In the Heart of the Valley of Love (Magill’s Literary Annual 1991-2005)
At a glance:
- Author: Cynthia Kadohata
- First Published: 1992
- Type of Work: Novel
- Time of Work: 2052
- Setting: Los Angeles and the Southern California desert
- Principal Characters: Francie, Auntie Annie, Rohn Jefferson, Mark Trang, Jewel, Carl, James Goodman
- Genres: Long fiction
- Subjects: North America or North Americans
- Locales: Los Angeles, CA
Five-foot, three-inch Francie is dwarfed by the huge bird of paradise plant in her front yard. A miniature version is the official flower of Los Angeles, but Francie prefers the more monstrous bird of paradise: “I did not find these plants paradisical, but to me they would have made a more fitting choice for an official flower than the smaller, prettier variety, because they looked the way I saw Los Angeles—surprising and violent, full of hidden savage beauties.” In her second novel, Cynthia Kadohata sees Southern California of the future in just such brilliantly brutal terms. Her...
[The entire page is 2088 words long]
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