 didn't go into more detail on their new life together. I should deduct a star for what he did to her. When I reread this book I will be skipping Claude & Danielle's parts. And it was lovely to witness Anne's arranged marriage with de Brussac grow slowly from contempt, to respect, to something more.Ĭlaude sucked. Jean de Brussac was a character unto himself though ~ gotta love a good rags to riches story and that is his story. The mutual respect both Don Diego and Anne had together was admirable. The author handled Anne's transition gracefully, yet in a powerful way. Don Diego's romance with Anne? This is how you write a love after loss romance. Jean de Brussac, Don Diego, and Anne were my favorite characters. Serious spoilers, please don't read if you think you might read the book :) This is really for myself. Yet there are also moments of triumph, adventure, and love that make it all worth it. Like life, not all characters receive justice and some are unfairly wronged by circumstance. The author portrays almost all the life stages of the main characters, specifically focusing on the later stages. I would not describe this as a romance, though there is romance in this book. Truly, I cannot begin to recap the plot (something I considered doing since there is only 1 other review up right now), but if you enjoy family sagas give this a try if you can get your hands on it. Essentially, I wanted a family saga epic in scale with triumphs, betrayal, tragedy, and love. I started This Splendid Earth wanting a book similar to the movie Giant. This book's song: This Bitter Earth by Dinah Washington

The Earth And All It Holds by Victor J. Banis