"Paloverde" es una novela panorámica en su más amplio sentido.Es muchas cosas. Es la historia de Amélie, una impresionante historia de amor de una muchacha inteligente, sensitiva y supremamente apasionada. Es también la historia de dos hermanos cuyo fogoso amor por la misma mujer está a punto de destruirlos a los dos. Es una crónica del poder de los ferrocarriles, del descubrimiento de petróleo en Los Angeles, del nacimiento de la industria cinematográfica y del advenimiento de la aviación...

The 1970s vintage romance novels generally follow a typical pattern– an attractive, intelligent, somewhat innocent young woman has an uncontrollable adventurous streak and a penchant for non-conformity. She inevitably falls in love with a man who is not acceptable for social, cultural, or economic reasons. He may be from the wrong side of the tracks, is of a conflicting religion, of a different race, or has incompatible moral standards. Sometimes there are additional themes and if it’s a historical novel, it may include a considerable amount of facts and details about the era in which the story takes place.

"Paloverde" was published in 1978 and fits this mold perfectly. Additionally, just the fact that "Paloverde" was written 40 years ago lends a historic slant to the narration. It is the story of the prestigious Van Vliet family. The young attractive women in this particular novel are Amelie Deane and her daughter Tessa. The story takes place in 3 parts over a period of 40 years.

Part 1 is titled ‘The Railroad- 1884’. The opening scene at Amelie’s father’s funeral in Los Angeles sets the stage for all the events that follow. Amelie’s father was an executive at the Southern Pacific Railroad which at the time is the fastest growing business in the United States. The plot follows the story of both Van Vliet sons falling in love with Amelie. There are plenty of interesting details covering the growth and development of Southern California, which in the late 1800s is little more than a collection of small villages growing throughout the wilderness.

Part 2, ‘Oil- 1891’ brings a whole new industry to Southern California. The Van Vliet brothers discover oil in a tract of land near Los Angeles and lead the way in creating commercial uses for this new commodity.

Finally, ‘The Movies- 1917’, originally called “motion pictures” because they were silent films with sub-titles, provides an up-close and personal view of the birth of Hollywood. By this time the Van Vliet brothers have become older and the young Van Vliet cousins take their place as the central characters. Kingdon Vance, aka Kingdon Van Vliet becomes an ace pilot in World War I. He takes his show to Hollywood and becomes a national movie idol.

"Paloverde" offers a suspenseful plot including love, war, murder, rape, and adultery. But beware however, as you may find segments of the plot are somewhat repulsive- especially in today’s “politically correct” environment. ( )