Ambition & Fate

Synopsis

Set Against A Southern California Backdrop Stretching From Sacred Burial Grounds On An Island Off The Santa Barbara Coast To The Sprawling San Fernando Valley, Ambition & Fate Is A Highly Charged Tale Of Greed, Honor And Hubris. Based On Actual Events In The Author's Own Young Years, It Is A Novel That Reads Like A Memoir--rooted In Truth, Yet Artful And Unpredictable. Adam Spencer And Katherine Walker Seem Destined For One Another--he The Bright, Sincere, Future Doctor; She The Spirited, Green-eyed Beauty Trained To Run Her Powerful Father's Real Estate Empire. But They Are Soulmates In A Sea Of Uncertainty, Buffeted By The Undercurrent Of Love Found, Then Lost, Then Reawakened Through A Surprising Connection. While Adam And Katherine's Story Is The Heart Of The Novel, It Is Fickle Nature That Propels The Narrative: Santa Ana Winds, Consuming Fire And An Unforgiving Sea Alter The Familial And Political Landscape. Characters Bring The Tapestry To Life: A Longtime Simi Valley Pioneer, A Cantankerous But Heart-of-gold Navy Chief, A Government Official Scheming To Profit From California's Post-wwii Housing Boom, And Vaqueros Descended From Displaced Chumash Indians. The Events That Bind This Disparate Cast Become A Crucible Of Character. Steinbeckian In Tone, Faulkneresque In Theme, Ambition & Fate Manages To Be Both Lyrical And Down-to-earth--a Very Satisfying Read