Everybody in McDade has always thought of Dellie O'Barr as "the good little sister"--until she falls urgently in love with Populist rabble-rouser Andrew Ashland. For his love, Dellie tosses aside her own status--a privileged life and perfect reputation--burns down a local store that denies Populists credit and leaves her rich husband to chase after her lover when he disappears from town. Dellie becomes a martyr and model to the national suffragist movement. Through it all, her husband sticks by her. As much about married love as forbidden love, THE PASSION OF DELLIE O'BARR is the story of a singular woman's life and of the lives of the two men she chooses as lovers. "Captivating."--Booklist; "Crisp prose, absorbing historical detail and appealing characters."--Publishers Weekly; "Cindy Bonner is a national treasure . . . What's so remarkable about Bonner's writing is that not only can she spin a mesmerizing yarn, but she can also weave in the small details of a century ago in a way that makes the era seem human and real."--The Virginian-Pilot.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Following the acclaimed Lily and its sequel, Looking After Lily, Bonner's third novel is engagingly narrated by Lily's younger sister, Dellie, a 20-year-old housewife who becomes an adulterer, an arsonist and, later, a hero of the women's suffrage movement. Like its predecessors, this story is set in the real-life town of McDade, Tex., and is loosely based on a real event-the burning, in 1896, of the town's largest business. After a "satisfactory" two-year marriage to wealthy rancher Daniel O'Barr, 32, Dellie finds herself attracted to a poor tenant farmer, Andy Ashland. A champion of Populist causes like a woman's right to vote, Andy cares for his two young children while his wife is an insane asylum. When Daniel goes away on business, Dellie attends Populist meetings, writes for the party newspaper and begins an affair with Andy. Yet, after promising to run away with her, the tenant farmer mysteriously disappears with his children. Angry and disillusioned, Dellie sets fire to a store whose owner has exploited the area's farmers, then flees to Louisiana to look for her lover. Eventually, she must decide whether to remain a fugitive or to return to McDade to confess her crime to her husband-and to the sheriff. The crisp prose, absorbing historical detail and appealing characters (including Lily, who makes a welcome cameo at novel's end) will please admirers of the author's McDade Cycle series.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Bonner's first two novels, Lily (Algonquin, 1992) and Looking After Lily (Algonquin, 1994), set in the small town of McDade, Texas, in the late 1880s, told the story of the two oldest De Lony children, Lily and Dane. This third book focuses on younger sister Dellie. Married for two years to Daniel O'Barr, lawyer and rancher, Dellie, at 20, discovers a tempting alternative to her staid life when she becomes involved with Andy Ashland, a handsome, charismatic political organizer. Carried away by her love for Andy, Dellie commits a terrible crime that will change her life forever. Although many readers may find Daniel simply too good to be true and the last third of the novel somewhat rushed, this is a solid, old-fashioned historical romance featuring a sympathetic, three-dimensional heroine who learns, as her sister Lily did, that every action has its consequences. Although it isn't necessary to have read the first two books to enjoy this one, readers will want to catch up on all the books in the McDade cycle. Recommended for public libraries.?Nancy Pearl, Washington Center for the Book, Seattle
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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More About the Author
Born in Corpus Christi, Texas, Cindy Bonner now calls the mountains of northern New Mexico home. In addition to four award-winning historical novels published by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, she is the author of numerous short stories, essays, and book reviews. The mother of two grown sons and the daughter of a World War II veteran who is still alive and kicking at age 87, Cindy has a dog and a significant other. An avid watcher of birds, the weather, and the political goings-on in Washington, D.C., she claims to be a bottomless well of spotty information on history and the meaning of life.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cindy Bonner Triumphs Once Again,
By Wild Irish Rose (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Passion of Dellie O'Barr (Hardcover)
This book is just as incredible as her first, "Lily". It's a wonder to me that Cindy Bonner doesn't get more recognition for her work. Her novels are honest, with real, human characters. This book, as well as her two previous, is a book I will never forget!
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Novel!,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Passion of Dellie O'Barr (Hardcover)
The Passion of Dellie O'Barr is a story full of feelings and new experiences. The gentelness of the main character and the radical choices she makes keep the interest in the story run high. Cindy Bonner is a winner!! I love all of her books and think she should get the recognition she deserves. It is a pleasure to read Bonner's novels, the subject is well researched and written in an easy to understand language, yet colorful. The manner in which Bonner describes the town, all it's residents and the way of life is so well written, it paints a clear picture in mind. I could not put the book down, it was a great reading, and time well spent. I want to recommend this novel to everybody, you will not regret you opened Cindy Bonner's "The Passion of Dellie O'Barr".
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