For more than half a century, the Mill Reef Club in Antiqua, West Indies, has been the premier private resort in the Caribbean. It began in 1946 when Robertson "Happy" Ward, a Connecticut architect, led a hearty band of adventures in search of a vacation haven free of the cras commercialization that spoiled many enterprises. On the eastern shore of the island they saw their vision of paradise: 1,300 acres of scrub brush and abandoned sugar fields overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Without the aid of many modern conveniences such as electricity or running water, the first members of the Mill Reef Club transformed the property into a community of private homes with a hotel, clubhouse, tennis courts, and expansive golf course. A Vision of Paradise: Robertson Ward and the Mill Reef Club presents an illustrated history of their dedication to realizing their dream. It is a tale of unique experiences: the establishment of Pan Am's weekly "Mill Reef Special" flight from New York, and learning to contend with the mishaps and misadventures of this rough land—hardships that would be unheard of in their other lives. It is also a story of people, many of whom built America's great corporations, creating a diverse community devoted to forging "the good life" in a place where it always required a lot of work. But come what may, they loved it all. As poet laurete Archibald MacLeish wrote at age eighty-five when frail health finally forced him to withdraw: "You don't resign from the Mill Reef Club more than once in a lifetime and not then if you can help it."
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Elizabeth Ballantine is a member of the McClatchy Newspapers board of directors. She is an attorney living in McLean, Virginia. Stephen S. Lash is Chairman of Christie's in New York.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Almost the family album,
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This review is from: A Vision of Paradise: Robertson Ward and the Mill Reef Club (Hardcover)
This book is very personal--my late mother- and father-in-law were two of the founding members of the Mill Reef Club (they are both buried on the island in St. Philip's Parish) and it's wonderful to study the old photos and see the genesis of one of the most beautiful places anywhere. Robertson (Happy) Ward created something unique and lovely in the club itself and in the houses--the open uncluttered living spaces, the soothing pastel colors and, always, the inviting views of the beach, the bougainvillea, the expanse of impossibly unique blue of Caribbean water. If there is a paradise, for me always it will be the remembered aspects of the club; the mornings under the huge thatched umbrella on the beach when everyone gathered to visit--periodically getting up to walk into the shallows to cool off. In the struts supporting that umbrella were stored flippers, snorkeling gear, forgotten sunglasses, suntan lotion, odds and ends. Residents and guests, visitors invariably found their way to the umbrella--an ever-elastic gathering that was the focal point of the farthest end of the beach from the club. Everyone made the long walk along the sand, back and forth to the club, admiring the houses fronting the water--those pastel creations that looked almost edible. It was an intimation of what heaven might be like. And this book offers portraits of the original members, insight into Ward's creative gifts, and a singular view of another time in another place.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Elizabeth Ballantine--What a great woman!,
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This review is from: A Vision of Paradise: Robertson Ward and the Mill Reef Club (Hardcover)
I really enjoyed this book by Elizabeth Ballantine. It is very interesting and we keep a copy of the book on top of our bookshelf here on Valentine Drive!
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