Firebird [Hardcover]

Janice Graham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1998

In the tradition of The Horse Whisperer comes a novel from the heart that tells a story of universal truths--of the love between men and women and mothers and daughters; of

passion that transcends tragedy; of promises made and promises kept. Janice Graham's Firebird is an extraordinarily accomplished first novel that will be published around the world and has been named a main selection of the Literary Guild, already marking this as one of the most noteworthy debuts of 1998 and assuring Graham a brilliant future as a greatly beloved storyteller. Set in the majestic Flint Hills of Kansas, Firebird tells of a man caught between two women--one who shares his life and his dream of land and cattle; the other a stranger whose love threatens to destroy the dream he has built. Ethan Brown is a gentleman rancher--an Ivy-educated lawyer who is as comfortable amongst his books as he is at ease in the company of cowboys. Engaged to the daughter of the wealthiest landowner in the county, he is within reach of the life he has worked so hard to achieve. Annette Zeldin enters Ethan's life when she returns from Europe to settle her mother's estate. A concert violinist, she feels every inch the outsider in the closed ranching community of Cottonwood Falls and clings to her darling young daughter, her lifeline. The time Annette spends with Ethan in his office offers her moments of comfort and communion, and before long, both must acknowledge the passion growing between them. Annette and Ethan begin a clandestine, transcendent affair that promises to change the landscape of their lives, but is too soon torn apart by tragedy. Yet their connection is soul-deep and everlasting, and their love transforms the lives of those around them in ways subtle and unknown long after its embers have died down. Graham skillfully infuses the novel with ethereal touches that transport the reader from the vast prairies of the Midwest to the intimate realm of the heart. Firebird is a novel that richly articulates the enduring possibilities of love; it is a novel impossible to forget.

* A Literary Guild Main Selection

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Firebird is a romance with a love triangle like you've never read before. The story takes place in ranch country in the Flint Hills of Kansas. Ethan Browne, with a Ph.D. in English and a repertoire enabling him to recite great romantic literature on demand, chooses Katie Anne as his future wife. However, he doesn't love her. He just feels that it's part of his dream to have a wife, much like the chores he accomplishes on his cattle ranch. Believing that's all he needs, he sets out to win Katie Anne, and proposes marriage. Katie Anne is in love with Ethan and her love will go to any measure to keep him from being attracted to Annette, who's returned to town for her mother's funeral. Annette is a Kansas-born concert violinist in town from Paris.

This love triangle has its obstacles: Annette's aversion to the land Ethan loves, and Katie Anne's determination to hold onto Ethan though she knows he loves Annette (whose father will cast Ethan out of the ranching life if Ethan doesn't marry his daughter). Who will Ethan choose and what will his future hold?

This novel has been compared to The Horse Whisperer because it surprises readers at every turn, especially at the end. --Candy Paape

From Publishers Weekly

A compelling new commercial voice, Graham brings an engaging narrative style to her first novel, a romantic tale set in the Flint Hills of the Kansas prairie. Ethan Brown is a gentleman rancher and the sole attorney in Cottonwood Falls, but he's a lawyer with a heart: his office sign quotes WordsworthAa reference to his love of English poetry and to an academic career sidelined by his desire to stay on his home ground, where he and longtime girlfriend Katie Anne are taking their time tying the knot. Enter Annette Zeldin, a concert violinist in town from Paris with her young daughter, for her mother's funeral. Annette strikes most of the townspeople as foreign and haughty, but Ethan is smitten. In fact, he's so disturbed by Annette's presence that he firms up his wedding plans in an attempt to keep his life wrinkle-free. Predictably, Ethan and Annette fall in love, and Ethan tries unsuccessfully to break off his engagement. When a disastrous fire moves through the area, tragedy ensues and the lives of all the protagonists are irrevocably changed. Graham creates solid scenes of domestic life and develops her characterizations with a sure hand. But she gives her tale an unearthly twist that's disappointingly artificial and requires the reader's leap of faith, not once but twice. She also has a habit of describing emotional states in purple prose. That said, however, her dexterous storytelling pulls at the heartstrings, and her evocations of the wind and skies over the Kansas prairie give an extra dimension to a multifaceted love story that's sure to be a strong contender for the women's' fiction hit of the season. 150,000 first printing; $400,000 ad/promo; audio rights to HarperCollins; foreign rights sold in U.K., Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Japan, Norway, Spain and Sweden; Literary Guild main selection; author tour. (June) FYI: Graham has signed a three-book contract with Putnam and, in an unprecedented move, the Literary Guild and several foreign publishers have followed suit with multibook deals for this first-novelist.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 301 pages
• Publisher: Putnam; 1st edition (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399144048
• ISBN-13: 978-0399144042
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,482,284 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, Romancing the Soul - Love Never Really Dies, March 26, 2000

By 

DustiSue (Washington State, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Firebird (Paperback)

Its surprising that some readers hated this story. What's not to like? The beginning may slowly build up speed, but deep in the plot, the reader appreciates the character development. At first Firebird appears common to other romances- Man agrees to marry under pressure; A new face in town piques his interest AFTER the engagement is announced. Then watch out - a plot twist is about to blow your mind! I didn't see it coming and couldn't believe what I had just read. From there the hits just kept on coming. The plot winds through a labirynth of twists and turns like a serpentine roller coaster ride. The reader is swept along never knowing where the next drop or derailment may be. I have searched for years to find a book I simply could not put down. Firebird was worth the wait. I read it through the first night. I simply had to know how this story could possibly find resolution. Firebird courts the heart and soul. This is Miss Graham's debut novel, hopefully the first of many to come.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful love story from a new author, July 14, 2000

By 

J. Lizzi (Costa Mesa, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Firebird (Paperback)

Janice Graham is off to a great start with this enjoyable love story. If you're expecting a tale of heavy romance, deceit, murder and a multitude of convoluted sub-plots, you won't find much in this book. Instead, one man's love, almost like a prairie fire, starts in one place, is blown to another, and is rekindled in yet a third as relationships grow and transform over time.

This story shows how death can be a rebirth (remember that title), and how loving a daughter can be as profound as loving a woman. Love's complications lead to grave happenstance; then maturity, enlightenment, and ultimately a deeper love, are born from tragedy. Happens in real life, too.

I'm not the type to dwell on hidden meanings or decipher twists in the plot. So instead, I like to let myself be led wherever the story points. In that regard, this book was perfect for me. Yeah, maybe Ms. Graham isn't the world's best at epic storytelling and character development, but the people in this book are pretty strong nevertheless, with the drama really picking up toward the end. And, maybe the Kansas prairie is a little over-glamorized, but there's a great image there. These would be but minor criticisms rather than major detractors. The story flows well, is easy to read, and you'll identify with all the personalities right away. I enjoyed this book immensely, and finished it in only two days (a rare occurrence for me).

Start reading, get into the flow, and you will be moved by this story. I recommend it highly.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Very moving, July 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Firebird (Paperback)

Graham writes well and this is a very sad but intensely moving novel. I thought Ethan Brown was a rather cold, emotionally barren character, who wasn't really worthy of the love of two good women. The thing that annoyed me about the novel, though, is that although Ethan does eventually fall in love with Katie Anne...it's not really her, he loves but her as Annette. The rather selfish, fickle Katie Anne returns from her near death experience a changed woman - she basically acquires all Annette's characteristics; cultured, a loving mother and selfless: I found this transformation to be totally implausible.