Shepherd of Guadeloupe

This is perhaps the finest of the Zane Grey "war novels" dealing with the treatment the returning, injured war veterans faced at the end of WW1. Cliff Forrest is his name, and he embodied what Zane Grey saw in the unfair treatment of the crippled soldier who survived the war. Forrest believes he is to die, and the only thing he wants is to make it home to New Mexico before he dies. Virginia Lundeen, the daughter of the man who hated and hindered Forrest's father and who had encroached and settled on Forrest property and began a "feud", sees Cliff's plight. She knows of the injustice done to his family by her father and decides to fight with Cliff to restore the property and to win his heart. This is a poignant love story of a man who only dares to dream of such a woman as Virginia because he knows he is about to die; and the passion of a woman who encourages him and tries her best in every way possible to see he does not die. The Shepherd of Guadaloupe is a masterpiece of romantic, historical fiction any lover of that genre should want to read. Don't let the name Zane Grey drive you away because you think of him as a "western" author. I encourage you to get this book and enjoy the pleasure of reading a great, great book.