“Immersive, enchanting, and gripping, In A Far-Off Land is do-not-miss historical fiction.” —Patti Callahan, NYT Bestselling author of Becoming Mrs. Lewis
It’s 1931 in Hollywood, and Minerva Sinclaire is on the run for a murder she didn’t commit.
As the Great Depression hits the Midwest, Minerva Sinclaire runs away to Hollywood, determined to make it big and save the family farm. But beauty and moxie don’t pay the bills in Tinseltown, and she’s caught in a downward spiral of poverty, desperation, and compromise. Finally, she’s about to sign with a major studio and make up for it all. Instead, she wakes up next to a dead film star and is on the run for a murder she didn’t commit.
Only two unwilling men―Oscar, a Mexican gardener in danger of deportation, and Max, a too-handsome agent battling his own demons―can help Mina escape corrupt police on the take and the studio big shots trying to frame her. But even her quick thinking and grit can’t protect her from herself. Alone, penniless, and carrying a shameful secret, Mina faces the consequences of the heartbreaking choices that brought her to ruin . . . and just might bring her back to where she belongs.
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Sexual Content - 1/5
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Violence - 1/5
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Language - 0/5
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Drugs and Alcohol - 1/5
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Summary
From: Rebecca Maney
Book Title: In a Far-Off Land
Book Author: Stephanie Landsem
What do you like about this book:
"I'd thought California was different, that the hard times didn't dare visit this far-off land of dreams. Boy, was I wrong about that."
"You'll find your way, my girl", my mama had said. Except, my way had not turned out so well.
Small town girl Minnie Zimmerman had run as "far-off" as she could from the small Midwest town of Odessa, South Dakota, taking her father's small savings, and her mother's wedding ring, right along with her. Making it all the way to Hollywood, Mina's pretty face and fashionable clothes don't earn her a place on the big screen . . . or any screen for that matter, so as a last resort, she makes a litany of poor choices, simply for sake of survival (or at least that is what she tells herself). Then. . . . along comes Max, with his handsome face, suave persona, and deep connections; but even Max can't protect Mina from a murder charge.
Clothed in the glitz and glamour of the Hollywood lifestyle, this story deep dives into the more than likely possibility of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, while providing a desperate young woman with several unlikely allies who are challenged to demonstrate mercy and to fight relentlessly on her behalf. It's also a tale of two very broken souls, who in their attempt not to hurt each other, do exactly that.
Max and Mina, thank you for reminding us that loving deeply almost certainly includes unconditional forgiveness, for after all, didn't Jesus tell us a story about that?
"Sometimes, . . . . you don't get what you deserve.
Sometimes you get so much more."