Synopsis
The acclaimed author delivers a searing new novel of love and loyalty, of guilt and honor. In a story set against the epic backdrop of wilderness firefighting and frontline photojournalism, he gives his many listeners another hero...
In THE SMOKE JUMPER, Nicholas Evans delivers his most powerful novel to date, a story of two best friends and the woman they both love. When a terrible mountain fire forces her to choose between them, all three lives are changed forever. Here, Evans explores the territory he has carved out as his own: raw but complex emotions set against a vast landscape. Writing unflinchingly about the yearnings of the human heart and the painful quest for self-discovery, he gives listeners a story of three fine people forced to walk the flames of passion and guilt, and to make the devastating choice between love and honor.
THE SMOKE JUMPER combines pulse-pounding suspense with an unforgettable love story that his listeners all over the world will avidly embrace.
Publishers Weekly
With fists over their hearts, best friends Connor Ford and Ed Tully shout out "hearts of fire" before parachuting into devastating forest fires to extinguish them. Working side by side in life-threatening circumstances, this unlikely pair (Connor is a Montana cowboy and freelance photographer; Ed is a Chicago musician and would-be playwright) bond through their summer job. Ed's girlfriend, Julia, counsels troubled teens in the Montana wilderness and, though neither one acknowledged it, when Connor and Julia met sparks flew. All three of their lives change irreparably when Julia is trapped in a raging forest fire. Ed becomes blinded during the rescue, and Connor saves Julia. Julia marries Ed out of a sense of responsibility, and a frustrated Connor leaves for years to travel the globe as a war photographer. Although it sounds like an extravagant soap opera, and occasionally feels that way, Evans's (The Horse Whisperer and The Loop) latest novel is about more than just a complicated love triangle. From its opening line, "The important things in life always happen by accident," this is a tale of fate and the search for happiness and self-fulfillment. Conger's strong, clear reading has an edge accentuating the danger of Connor's life, yet at the same time his voice is a source of integrity and calm that anchors the story. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.