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Praise for Dream Helper |
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..."The
mixture of historical setting and fictional narative makes Dream Helper
the vivid story that it is. Thompson's goal was 'never to let the history
get in the way of a good story and he has accomplished that with style.
Historical novelists like Alexandre Dumas and Colleen McCullough have
struggled with the same conundrum of how to mix fact with fancy, and Thompson
has solved it as well as any..." Read Santa Barbara's Noozhawk online review
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"In
telling the tale of the early days of Mission Santa Barbara, Willard Thompson
spins a yarn worthy of James Fenimore Cooper. His Dream Helper is a vivid
portrait of the triumphs and tragedies of the Franciscan friars who carry
the blinding light of Christ into the hinterlands of New Spain, the naïve
Chumash people who become their slaves, and the Spanish soldiers who keep
a predatory eye on them both. Those who've grown up in Southern California
will particularly appreciate Thompson's longingly rendered landscape of
stark hills, sere grasslands, and coastal fogs." |
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"Dream
Helper is vivid, carefully researched historical fiction that brings to
life an exciting and important period in early California. The characters
are well-drawn, the story of Cayatu is dramatic and engaging, Willard
Thompson is a writer to watch."
Leonard Tourney, author of Time's Fool |
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"Dream
Helper is a powerful story for women, a splendid historical adventure
for men, a short course in early California history for young readers,
and a flat-out, rip-roaring clash of culture for the rest of us who like
our stories filled with the real people, actual politics, and gritty dreams
of an emerging world."
Shelly Lowenkopf |
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A delightful fresh
look at the American Indian experience as told through the eyes of a
woman. The writing is lyrical and sweeps one along with all the passion
and drama of an iconic movie. |
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The
missionaries, conquistadors, settlers, and Native Americans of Dream Helper
spring to life in this historical novel of early Santa Barbara. The lively
cast of characters with their hopes, dreams, and cultural clashes, are
sure to provide the stuff of great book group discussion. With historical
accuracy and great attention to detail, Thompson illuminates the California
history you were never taught in grade school! |
