Moving Serafina
Late in life, Clayton Elliot faces long-deferred, hard choices. Circumstances force him to bury his recently deceased wife, Adelita, in the little West Texas border town of Solitario instead of next to their three-year old daughter on their hardpan ranch. To pay for Adelita's cancer treatments, Clayton sold this marginal ranchland to water developers. By reuniting Serafina with her mother in Solitario, Clayton hopes to assuage his guilt about her death twenty-five years earlier. However, whether Clayton moves Serafina immediately or ignores the contracted deadline, either act will trigger drilling into the aquifer for water. His lifelong friends are vehemently opposed to drilling. When a young Mexican woman mysteriously enters his life, Clayton must delay his efforts to move Serafina and surreptitiously help this woman who has illegally crossed into Texas. This decision also raises the ire of Clayton's friends. Throughout the novel, Clayton struggles with both the internal and external borders of his life. And the eccentric characters of Solitario find they, too, must confront their own geographical, psychological, and racial boundaries.
Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:0875653561
ISBN13:9780875653563
Release Date:August 2007
Publisher:Texas Christian University Press
Length:354 Pages
Weight:1.50 lbs.
Dimensions:1.3" x 6.4" x 9.1"
Customer Reviews
5 ratings
Craftily woven storylines make for a great read
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
I picked up this book over the holidays and was very pleased. Cherry's characters are rich and fully realized, and he masterfully presents the reader with all the angles to the issues his characters face without forcing on opinion on the reader. In addition, this is not a linear storyline, which Cherry handles with perfect attention to detail making the twists and turns of the plot enjoyable yet not confusing. A second read will be necessary to pick up what I previously missed, which I am looking forward to doing in the near future.
Tremendous Read
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
As a former High School English student of Bob Cherry, I am so impressed with his work. A novel must catch me within the first few pages to pique my interest. "Moving Serefina" not only piqued my interested, it totally captured me. I found myself not wanting to put the book down due to the fixation I had on the storyline. More often than not, I totally forgot that it was Bob writing. I was reading because I loved the story, not because I knew the writer. What an awesome read. If we were still back in English class I would imagine that this work would be one that we could and should be requred to read. Thanks Bob for such a wonderful story.
Bob Cherry scores again!!!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
The rugged, hot and dry southwest is the setting for another great novel by Bob Cherry. From a tragic event, there is woven a story that blends contemporary themes such as illegal immigration and water rights. The long suffering main character strives to achieve his goal with a diverse chorus of loyal friends. Challenged by villans (read big business) he rises to the occasion with some special and unexpected help. The end of each chapter leaves you with the anticipation to read more. As always, Mr Cherry leads us around many corners, with surprises constantly arising.
Gifted!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
Bob Cherry's novels are too tender for him to be labeled a social novelist. Yet, in the great tradition of lasting literature, such as Grapes of Wrath, Bob Cherry--one of the West's most gifted writers--manages to link the anguish of his superb characters with the crippling effects of environmental and political decisions. With perfect gentle pitch, Moving Serafina, delivers a heart-rending, pulse-racing narrative, against a backdrop of two issues threatening to erupt like a volcano in America's Heartland; immigrants from Mexico and water rights. The wonder of Cherry's abilities, is that all the reader really cares about in Moving Serafina is the outcome of tragically entrapped Clay Elliot's attempts to move his baby daughter's grave. Yet, one also finishes the book with a profound understanding of the charged multiple stances on border crossings, and an awareness of the looming earth-shaking fight over water rights. Moving Serafina is a triumphant testimony to the gritty nobility of men and women linked in a common cause. Cherry deftly weaves in Clay's all too human friends, the aging beauty, Jovita Seals (a past love), and a haunting terror-stricken young Mexican woman.
LOVED this book! What a moving story!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
I was hooked right from the beginning. I took this book on vacation because I knew I would have plenty of time between flights to read. I found myself not wanting to put it down and even thinking about what was going to happen next when I wasn't reading it. I even shed a tear in the airport while reading about Clayton's plight to save his baby Serafina. The author made it so easy to put yourself in the main character's shoes and feel his pain in his attempt to come to terms with his daughter's death, and to fulfill his wife's last wishes. This is a moving story about family, friends, drought and illegal immigration. I wouldn't hesitate for a second to recommend this novel.
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