by T. Coraghessan Boyle (Get the Book)This novel is based on the true stories of three women from two families who raised sheep on windswept San Miguel, one of California's Channel Islands. (Boyle's When the Killing's Done, 2011, was set on nearby Anacapa and Santa Cruz.) Tuberculosis sufferer Marantha Waters arrives in 1888, hoping for a cure but finding that her domineering husband, a Civil War veteran, is more concerned with profit; daughter Edith tries repeatedly to escape to San Francisco. The Lester family fares better. Elsie and Herbie take over the operation in the 1930s and find bliss; the story of the Swiss Family Lester captivates the nation. Still, Herbie's depression he's a veteran of WWI shadows their happiness. As ever, Boyle's prose is vivid and precise, and he imbues his subjects with wonderful complexity. The perils and pleasures of island living, the limits to natural resources, and the echoes of war all provide ample grist for his mill. Wired-in readers will find food for thought as the Lesters' solitude is broadcast to and invaded by a hungry nation. An episodic structure slows the momentum slightly, but it's a richly rewarding read nonetheless. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: A critical favorite with loyal fans, Boyle found wider success with The Women (2009); expect major media coverage and crowds at his tour stops. --Booklist
