A SPEAR OF SUMMER GRASS
Paris, 1923
The daughter of a scandalous mother, Delilah Drummond is already notorious, even among Paris society. But her latest scandal is big enough to make even her oft-married mother blanch. Delilah is exiled to Kenya and her favorite stepfather’s savanna manor house until gossip subsides.
Fairlight is the crumbling, sun-bleached skeleton of a faded African dream, a world where dissolute expats are bolstered by gin and jazz records, cigarettes and safaris. As mistress of this wasted estate, Delilah falls into the decadent pleasures of society.
Against the frivolity of her peers,
Paris, 1923
The daughter of a scandalous mother, Delilah Drummond is already notorious, even among Paris society. But her latest scandal is big enough to make even her oft-married mother blanch. Delilah is exiled to Kenya and her favorite stepfather’s savanna manor house until gossip subsides.
Fairlight is the crumbling, sun-bleached skeleton of a faded African dream, a world where dissolute expats are bolstered by gin and jazz records, cigarettes and safaris. As mistress of this wasted estate, Delilah falls into the decadent pleasures of society.
Against the frivolity of her peers, Ryder White stands in sharp contrast. As foreign to Delilah as Africa, Ryder becomes her guide to the complex beauty of this unknown world. Giraffes, buffalo, lions and elephants roam the shores of Lake Wanyama amid swirls of red dust. Here, life is lush and teeming—yet fleeting and often cheap.
Amidst the wonders—and dangers—of Africa, Delilah awakes to a land out of all proportion: extremes of heat, darkness, beauty and joy that cut to her very heart. Only when this sacred place is profaned by bloodshed does Delilah discover what is truly worth fighting for—and what she can no longer live without.
- Harlequin MIRA
- Paperback
- May 2013
- 384 Pages
- 9780778314394
Buy the Book
$15.95
About Deanna Raybourn
New York Times bestselling author Deanna Raybourn graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a double major in English and history and an emphasis on Shakespearean studies. She taught high school English for three years in San Antonio before leaving education to pursue a career as a novelist. Deanna makes her home in Virginia, where she lives with her husband and daughter and is hard at work on her next novel.
Praise
"With a strong and unique voice, Deanna Raybourn creates unforgettable characters in a richly detailed world. This is storytelling at its most compelling."—Nora Roberts, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“[M]ake room for a legion of new followers as word of Raybourn’s completely satisfying new stand-alone historical spreads. … From sweetly touching moments requiring tissues to hot-blooded hunts for prey of both two and four-legged varieties, this book elicits the widest range of emotions, and does it with style.”—Library Journal
Discussion Questions
Delilah Drummond is a unique and not always likable heroine. How do the different characters in the book view her—as a friend or adversary? What was your reaction to her? How does Delilah change over the course of the book?
Ryder White is a larger-than-life character. What traits make him appealing?
How does the political climate of colonial Kenya influence the characters and their response to their environment? How does Dodo display attitudes typical of the colonial English? In contrast, the Farradays are representative of a particular type of scandalous settler notorious in Kenya between the 1920s and 1950s. How do you think each of these characters views Africa?
Gideon and his younger brother, Moses, both touch something within Delilah. What does this relationship seem to fulfill for each of them? Delilah makes a tremendous sacrifice for Gideon. Why? Was she right to do it?
Delilah is very comfortable with her sexuality and with the effect she has on men. How do sexual relationships drive the action of the book? How is Delilah’s sexual relationship with Kit different from that with Ryder? How does Dodo’s experience with sex change her plans?
Africa is as much a character in the book as any of the people. How does Africa itself play a role in the story?
Ryder makes tremendous sacrifices to keep Delilah in Africa. Was he right to do so?
What is Delilah and Ryder’s potential for a happy ending?