Set in the red canyons of the old Southwest, Grace of The Clouds is an epic tale wrapped in Mexican folklore and Navajo legend. It is the story of Grace, a child born of earth and heaven, who lives on a doomed ranch run by Matilda, a bitter Mexican born without a guardian angel, who believes Grace is a witch. Not far is Finger's Edge, an ominous butte the Navajos call home to the "Great One," the locals believe is cursed by witches, and where Grace was born. Grace talks to the earth and sky and magically transforms the ranch into an oasis for enormous vegetables and hearty cattle. As Grace grows, her beauty and mysterious powers draw awe and fear. She finds a lover in a cloud named "OV" who introduces her to a mystical new world. The Navajos believe Grace is the Great One until a man manifests from the clouds. There is conflict, scandal, and murder as clouds come alive in this enchanting romance about superstition and the power of love.
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Editorial Reviews
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"This book was definitely a refreshing change from the rest that is out there today. I highly recommend it!!" -- Theresa M. Norman, Denise's Pieces Book Reviews March 2003
A great read. A tale of powerful legends and a great, all consuming love that transcends the boundaries of earth. -- Romantic Times January 2004
A great read. A tale of powerful legends and a great, all consuming love that transcends the boundaries of earth. -- Romantic Times January 2004
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
An Excerpt from Chapter One.
This is a story about a mysterious butte that once stood on the western horizon of Arizona near the mystical town of Sedona. Like the many red rocks of the Southwestern canyons, this one had a name too. The locals called it Finger’s Edge. This was no ordinary rock. They say the tall, thin butte was Earth’s finger reaching from the dirt to touch the belly of Heaven. The Navajos say the place it once stood is now considered sacred land. Visitors claim it’s the place that spawned a hundred love stories. Yet, it is the little known legend about Grace of the Clouds and her peculiar love story that still echoes through the canyons. ~
It happened sometime in the late 1800’s, when there was still unrest between the Native Americans and the pioneers, when parts of the Southwest were still governed by Mexico. During this time, the local Indians believed a legend that told of a day when a Great One, born of dirt and clouds, would unite all people, living and dead. This story trickled down through generations of Native Americans living among the red rocks who waited hundreds of years for the big event. They didn’t know exactly when it would happen, but they knew where – at junction of land and sky, on the sacred butte they called Finger’s Edge. Dancing Wind waited all her life for this grand moment, the one she was born for. Her life’s purpose was reflected in her name, which meant, one who danced between Heaven and Earth, and was thus destined to foster the offspring of the divine. Dancing Wind, losing time and patience, weathered nearly three-quarters of a century in anxious anticipation for a Great One who never came.
The desert land swallowed her up and pickled her like a prune. Coal eyes stared out from her leather face. Elmo rescued her from the claws of vicious white men who destroyed her clan, her family, her home and her life. The kind and gentle stranger recognized the injustice and hardship the Navajos suffered. When he found Dancing Wind near death, he welcomed her to his home and gave her life again. In return, she promised to soothe his land and mind his beasts, making her home on the huge ranch Elmo Zander owned. She didn’t mind. To Dancing Wind, it was the forceful hand of fate that put her at the foot of Finger’s Edge.
As she caressed the land and nurtured the creatures, she couldn’t help but gaze wistfully at the majestic profile of Finger’s Edge. It was a daily reminder of her destiny. Aware of the brittleness of her bones, the rustiness of her flesh, she knew she didn’t have much time left above the soil. This was one of the things that troubled her soul daily.
The other was Matilda.
~ No one knew why Elmo ever married the big and hairy Matilda, or even named his ranch after her. Some speculated she entertained him with her stubborn temper and charmed him with her broad physique, a woman standing well over six feet with shoulders that spanned the width of a doorway. She was blessed with one magnificent eyebrow, which adorned her forehead like black fur. Her mustache had to be combed daily to retain its fine, silky texture and her chin was knobbed with long, stringy wires. Matilda captured his heart.
Elmo met her on a business trip in Las Placitas, the bartender in a loud and rowdy saloon called Casa Grande. Matilda amused the wealthy American rancher with her fast shooting and shot drinking. Her clever banter and witty remarks somehow found a way deep into Elmo’s heart. He felt great compassion for her and recognized something special in her spirit. Matilda was like no woman he ever met. She was a one of a kind. Elmo snatched a rare breed, a diamond still in the dirt. He saw something in her that no one was able to see, even if they stretched their imaginations until it fell out of their heads. Someplace, buried beneath her robust flesh, he saw her beauty.
That day, Elmo took her home with him to the new ranch he named in her honor, "Big Matilda," which later became "Big M." Although Elmo was blind to her temper, the rest of the ranchwasn’t. To them, Matilda was an intolerable mistress who demanded the impossible. She hated all the help on Big M, with the exception of Amando Lopez. Besides being a fellow Mexican, he was the only one who indulged her crazy tales of witches. Matilda believed she was cursed. She experienced misfortune all her life and everywhere she went she found bad luck. The oldest of twelve and the last to marry, her mother told her she was born without a guardian angel as a the result of a witch’s spell cast upon the Arroyo family. The hex, she was told, affected the first born of their family and whomever they married. The affliction made her ugly, unlucky and bitter. Until it was broken, this curse promised to doom her first born as well as the first born of generations to follow.
All of Mexico knew this and every man avoided her, which wasn’t very hard to do. Aside from her stupendous appearance, her fury sent big men screaming for their mothers. Matilda was quite a package, which was why Elmo’s initial attempts at wooing were met with such suspicion. It was an experience Matilda never felt before, one that silenced her roar for a while. When he married her, Matilda thought her luck had finally changed. But shortly after Matilda gave birth to Ben, Elmo mysteriously disappeared. Matilda was left alone with a bitter rage, a small child and a big ranch.
Elmo Zander was never seen again.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An extraordinary gem,
This review is from: Grace of the Clouds (Paperback)
Michelina Pagano is a mystical story teller. GRACE OF THE CLOUDS weaves spiritual awareness over a cast of characters all too real with human frailties. Sometimes good things come in small packages, as does this enchanting tale of a girl who talks to the clouds.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Bedtime Story For Grown-Ups,
By Kristina (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Grace of the Clouds (Paperback)
This is a magical tale of true love and hope and life. Set in the mystical red rocks of Sedona, Arizona, it is full of Indian folklore and cowboy tradition that you will love escaping into page after page. It is a joyful, romantic reminder that good things do happen, miracles are possible and we have the ability to make fantasies a reality.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Spellbinding storytelling at its magical best.,
By
This review is from: Grace of the Clouds (Paperback)
This mystical story about love, hate and redemption, set in the magnificent southwest is a fairytale for our time. It is keenly observed, vividly shaded and deftly written. Michelina speaks from the heart with a clear and resounding voice to anyone who has ever looked up at the clouds and dreamed.
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