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Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
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English
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A WILD AND HEAVENLY PLACE

Robin Oliveira

Hailey MacIntyre seems conjured from the depths of Samuel Fiddes' loneliness. Caring for his young sister in the tenements of Glasgow, Sam has only ever known hunger, while Hailey has never known want.
When Sam saves Hailey's brother from a charging horse, a friendship begins. Through secret meetings and stolen moments, they learn the topography of one another's innermost thoughts. Then, in 1878, the City of Glasgow Bank fails, destroying the only life Hailey has known. Her bankrupt father impulsively moves the family across the globe to Seattle, a city rumored to have easy money for anyone willing to work for it. Sam's days are haunted by Hailey's parting words: "Remember, Washington territory." Armed only with his wits, he determines to follow her, leaving behind everything he has ever known in search of Hailey and a chance to make a better life for his sister. But the fledgling town barely cut out of the wilderness will test them both in ways unimaginable.

Poignant and lyrical, A Wild and Heavenly Place is an ode to the Pacific Northwest, to those courageous and resilient enough to chase the American Dream, and to a love so powerful it endures beyond distance and time.

Robin Oliveira is the New York Times bestselling author of My Name Is Mary Sutter, I Always Loved You, and Winter Sisters. She holds a BA in Russian and studied at the Pushkin Language Institute in Moscow. She received an MFA in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and is a former registered nurse, specializing in critical care. She lives near Seattle, Washington.
Available products
Book

Published 2024-02-06 by Putnam

Book

Published 2024-02-13 by Putnam

Comments

A Wild and Heavenly Place tells a vivid story of the grit and the glory of early Seattle. Robin Oliveira brings to life the rugged living conditions, the stunning natural setting, and the determination, desperation, and ambition of its first settlers. All of it a backdrop for an epic story of star-crossed lovers that spans continents and classes.

A WILD AND HEAVENLY PLACE is a sweeping epic of courage, perseverance, love, and family. In this vivid and passionate novel, told against the tenements of Glasgow, Scotland, the mud-laden streets of frontier Seattle, and the remarkable beauty of the Pacific Northwest, Robin Oliveira portrays the fear, bravery, and also the triumph of individuals attempting to build new lives in a place filled with challenges they could never have imagined when they began their journeys. Their stories continue to haunt me.

The book is part love story, part history of place, part geography, part geology, and all excellent. Robin Oliveira weaves those elements seamlessly into a narrative that depicts the early days of Seattle and the people who struggled with the land, themselves, and each other to gain a foothold in a place both foreign and beautiful. I am all admiration for the author's impeccable research and dedication to getting every detail right at the same time as she spins a story of love, despair, jealousy, revenge, and hope in the lives of characters the reader won't soon forget.

Robin Oliveira has done it againcrafted a novel so immersive you'll feel like you're one of the characters. In A Wild and Heavenly Place you'll travel with two star-crossed young lovers as they emigrate from Scotland to the American northwest. It's a story of undying love and perseverance as they each confront the daunting challenges of making a life in the burgeoning frontier town of Seattle. Oliveira's vivid descriptions of the landscapes and harsh living conditions experienced by so many 19th century American immigrants will linger long after you've closed the book and you'll emerge with a richer understanding of the struggles they faced and the hopes and dreams that drove them.

[Oliveira] writes with such conviction and sensory detail that one cannot help but be transported into the world of these characters... the roughness of the place, and its wild beauty. This novel is as easy to slip into as a favorite sweater.

Oliveira vividly captures both the wonder and the struggle of forging a life in a world full of unknowns. Set against a rich and evocative setting, here's a story to make you cheer for love's tenacity, despite all the forces that seek to crush it.

Robin Oliveira has done it again, a passionate and beautiful story of people and place. This time she's in Seattle in the 1880s evoking the excitement and challenges of a young town and of young love trying to forge a better future. I thoroughly enjoyed how she wove history, landscape, love, and loss to bring to life the city and its people at a time of change.

Magnetic... Sweeps readers into the spectacular setting of the Washington Territory during the 1870s and 1880s. perfect for armchair travelers seeking an absorbing emotional escape.