Blue Willow [Mass Market Paperback]

Deborah Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 4, 1993

Back in the small town of her childhood, Lily MacKenzie rekindles old flames with Artemas Colebrook, a boyhood friend and a family enemy. 

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Artemas Colebrook is the stuff of myth: a proud, intelligent boy who vows to salvage his Southern family's name, which has been tarnished by his father's philandering and squandering of the Colebrook fortune. Though Artemas's quest is vaguely medieval, the story is planted squarely in the 20th century. At age seven, Artemas is precocious enough to assist at the birth of Lily Mackenzie, linking them forever. A series of family squabbles and misunderstandings keeps these two star-crossed lovers from each other, although as the book progresses the reasons for their separation become more and more ridiculous. All is exaggerated and melodramatic: after Artemas loses his virginity in the forest in a tender (and anatomically unbelievable) scene, his father rides by on a horse, snatches up his son's beloved and rapes her. An architectural collaboration between Lily's husband and Artemas's sister collapses, killing the celebrants at the building's opening gala. The battle over who is at fault for this tragic accident drags on, and even when Lily and Artemas can finally be together, Smith ( Miracle ) fails to resolve definitely the question of blame.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (January 4, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553296906
• ISBN-13: 978-0553296907
• Product Dimensions: 4.1 x 1.2 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #848,607 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bell Bridge Books

Deborah Smith is a founding partner and VP of BelleBooks and its main division, Bell Bridge Books. Check here for news and updates on the titles she and her partners are publishing.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In My Top Ten!, February 26, 2000

By 

ladybug10 "ladybug10" (Houston, Texas USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blue Willow (Mass Market Paperback)

All of us have a mental Top Ten List - those books we remember and reread, and recommend to others with enthusiasm. BLUE WILLOW is one of mine, and also has the distinction of being one of the few novels I have bought and given as a gift to others. BLUE WILLOW was my first Deborah Smith novel, bought on an impulse, and I was literally blown away by how well it was crafted. Unlike other novels, where there may be two or three fully developed characters, and the remainder serve as foils or window dressings for the protagonists, Deborah Smith manages to infuse the characters of two entire families with depth, painting a picture of people with both nobility and tragic flaws. The intimacy of the central characters is well written, physically sexual but emotionally deep. As an aside, Ms. Smith shows, in the setting of her novel and much of the narrative, a gift for researching the backround into which she will write (I learned more about ceramics than I ever knew there was to know!), and a talent for drawing pictures with words that enthralled me. I sound embarrassingly gushing, I know, but this tale is so human and so easy to identify with - loving, losing, travelling a long, painful, and lonely road, and coming full circle again. How many of us wouldn't wish for a second chance with a first love? Buy this book, and don't rush through it.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly Warm & Entertaining Book, June 29, 2001

By 

K. Place (Marlow, OK USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blue Willow (Mass Market Paperback)

Right up front - I enjoyed Silk & Stone a little more - largely because of the historical aspects of Silk & Stone.

With that said, however, Blue Willow is a wonderful, wonderful book. Deborah Smith is a master at character development - from the sinister to the eccentric.

For me, a measure of a good book is whether I take anything away with me after I'm through reading. Even when I wasn't reading it, I thought about the characters, the story line, etc. After I finished the book, there was a deep satisfaction at having read a book worth reading.

One small word of caution: it seems to me that this book is a little more sexually graphic than Silk & Stone. However, this does not distract from the beauty of the characters, the development of the plot, etc., etc.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another truly great work by Smith!, July 27, 2000

By 

Janet Kagan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blue Willow (Mass Market Paperback)

Without a doubt Deborah Smith is my favorite author. I first discovered her when I read 'A Place to Call Home'. I was thrilled when she followed it up with 'When Venus Fell'. Since then I have picked up her earlier books. Therefore you might find it ironic that I purchased 'Blue Willow' last year but just this past week read this wonderful book. No one develops characters better than Smith. You will find yourself doing those necessary jobs with the book tucked under your arm just in case you get a few minutes to read more. So why did I put off reading this book? The reason is the same as ordering other desserts between the times you indulge in your absolute favorite one. Her writing is so incredibly rich and emotional that I need to wind down with lighter romance books before I pick up another of her novels. I worry that she could truly spoil my tastes for other authors.