King's Oak [Large Print] [Paperback]

Anne Rivers Siddons (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1991

The author of the immensely popular Peachtree Road returns with a supreb, stunningly original story of two star-crossed lovers, set in the deep South's wealthy, beautiful hunt country. An explosive controversy involving a nearby nuclear arms plant pits a maverick recluse and teacher of poetry against those who would risk the beloved wilderness in which he dwells. Now his unsuspecting lover must choose to follow him--or save herself.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the heart of this intriguing but flawed, apocalyptic novel are Diana "Andy" Calhoun and her troubled young daughter. A refugee from a violently abusive marriage, Andy joins her stodgy college pal Tish in Pemberton, an exclusive, blue-blood, Southern community where everyone talks nonstop about guns, dogs, horses and hunting, but almost no one mentions the looming presence of Big Silver, the nuclear arms plant tucked into the woods. Despite her initial distaste for this lifestyle, Andy, "a squatty little Greek" who stands out like a sore thumb at patrician gatherings, is drawn into the polo-playing elite. She falls from grace when her overwhelming attraction to Tom Dabney, Pemberton's wild-eyed native son who has made the forest primeval his home, speculacularly ignites. When the arcane rites Tom practices can't save his beloved woodland from the nuclear destruction leaching from Big Silver, he wages war against his neighbors. Passion, dark atmosphere and vivid imagination color this dramatic narrative, but Siddons's ( Peachtree Road ) poetic prose is often overblown and it's hard to care about many of her wealthy, self-absorbed, essentially dull characters. 125,000 first printing; $150,000 ad/promo; BOMC alternate; author tour.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Best-selling author Siddons (Homeplace, LJ 4/1/87; Peachtree Road) jumps on the environmental bandwagon (with a backdrop of wife abuse) in her latest novel. Moving with her daughter to elite Georgia hunt country, Andy Calhoun is drawn (with agonizing slowness) to Tom Dabney, a "crazy" man passionately committed to the primeval woods where he lives. Finally succumbing to her attraction to Tom, she becomes involved with his efforts to save the woods from the nuclear wastes emanating from the Big Silver nuclear weapons plant. Siddons has a vivid imagination and conjures up an ancient religion whose practitioners are "at one with the woods." She picks up on some similar themes from her earlier novels (e.g., the old Southern elite versus the newly monied), but, on the whole, this is an overblown saga that lacks the romantic charm of Homeplace and the historical sweep of Peachtree Road. The larger-than-life characters aren't endearing enough to redeem it. BOMC alternate; previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/90.
- Francine Fialkoff, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Thorndike Press (October 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560549882
• ISBN-13: 978-1560549888
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,557,491 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating characters, interesting plot!, September 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: King's Oak (Mass Market Paperback)

It was so refreshing to read a book that focuses on an alternative life in a positive way. Many people are now into seeking lifestyles and a spiritual path that will help them grow and learn. Often these choices are tied to the environment and helping our planet survive. This is the underlying theme of King's Oak. Even tho the book was written almost 10 year ago, the concerns and issues raised are more important now than ever before. Siddons could have probably chopped almost 100 pages off, it does get tedious after while, but I found myself involved and caring about the characters and the land. I would highly recommend King's Oak, especially to those who have never read Siddons before or to book clubs who would love to have something meaty and relevant to discuss.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Startlingly wonderful, February 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: King's Oak (Mass Market Paperback)

I bought the book because I so loved Hill Towns and Outer Banks and Downtown, but I didn't read it for a while because it sounded sort of dopey and I don't care for hunting. I finally started it and was swept into another world. It's full of compelling, fascinating people and the plot is surprising and touching. Just like Andy, I started out despising hunters and thought that nothing could change my mind. I loved it, it's one of her best and I don't know why I put off enjoying the book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Dumb ending mars a pretty good book, February 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: King's Oak (Mass Market Paperback)

There aren't too many things I hate more than to get engrossed in what seems to be a pretty good book, only to have the author turn into a moron at the end and blow it. Such is the case with "King's Oak". The first 400 pages are pretty good, but the last 100 -- Yow! Should you decide to read this book, stop at the point where the water starts to glow and the baby goat dies. From that point on it's for idiots only.