Desert Crop
When English widower Hector Stewart takes a new Irish wife, his children, Daniel  and Pattie, have considerable reservations. Their stepmother, Moira, has  foreign habits, strange manners, and a brash maid named Maggie Ann. But  as Hector becomes increasingly belligerent, Moira, Daniel, and Pattie  bond together against his wicked tempers. Unable to withstand the  growing tensions, Pattie leaves the farm and advises Daniel to join her.  Though Moira bears numerous children, Hector continues to waste his  money on drinking and whoring and earns the well-deserved hatred of the  rest of his family.Dwindling fortunes and a well-nurtured Oedipus complex accelerate the  rivalries between son and father until a fatal "accident" removes the  evil Hector. Daniel falls in love with the beautiful but shallow  Frances and remains blind to the allure of the plain but reliable  Janie. Burdened with the responsibility of Moira and her seven children,  Daniel is unable to successfully woo Frances. Bound to the farm and the  family, it looks as if Daniel may spend his life caring for everyone but  himself.Bestselling author Catherine Cookson uses her masterful knowledge of  19th-century  English life to flesh out the setting of this classic contrast between  familial duty and self-interest. While some readers  may find Cookson's deliberate pace and ingenuous themes at times frustrating, others seek out her work for just this type of insight  into human relations.--Nancy R.E. O'Brien--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.