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Categories: Science fiction Fantasy Mystery Romance Business Classic Sports Young adult Humor Memoirs See all categories... |
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Categories: Science fiction Fantasy Mystery Romance Business Classic Sports Young adult Humor Memoirs See all categories... |
Johnny Reace blows into Beaker's Bride, Illinois, on the crest of a rainstorm and changes the face of the little town for all time. Particularly influenced are Bonner Relee--owner of the old Beaker mansion, keeper of the cemetery, and backbone of the community--his grandson, Jess; and daughter-in-law, Alva. Johnny seems somehow responsible for the tragedy of Beaker's Bride, although the town is hovering on the brink of disaster when he arrives. Without planning anything more than a few day's rest before hitting the road again, bound for St. Louis and then Florida, Johnny nevertheless finds his life bonding inextricably with the lives of the townspeople. Unable to live up to the larger-than-life image created by Jess, Johnny is responsible for Jess's death. Unwilling to commit to a lifetime in Beaker's Bride, Johnny hastens the decline of the town and its people. Unable to respond to Alva with the love she so desperately desires, Johnny brings about his own death. A novel in the tradition of William Faulkner, The Beginning of Sorrow is a gripping tale of love and death set in small-town central Illinois.
