A Striving After Wind series by Sharon Traner (#1-2)
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Overview: No bio is available for the author.
Genre: Fiction > General Fiction/Classics
Part I
Annie Winston and her brothers were surrounded by wealth and prestige all their lives as part of the affluent New York City Social Registry. They are spoiled, self-indulgent, and, as their mother says, "They don’t know how to dream." Their father, Matthew, has long been unhappy as CEO of his family’s ship-building conglomerate and yearns for a simpler existence. He met his wife, Kathleen, in Ireland during the war and became enthralled with her family’s rural way of life. When Kathleen dies in childbirth, the bereaved Matthew seizes upon an opportunity to uproot his family and moves them to a place that was unlike anything they ever imagined. The Winstons suddenly find themselves living on a farm in the Upper Mississippi Valley near Dubuque, Iowa.
When first faced with the prospect of this drastic change, the oldest son, Mack, makes it clear that he had no intention of engaging in this lunacy. Living on a farm and performing menial labor did not align with his preferred partying, playboy lifestyle. This was 1970 and until then, he has made dodging the draft his singular ambition in life, infuriating his father who viewed the Vietnam War as a patriotic and noble cause. Faced with being disowned, Mack has no choice but to cooperate with his father’s wishes. His dread is proven to be founded when the family arrives at their rundown, long-neglected farmstead.
Annie feels compelled to assume the mothering role for her seven younger siblings but is ill-equipped to run a household in the dilapidated, sprawling farmhouse. Realizing that she has always lacked any direction or usefulness in her life, she perseveres and gradually discovers a sense of purpose. She was repulsed, then intrigued, by the secretive stranger whom her father has hired to help them in their new venture. As the summer grinds on, she realizes that she cares for him but realizes there is little hope that her affection will ever be reciprocated. Sonny Jackson remains as reclusive and detached as ever.
Meanwhile, Mack has a chance encounter with a beautiful young woman who becomes his “mystery lady”. Coincidentally, his brother Andrew, who promised his mother since childhood that he would become a priest, also becomes enamored with the beautiful Penny Lamp, which puts him on a collision course with his older brother. There are other insecurities and rivalries that emerge between other family members as they slowly transition into their new lifestyle on the farm. Thomas, the musician, despises John, the athlete. Little boys, Danny and Peter, often feet neglected as the adults deal with the stresses and physical demands of their new lives. Not even the baby, Becky, and four-year old, Joey, who is afflicted with physical and cognitive delays, are protected from the constant chaos that surrounds them.
Part II
This is the second and concluding part of the Winston family saga. In Part I, the family found themselves suddenly uprooted from the life of luxury in New York City and are now living on a farm in Northwestern Iowa in the Upper Mississippi Valley near Dubuque, Iowa. They have been forced to undergo a reluctant transformation, not only in accepting the grueling work but also an adjustment of attitudes, goals, and dreams.
The oldest son, Mack, who agreed to join the family in their odyssey west only when threatened with getting disowned, has quite unexpectedly fallen in love with his “mystery lady,” a student nurse who coincidentally attended him after he sustained a gunshot wound and subsequent amputation of his right leg. His brother, Andrew, also became enamored with the lovely Penny Lamp and fantasizes of the day his brother will grow tired of her and he will be able to reveal his true feelings. Annie has settled into the routine on the farm and has begun to embrace the new lifestyle, dreaming of the day Sonny Jackson will reciprocate her affections. However, he remains as aloof and mysterious as the day he first entered their lives and has no intention of allowing any personal entanglements.
And so, a persistent cloud of uncertainty permeates their lives. News reports of national politics and global events monopolize their thoughts and fears as they struggle to cope with changing ideals and attitudes. Luke has enlisted and the family worries he may get sent to Vietnam. Margaret, his high school sweetheart, is now immersed in the antiwar chaos and turmoil that is sweeping across college campuses as she waits for Luke’s return.
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