Crown of Dust - Hardcover

Volmer, Mary

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0007205767 ISBN 13: 9780007205769

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2006

Synopsis

A remarkable debut novel. A powerful story of friendship, love and betrayal.

In a high mountain valley, a group of disparate characters have set up a rudimentary community, held together by the formidable Emaline, hostess of the wayside inn. It is there that Alex, on the run from something, concealed under a false identity, finds refuge but that arrival brings dramatic change to Motherlode.

In the small settlement, no one asks questions about where you have come from or who you are. They all know each other's virtues and vices: the rules are few and their own justice swift, an Eden of a sort. But then Alex, who has discovered fellowship for the first time, finds gold, a large gold nugget and with that one lucky strike, gold fever hits, everyone becomes a gold digger and outsiders of all kinds pour in. Houses, stores and streets replace the tents and mud paths. Wives, preachers, lawmen come to town and try to impose their order, their form of society on what they perceive as a lawless, godless community. And the past catches up with Alex.

So will the community betray their Golden Boy? Will Alex's true identity be discovered? Will the prejudice now present in the town be able to destroy Emaline and the rich spirit of her inn? Can Motherlode survive its gold rush?

Crown of Dust presents a timeless dilemma – can freedom and society co-exist – and is peopled with a wonderful cast of characters from Joseph longing always for his Cornish moors, John with his twin passions for the bible and whisky, Limpy with his recognizable ability of always finding the main chance and a sucker to persuade, Harry with a story, apparently from his own life, suited for any situation, Emaline full of tough love and an acceptance of people and Alex, a survivor against immense odds. Mary Volner is a great discovery, a storyteller with a remarkable voice.

About this title

Review:

Praise for Crown of Dust

"There are subliminal echoes of L. Frank Baum in Volmer's mythmaking . . . But Volmer keeps whimsy in check with a terse present-tense voice that invests her pioneers piquant inner lives and a poker-faced lyricism."
--The New York Times Book Review

"Carefully researched and meticulously imagined. Volmer has written a new story of the California gold rush that is as believable and transporting as any I have ever read . . . Volmer's characters are wonderful and the story is tense and engaging. A wonderful read."
--Karen Joy Fowler, author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves

"Any illusions about the glamour of digging for gold are totally shattered by Mary Volmer's Crown of Dust, a grim and carefully researched book about the California gold rush . . . Volmer, in her remarkable first novel, has re-created the reality of an era that few can even visualize now."
--The Washington Times

"Mary Volmer possesses such fierce powers of description, I could almost feel the dust of Motherlode clinging to the hem of my skirt. In Crown of Dust, Volmer has created an intensely physical and utterly enjoyable novel, filled with unforgettable characters." --Michelle Richmond, author of The Year of Fog

"Volmer's distinctive, beautifully written debut is set in the California gold rush country in the mid-19th century . . . [her] prose is taut and restrained, moving the story along at a healthy clip as her hardscrabble characters rumble and stumble through their dusty domain. Volmer's found a fat vein of gold in some heavily mined territory."
--Publishers Weekly Starred Review

"Volmer paints a moving portrait of outcasts and nonconformists who build their own community . . . evocative historical background and thoughtful social observation make this a promising debut."
--Kirkus Reviews

"Volmer's colorful debut is in many ways a typical Western, heavy on action and subplots involving miners, unions, and strikes . . . fresh and different."
--Library Journal

"Volmer's first novel is a pleasant effort . . . She captures the authenticity of place and the spirit of the period through the greed, exhilaration, disappointment and hope of the characters."
--Booklist

About the Author:

Mary Volmer was born in Grass Valley, California and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. She received a BA from Saint Mary's College, California, before completing a Masters degree at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth as a Rotary Scholar. She is currently the Agnes Butler Scholar at Saint Mary's College where she is pursuing a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and lecturing in English/ Composition. This is her first novel.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0007205767
• ISBN 13: 9780007205769
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288