In the Heart of the Valley of Love (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Cynthia Kadohata
- First Published: 1992
- Type of Work: Novel
- Genres: Long fiction, Science fiction
- Subjects: North America or North Americans, United States or Americans, Traveling or travelers, Tradition, Future, Twenty-first century, Poverty or poor people, California, Los Angeles, West, U.S., Jews or Jewish life, Asian Americans, Japanese Americans, Begging or beggars
- Locales: Los Angeles, CA
Seeking to free herself from critics who had unjustly challenged the historical veracity of the Japanese American characters of her first novel, Kadohata deliberately placed In the Heart of the Valley of Love into a future Los Angeles of the year 2052, and made Francie, her protagonist, a mixed-race orphan. Yet this bold creative move failed to convince critics and readers. For science-fiction aficionados, the novel's depiction of a futuristic Los Angeles did not go far enough, and for those interested in a coming-of-age story of a teenage woman, Francie's life appeared too...
[The entire page is 594 words long]
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