The Star Garden: A Novel of Sarah Agnes Prine

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When he reveals a plan to grant Sarah her dearest wish, she is overwhelmed with passion and excitement. She soon discovers, however, that there is more to a formal education than she bargained for. Behind the scenes, Sarah's old friend, Maldonado, has struck a deal with the very men who will become linchpins of the Mexican Revolution. Maldonado plots to coerce Sarah into partnership, but when she refuses, he devises a murderous plan to gain her land for building a railroad straight to Mexico.

When Sarah's son, Charlie, unexpectedly returns from town with a new bride, the plot turns into an all-out range war between the two families.

The Star Garden: A Novel of Sarah Agnes Prine

Finally putting an end to Udell's constant kindnesses, Sarah describes herself as "an iron-boned woman. It is only through a chance encounter that she discovers his true feelings, and only then can she believe that a selfless love has at last reached out to her. Sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company. Would you like to tell us about a lower price? Read more Read less. Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest.

Get this audiobook plus a second, free. Free with Audible trial. Cancel anytime and keep all your audiobooks. What other items do customers buy after viewing this item? These Is My Words: Product details Audible Audiobook Listening Length: August 14, Whispersync for Voice: Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. Showing of reviews. Top Reviews Most recent Top Reviews. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. I read through The Star Garden in just a few days, because I needed to know what happened next.

I am happy to know what happened but am sad to be leaving Sarah behind in her world. I think perhaps the ebook may have been produced using OCR or something, and then a human did not read it word for word. In one place, the number 1 replaced what should have been a capital I. Another place, at least half a sentence was just missing altogether. There were hyphens in the middle of names and other words where they clearly did not belong, and spaces missing between words. The most distracting and maddening error was that for some unknown reason, the word eyes was italicized throughout the book as though it were a foreign word or it just needed extra emphasis every time it appeared.

Hardback Editions

If the publisher is going to charge me just as much for an ebook as a paperback, I expect them to take the same care in producing it. One person found this helpful. This is the third of Turner's Sarah Prine trilogy. As I told the members of my book discussion group when I recommended we read the first,: The problem was that most got to involved they finished the huge book in the first month.

This Country that we tend to mindlessly accept and ungratefully use. Thank you, Nancy Turner! Forty-three-year-old widow Sarah Agnes Prine Elliott has just survived one of the most difficult years of her life. Her longtime friend and neighbor Rudolfo Maldonado has just tried to get back into her good graces after being discovered attempting to sabotage Sarah's ranch, but she still doesn't believe he's really sorry.

Sarah is a tough, tender, admirable powerhouse of a woman--any reader will find her difficult to forget. Mar 05, Heather rated it really liked it Shelves: I feel like Nancy Turner redeemed herself with this book. I did not care much for Sarah's Quilt, and I think you could skip right over it and go from These Is my Words to this one.

Paperback Editions

I felt like the former, gritty Sarah was back in this installment. Too many disasters and hardships befell her in Sarah's Quilt--to the point where it bordered on ridiculous. The action starts right away, and there is never a dull moment in this story. Sarah is trying to stay afloat after losing her entire herd of cattle. She has no money, and it's a struggle trying to keep her family fed. She has a houseful with Granny, Chess, her two sons, as well as her brother Harland and his 3 children living with her. She still has her battle with the railroad and neighbor Maldanado to fight as well. Her love-interest, Udell, is no replacement for Jack but supplies a satisfying, more mature love story.

Udell is a truly likeable man, and provides Sarah what Jack never could--a stable, dependable presence. I enjoyed Turner's descriptive writing, and all of Sarah's home-timey axioms.

Some passages were so touchingly beautiful that they almost moved me to tears "I dream of land, cut only where streams glistened with birdsong wander through quiet hills burnt hard by the scrape of wind, and of a porch from which a single road leads only homeward". I wonder if I could go back in time and have Sarah Prine Elliott adopt me. Maybe I would be Mary Pearl, the niece that's a bit too feisty for her times. I'm not sure I'd be feisty or strong enough to be Sarah herself. The Star Garden is the third of this series, a welcome respite from the dark, dreary year chronicled in Sarah's Quilt.

I realize that the life of a frontier woman was difficult at best, but the hardships visited upon the Prine family that year were almost too much to bear. The Star Garden is a bit more optimistic; Sarah is pulling herself up by her boot straps to recapture the relative affluence she had enjoyed before her erstwhile nephew Willie arrived in Arizona, and she manages to make some good strides towards that goal. I have to say that while this book earns every one of its five stars, it still cannot touch These Is My Words, the first in this season.

That book was so very compelling, weaving its web around the reader and sucking her into the late s so much so that hearing one's dryer buzzer sound is a harsh jolt back into the 21st century. The Star Garden is almost as good, however, with a much happier ending than is expected. I just wish that Ms Turner had let go of the diary format. After the first book, it just didn't work anymore. Based on these three novels, I am now counting Nancy E. Turner as one of my favorite authors. I am currently reading her book The Water and the Blood, and it doesn't disappoint either, though I was very sad to bid Sarah Prine goodbye.

I only wish Ms Turner were a better known author so that everyone would be able to enjoy her writing. Jun 18, Karen Mosley rated it really liked it Recommends it for: Twice the fun and half the worry. I really enjoyed the story, but was sorry I hadn't read it with my own voice and inflections. The second in the series, "Sarah's Quilt", was a disappointment--too many disasters to even be believable.

This third book in the series renewed my enjoyment of the story and the charater of Sarah Agnes Prine. I often related to her struggles and emotions and fatigue! I stopped worrying about whether or not it "really" happened because it's based on journal entries and was able to enjoy it even more.

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Mar 15, Makita rated it really liked it. Why did Jack have to die in the first book????? My only other complaint is that Blessing died, I knew from the very beginning she needed to stay on the ranch with Aunt Sarah!!! WHat a hard time to live in and while this is fiction I am sure it is a true story for This is the 3rd book in the Sarah Agnes Prine series and I love her so of course I loved the book.

WHat a hard time to live in and while this is fiction I am sure it is a true story for more than one person. I am hoping to find somewhere that these books have been made into movies, I would love to watch this story. Jan 24, Laura rated it it was ok Shelves: I had such high hopes after reading all the reviews of this book.

But towards the end of that book--and most of this book--I felt like Turner was trying to just pack in as much dreadful occurrences as possible. By the end of the story, she'd focused so much on these events--many of which didn't really feel fleshed out view spoiler [e. What was the point of his character? Even worse, what was the point of Professor O. Frankly, there were times I just couldn't follow her plot I guess I also never quite view spoiler [accepted Ruldolfo as the bad guy he became in this book because his character seemed so opposite of that in the first book.

In this book, he moved from bad guy to just plain evil guy.

Oct 10, Mela rated it liked it Shelves: I start with summarizing: This story would have been much better if the characters at least main were new. I think especially after reading some other reviews that many readers don't agree with me but I had enough of Sarah. I still can't believe it but it is the truth. She was so strong personality in previous books, but although in some aspects here she was strong too, her "I will marry Udell, I'll not, I'll, I'll not To me, it didn't fix with her personality.

It I start with summarizing: It looked like Mrs. Turner tried to put more drama into romance. Moreover, I was annoyed also by all those repeating about the past events. I know, a writer of series is allowed to write the next part also as a standalone. But I think it isn't the strongest side of Mrs. In Sarah's Quilt , it wasn't so bad because it was part of mourning. But here I had enough.

I think also that the last two deaths or at least the one before last weren't necessary. Nonetheless, it was still an interesting view of those times, good historical fiction. If I hadn't read other books by Nancy E. Turner I would have liked it more and I would have given it 4 or even 5 stars. But comparing it to such masterpieces like These Is My Words: If you don't know Mrs. Turner's novels read the best two. The other parts of Sarah Agnes Prine series read with low expectations. This way you will not be much disappointed. Mar 03, Julianne rated it it was amazing.

This book by Nancy E. Turner is the third in the series that started with These Is My Words. This one is almost as good as the first, and both are real page-turners. Sarah Agnes Prine could have been my own great-great-grandmothers, who lived and loved and died in the same part of Southern Arizona. I felt like I was reading my own family history. Sarah lives outside of Tucson. Someone killed and rustled all her cattle, and she is struggling to take care of her family.

A widow, Sarah is out hunti This book by Nancy E. A widow, Sarah is out hunting one day and comes across a stagecoach accident. She lets the mules loose, rescues the survivors and hauls the dead into town, delivering them to the Wells Fargo people. Then she has to deal with mumps and influenza, kind neighbors and hateful neighbors, gunfights and injuries, death and carnage, and someone kills all her chickens and salts the neighbor's garden!

The Star Garden

People want to leave, or they want to move in, or they want her to move out. Should she sell to the railroad? Can she become a full-time student? If so, she faces doting professors and ornery professors. How can she do this and keep track of things at home? These books have given me a great respect for the women of the Old West, and this is what I have decided: Our grandmothers had to be tough broads! No room for sissies in the settling of the Arizona Territory.

A woman was tough, resourceful, competent and resilient. And she'd better be a good shot, or else she didn't survive. Sarah not only survives; she triumphs! Jun 20, Christine rated it it was amazing Shelves: I cannot rave enough about this book and the whole trilogy. I've come to love the main character, Sarah Prine, so much that I can't stand the idea of no more books about her life.

I swear I'm going to write Nancy Turner and plead with her to continue the saga. She is just one of the most memorable characters I've ever read about. And frankly all the characters in this latest book are so well drawn and realistic that you sweat bullets for them when they're in danger. And they're in danger a lot i I cannot rave enough about this book and the whole trilogy. And they're in danger a lot in The Star Garden. It was so exciting in many spots that I'd call it a thriller. It took me hours today to finish off the last 30 pages of the novel, because it was too exciting to put down, but too good to want it to end.

What a marvelous fix to be in! Nancy Turner is one of my three favorite historical fiction writers and I will read anything she writes! Mar 07, Dana rated it really liked it. I really enjoyed this book. I have loved the series. Of course, my favorite is the first book written "These is My Words". In this book,it took me a little while to become refamiliar with the characters because it's been awhile since I read "Sarah's Quilt". But once I did, I fell in love all over again with the Prine family, and the ever-strong and faithful family matriach - Sarah.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has read the first two. I just finished reading the last chapt I really enjoyed this book. I just finished reading the last chapter, and had that a-ha moment - "If Sarah did it, I can overcome lifes challenges too". Definitely worth the read. Feb 21, Deborah Pickstone rated it liked it Shelves: Excessive amount of troubles levied on one family - makes Wuthering Heights look almost a feelgood story.

This third book might perhaps have been better not written, it seemed like it was there to make an ending rather than for itself entire. Feb 22, Susan rated it really liked it. If this is the last in the series of Sarah Prine books, I will be very sad. I could keep reading about her family and all the trouble that seems to follow them forever.

Great story telling novels expertly written. Oct 23, Lesr Kew rated it liked it. For some reason I was not as gripped by the story. But perhaps it is because a i had grown comfortable with the characters as if they were my own family. Oct 05, Lynne Tull rated it really liked it Shelves: This last book of the trilogy lost a star from the first two. It was more of the same. Every tragic thing that could happen to Sarah and her family happens.

One day all will be sunshine and happiness and the next minute it turns to tragedy. I don't know how she managed to keep her sanity. Recommend the series, beginning with 'These is My Words', but be prepared for a bumpy read. These are not books that are a speed read. You will learn a lot about the times in which Sarah lived. It is worth the This last book of the trilogy lost a star from the first two. It is worth the read.

Product details

Nov 20, Lida rated it it was amazing. I do know that the characters of Sarah and her sister-in-law are so well-drawn that when they have some serious confrontational scenes, the emotions and implications expressed by Turner made me cry in public. Oct 09, Hope Garfield rated it really liked it. That would have saved a lot of trouble in this one. Jun 09, Jill Urie rated it really liked it Shelves: What a great end to a great series. A lot of the story just detailed one hardship after another.

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