A Wild and Heavenly Place - by Robin Oliveira (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Hailey MacIntyre seems conjured from the depths of Samuel Fiddes's loneliness. Caring for his young sister in the tenements of Glasgow, Scotland, Samuel has known only hunger, while Hailey has never known want. When Samuel saves Hailey's brother from a runaway carriage, a friendship begins. Through secret meetings and stolen moments, they learn the topography of one another's innermost thoughts. Then the City of Glasgow Bank fails in 1878, destroying the only life Hailey has known. Her bankrupt father impulsively moves the family across the globe to Seattle, a city rumored to have coal in its hills and easy money for anyone willing to work for it. Samuel's days are haunted by Hailey's parting words: Remember, Washington Territory. Armed only with his wits, he determines to follow her, leaving behind everything he has ever known in search of Hailey and a chance to make a better life for his sister. But the fledgling town barely cut out of the wilderness will test them all in ways unimaginable. Poignant and lyrical, A Wild and Heavenly Place is an ode to the Pacific Northwest, to those courageous and resilient enough to chase the American Dream, and to a love so powerful it endures beyond distance, beyond hope"--

Book Synopsis

How far would you go? How much would you risk?

Hailey MacIntyre seems conjured from the depths of Samuel Fiddes's loneliness. Caring for his young sister in the tenements of Glasgow, Scotland, Samuel has known only hunger, while Hailey has never known want. Yet, when Samuel saves Hailey's brother from a runaway carriage, their connection is undeniable.

Through secret meetings and stolen moments, their improbable love grows. But then the City of Glasgow Bank fails, and Hailey's bankrupt father impulsively moves their family across the globe to Seattle, a city rumored to have coal in its hills and easy money for anyone willing to work for it.

Samuel is haunted by Hailey's parting words: Remember, Washington Territory. Armed only with his wits, he determines to follow her, leaving behind everything he has ever known in search of Hailey and the chance of a better life for his sister. But the fledgling town barely cut out of the wilderness holds its own secrets and will test them all in ways unimaginable.

Poignant and lyrical, A Wild and Heavenly Place is an ode to the Pacific Northwest, to those courageous enough to chase the American Dream, and to a love so powerful it endures beyond distance, beyond hope.

Review Quotes

An AARP Most Romantic Book of All Time Pick

"Tender and heartwarming... Oliveira paints vivid and detailed vignettes of a crudely developed Seattle."--The Seattle Times

"A love story with all the fear, bravery and challenges of forging a new life in a new place. It's an American story of tenacity and triumph in a vibrant, new, wide-open country... perfect for the Pacific Northwest reader." - Yakima Herald-Republic

"A vivid story of the grit and the glory of early Seattle.... An epic story of star-crossed lovers that spans continents and classes." - Erica Bauermeister, New York Times bestselling author of The Scent Keeper

"Pulls you in from the beginning and rewards you with an ending that is both triumphant and bittersweet." - Melanie Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Aviator's Wife

"A fascinating history too seldom told. Robin Oliveira's words have changed the way I see home, what came before, and what has been here all along."--Laurie Frankel, New York Times bestselling author of This Is How It Always Is

"[Oliveira] writes with such conviction and sensory detail that one cannot help but be transported into the world of these characters...the roughness of the place, and its wild beauty. This novel is as easy to slip into as a favorite sweater." --Kirkus Reviews

"The book is part love story, part history of place, part geography, and all excellent.... [A] story of love, despair, jealousy, revenge, and hope in the lives of characters the reader won't soon forget."--Elizabeth George, New York Times bestselling author of Something to Hide

"Oliveira vividly captures both the wonder and the struggle of forging a life in a world full of unknowns.... [H]ere's a story to make you cheer for love's tenacity." -Susan Meissner, USA Today bestselling author of Only the Beautiful

"Magnetic... Sweeps readers into the spectacular setting of the Washington Territory during the 1870s and 1880s... perfect for armchair travelers seeking an absorbing emotional escape." - Booklist

About the Author

Robin Oliveira is the New York Times bestselling author of My Name Is Mary Sutter, I Always Loved You, and Winter Sisters. She holds a B.A. in Russian and studied at the Pushkin Language Institute in Moscow. She received an MFA in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and is a former registered nurse, specializing in critical care. She lives near Seattle, Washington.