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Overview
From the award-winning author of The Danish Girl and The Rose City, Pasadena tells the story of Linda Stamp, a fishergirl born in 1903 on a coastal onion farm, and the three men who change her life: her jealous brother, Edmund; Bruder, the orphan Linda’s father brings home from World War I; and a Pasadena orange rancher named Willis Poore. The novel spans Linda’s adventurous and romantic life, weaving the tales of her Mexican mother and her German-born father with those of the rural Pacific Coast of her youth and of the small, affluent city, Pasadena, that becomes her home. Pasadena is a novel of passion and history, about a woman and a place in perpetual transformation.
Synopsis
From the award-winning author of The Danish Girl and The Rose City, Pasadena tells the story of Linda Stamp, a fishergirl born in 1903 on a coastal onion farm, and the three men who change her life: her jealous brother, Edmund; Bruder, the orphan Linda’s father brings home from World War I; and a Pasadena orange rancher named Willis Poore. The novel spans Linda’s adventurous and romantic life, weaving the tales of her Mexican mother and her German-born father with those of the rural Pacific Coast of her youth and of the small, affluent city, Pasadena, that becomes her home. Pasadena is a novel of passion and history, about a woman and a place in perpetual transformation.
Carolyn See
A meticulously researched narrative that combines elements of gothic fairy tale, nineteenth-century romance, and the rise and decline of an enchanted American city, Pasadena is a traditional family saga in the very best sense.
Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
The Barnes & Noble ReviewThe author of the critically acclaimed historical novel The Danish Girl offers another richly multilayered, well-researched tale in Pasadena. Sweeping across the first half of the 20th century, David Ebershoff's epic chronicles the transition of Pasadena from border town to thriving city with engaging prose and a skillfully explored narrative.
The story begins just after World War I and follows the life of Linda Stamp, born on the California coast to a family of proud onion farmers. When her father returns from the war with the handsome but enigmatic Bruder -- who has inherited a nearby ranch, Condor's Nest, through a battlefield oath from a dying soldier -- Linda's notions for a life beyond her small town become reality. She falls in love with Bruder and accompanies him to the orange fields of Condor's Nest, where the lovers lead a passionate but friction-filled existence that eventually drives Linda away. Returning to Condor's Nest after several years, she becomes involved with Willis Poore, the man who originally gave the ranch to Bruder. Having recovered from his wounds, Poore challenges Bruder's claim to Condor's Nest, and a dispute ensues, one that gives rise to the possibility of murderous schemes. Divided by her earlier love for Bruder and the promise of status that Poore offers, Linda realizes the consequences of her choice might well affect much of America's future.
Audacious and complex, Pasadena is an urbane urban history -- one that weaves a beautiful love story, a gripping family saga, and the devious world of economic development into a book that feels as vibrant as a city. Ebershoff once again demonstrates the imaginative reach and intricacy that made The Danish Girl such a success. (Tom Piccirilli)
Carolyn See
A meticulously researched narrative that combines elements of gothic fairy tale, nineteenth-century romance, and the rise and decline of an enchanted American city, Pasadena is a traditional family saga in the very best sense.Chris Bohjalian
Pasadena is not merely a wondrous novel about California. It is a breathtakingly powerful novel about America. Here is an altogether mesmerizing story of a world forever transformed, as well as one of the most authentic and beautiful love stories I've ever read. Pure and simple, this book is a treasure.Publishers Weekly
The sophomore slump strikes in Ebershoff's muddled, uneven second novel, a historical work set in his native Pasadena that gets off to a solid start when land developer Andrew Blackwood tries to buy a ranch from an older farmer named Bruder as WWII ends and big profits loom on the horizon. The recalcitrant rancher refuses to sell, but rather than follow that promising plot line, Ebershoff shifts to the beginning of the century to explore the history of the ranch. His vehicle is a complex romantic triangle involving Bruder and his boss, Willis Poore, as they vie for the affection of the beautiful Linda Stamp while the fate of the ranch hangs in the balance. Ebershoff's ongoing fascination with the details and minutiae of his various subplots romantic and otherwise and the Pasadena history he integrates into them slows the momentum of the romantic story line, which briefly develops some intriguing sparks after a strange incident between Bruder and Poore during WWI in which a land exchange gives Bruder the upper hand after the war even though Poore ends up marrying Stamp. As beautifully written as the subplots are, Ebershoff's inability to develop narrative tension makes them seem jumbled and static, and the resolution to the triangle is anticlimactic. Bruder and Stamp are granted some revelatory moments as their longings unfold, and Ebershoff writes eloquently about the impending changes that are about to transform Pasadena. But the triangle conceit isn't strong enough to carry a novel of this length and depth, and this book represents a significant drop-off from Ebershoff's brilliant exploration of the artistic world in The Danish Girl. Agent, Elaine Koster. (July 16) Forecast: The popularity of The Danish Girl will sustain sales at first, but mixed reviews are likely to dampen enthusiasm in the long run. 10-city author tour. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.KLIATT
Touted as "Wuthering Heights meets East of Eden" by The Wall Street Journal, this best-selling novel sectioned with verses from Emily Bronte is also reminiscent of The Great Gatsby in its themes and elements. It is more a saga, however, with its strong interplay of history and character development. Set in and near the author's hometown and covering the first half of the 20th century, the story begins with Dieter Stumpf, an immigrant who settles on a 20-acre land-grant plot high atop a seashore bluff and establishes an onion farm. He marries Valencia, a Mexican immigrant who swims ashore to escape her sea captain, and Sieglinde, the story's heroine, is born. She becomes Linda Stamp as a result of WW I. Dieter goes off to war and returns with a young man named Bruder when she is 16. The quiet Bruder, returning to a place not far from his orphanage roots, has secrets and promises to keep. He falls in love with Linda, who returns his affections. Strange twists of fate and desire keep the lovers apart. Bruder goes to work for Willis Poore on the Rancho Pasadena growing oranges and begs Linda to join him. She finally relents and the events leading to the tragic ends of the Stamps and the Poores follow. The saga relates the heartbreak of keeping secrets, personal ambition as a result of destitution and denial, and the consequences of false pretenses. Bruder and Charlotte Moss, Linda's childhood friend, narrate it. Many of the facts that motivate the characters are cleverly withheld to keep up the suspense. We do learn the details of the secrets and promises, but we never find out what happens to the property that was the final setting for Linda's life. Her story remains the imperative. Thisedition contains a reader's guide with a note from the author and discussion questions for readers' groups. KLIATT Codes: SA;Recommended for senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2002, Random House, 498p.,— Ann Hart