The Burning Shore [Mass Market Paperback]

Wilbur Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 6, 2007

Centaine de Thiry grew up with privilege, wealth, and freedom on a sprawling French estate. Then war came crashing down around her, and a daring young South African aviator named Michael Courtney stole her heart amidst the destruction. But the tides of fate and battle sent the young woman on a journey across a dangerous sea to the coast of Africa.

When Centaine's ship is torpedoed and sunk, she is plunged into a shark-filled sea miles from the unseen shore. And when she reaches land, Centaine puts foot not in the lush world that Michael Courtney described to her, but on the edge of a burning desert--alone and fighting for her life.

In a strange world, under a great rushing sky, Centaine sets forth in the company of wandering Bushmen--and then into the arms of a renegade white soldier who may be her savior or destruction. As Michael Courtney's family searches for Centaine, she comes near her promised land--and the untold tragedy and riches that it holds...

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Burning Shore

'Wilbur Smith is an adept at thrilling and harrowing scenes, researches his facts, gets it all too horribly spot-on.' – The Sunday Times

'Wilbur Smith ... writes as forcefully as his tough characters act.' – Evening Standard

'A natural storyteller who moves confidently and often splendidly in his period and sustains a flow of convincing incident without repeating his excitements' – The Scotsman

' Wilbur has arguably the best sense of place of any adventure writer since John Buchan.' – The Guardian

‘An epic novel . . . it would be hard to think of a theme that was more appropriate today ... Smith writes with a great passion for the soul of Africa’ – Today

 

Praise for Wilbur Smith

“Smith is a master.” —Publishers Weekly

“One of the world’s most popular adventure writers.” —The Washington Post Book World

“A rare author who wields a razor-sharp sword of craftsmanship.” —Tulsa World

“Wilbur Smith is one of those benchmarks against whom others are compared.” —The Times (UK)      
"Best Historical Novelist--I say Wilbur Smith, with his swashbuckling novels of Africa.  The bodices of rip and the blood flows.  You can get lost in Wilbur Smith and misplace all of August."--Stephen King

"Action is Wilur Smith's game, and he is a master."--The Washington Post Book World

“The world’s leading adventure writer.” —Daily Express (UK)

"Wilbur Smith rarely misses a trick."--Sunday Times

“Smith is a captivating storyteller.” —The Orlando Sentinel

“No one does adventure quite like Smith.” —Daily Mirror (UK)

"A thundering good’ read is virtually the only way of describing Wilbur Smith’s books.” —The Irish Times

From the Back Cover

In a breathtaking adventure of love, war, and bitter revenge, New York Times bestselling author Wilbur Smith captures a courageous quest for survival against a country's greatest odds….
 
FROM THE FIRES OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR
Centaine de Thiry grew up with privilege, wealth, and freedom on a sprawling French estate. Then war came crashing down around her, and a daring young South African aviator named Michael Courtney stole her heart amidst the destruction. But the tides of fate and battle sent the young woman on a journey across a dangerous sea to the coast of Africa.
 
ACROSS A BLAZING AFRICAN DESERT
When Centaine's ship is torpedoed and sunk, she is plunged into a shark-filled sea miles from the unseen shore. And when she reaches land, Centaine puts foot not in the lush world that Michael Courtney described to her, but on the edge of a burning desert--alone and fighting for her life.
 
A WOMAN DISCOVERS A WONDROUS LAND--AND THE PRICE OF SURVIVAL
In a strange world, under a great rushing sky, Centaine sets forth in the company of wandering Bushmen--and then into the arms of a renegade white soldier who may be her savior or destruction. As Michael Courtney's family searches for Centaine, she comes near her promised land--and the untold tragedy and riches that it holds...
 
 
"You can get lost in Wilbur Smith…with his swashbuckling novels of Africa."--Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly 

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 640 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (February 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312940807
• ISBN-13: 978-0312940805
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #44,516 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #34 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Family Saga

More About the Author

Wilbur Smith was born in Central Africa in 1933. He was educated at Michaelhouse and Rhodes University. After the successful publication of WHEN THE LION FEEDS in 1964 he became a full-time writer, and has since written 30 novels, all meticulously researched on his numerous expeditions worldwide. His books have been translated into twenty-six different languages

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Wilbur's best, June 16, 2008

By 

Prolific Reader (Rochester, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Burning Shore (Mass Market Paperback)

I didn't care for this book particularly. The leading lady is not likeable at all. Yes, she has lost a lot of loved ones and been shipwrecked, etc., but she is too hard boiled for my tastes and too determined to get her own way. While she is horrified that Lothar has killed her little friends who saved her from the desert, she has no qualms about destroying their sacred grounds when she is diamond hunting. She can't forgive Lothar for doing something in fear and superstition and tries to kill him even though he has saved her life as well as her baby's life when they were attacked by a lion. She invites him into her bed and gets pregnant, much like she did with Michael Courtney and then totally turns away from him after she has been saved by him and then gives away her baby. I understand the anger but what about all of the horrible things she has done? She killed the old sailor who saved her when they were shipwrecked. She is not a nice person and I suspect that in the sequel, she will not improve.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very memorable book, March 20, 2008

By 

Mostly Nonfiction (Santa Rosa, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Burning Shore (Mass Market Paperback)

I read this book several years ago, yet it stands out vividly in my mind. I feel that I will always remember the outline of this compelling and adventuresome story unlike the vast majority of routine novels that I have read.

If you like the sound of an African adventure novel with a young shipwrecked woman struggling to survive, I highly recommend it!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, September 24, 2011

By 

Bill - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Burning Shore (Kindle Edition)

Fantastic read! Highly recommend. Wilbur Smith is a phenom. I'm going to be reading everything he's ever written. He's a genius story teller...