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From Fields of Gold
Fifteen years after the Civil War, Francesca Standish is poor and a spinster. Nate Richardson is determined to obtain the patent for a machine that can earn him a fortune in the tobacco industry. Francesca names the price: the rights to the machine in return for marriage to her.
464 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
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719 people want to read
About the author
Alexandra Ripley
33 books204 followersAlexandra Ripley was an American writer best known as the author of Scarlett, the sequel to Gone with the Wind. Her first novel was Who's the Lady in the President's Bed?. Charleston, her first historical novel, was a bestseller, as were her next books On Leaving Charleston, The Time Returns, and New Orleans Legacy. Scarlett received some bad reviews, but was very successful nonetheless. She attended the elite Ashley Hall, in Charleston, South Carolina, and Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York.
She died in Richmond, Virginia, and is survived by two daughters from her first marriage to Leonard Ripley, a son in law and granddaughter, Alexandra Elizabeth.
Ripley has also published works under the name B.K. Ripley.
She died in Richmond, Virginia, and is survived by two daughters from her first marriage to Leonard Ripley, a son in law and granddaughter, Alexandra Elizabeth.
Ripley has also published works under the name B.K. Ripley.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
August 12, 2011
Why I Forgot About This Book At the Bottom Of My Closet and Probably Should Have Left It There.
As you can tell from the above, I was not a happy camper with this book. The basic story is the h Chess marries the womanizing man ho (okay the H) Nate. She also comes with a patent for a fancy schmancy tobacco rolling machine-- yep this is the beginning of the smoking industry before we all got wiser and learned Just Say NO.
Chess is an amazing woman for her time, as the author would have you believe, she stands with Nate as a partner in his burgeoning business, runs a gracious Southern home and is a proud mama of a feisty little girl. Nate is a womanizer, three mistresses at a time, various visits to bordellos and a fatal infatuation for kinky sex with his minister brother's wife who is a manipulative witch of the first order. In spite of all this manly love he is dishing out, he can't even make sure his wife enjoys sex because "ladies don't like sex". So what does that make his sister in law who is a minister's wife?
The worst part of all this is Nate feels ashamed of his addiction to sex and he tearfully confesses to Chess his inability to let his affair with his sister in law go. So they go to England, Chess to buy furniture, Nate to get out of his affair with Lily the sister in law. While there Chess meets her cousin Randal who is an amazing lover and starts up an affair. She is now 45 and has been married for 15 years and has never been kissed or had an orgasm. Well at least the girl gets some and she is really enthralled.
Time moves on, as it does and Nate and Chess return to the US and in the course of events Lily has a son and tells Nate it is his. Nate is over the moon of course and Lily is ecstatic cause now she can really make Nate pay through the nose. Lily has been charging for her services over the years and previously lost her remittances in a bank failure, but she is smexxing Nate for all he is worth and he cheerfully forks over the cash.
Chess basically tells Nate he is a pig, the boy is probably Lily's husband's and not his, (and given the alternative entry positions, I have to agree) and he better start appreciating his daughter or life will soon become horrible for him at home. She also adds he needs to wash as he has never come home stinking of his women before and don't think he can start now.
With all of this edifying and enlightening action going on, Nate and Chess are invited to the Vanderbilt's and there Chess runs into Randall again. Randall has decided he is in love with Chess and she should divorce Nate, get a huge settlement and go shack up with him. Chess decides she needs to make Nate admit his love and smex him up for good times in bed. This happens on the last page and bang, supposed HEA.
My Take-- WTF? The ending of this story was badly done. There is no resolution to the Lily plot, there is no reconfiguring of the marriage or any acknowledgement that a new beginning is being made and there is no guarantee or attempt to assure the reader that Nate really loves his wife and will stay faithful.
I know he won't stay faithful, the man's a dog. He loves Chess but he isn't in love and Chess, for all she acts like an 18 year old ingénue, should have gotten a better resolution. Ms. Ripley was a Southern Lady and I do mean that capitalized, unfortunately it comes across in her writing. Her gentility gets in the way of really writing what needs to be written to make us believe Nate and Chess have a chance in the love stakes.
Nate needed to have a revelation that he could have moderately kinky sex with Chess and both could enjoy it. Chess needed to hear Nate apologize and explain that he really wants her and only her. As it is left, Nate will be having nice sweet sex with Chess and go to Lily when he needs to get his kinda kink on. Even the kink part is ladylike and if your going into sexual obsession, you have to be gritty. Polite little descriptions are okay, but they don't convey the power of a full fledged sexual obsession. Surprisingly, she did a good job of describing Chess's infatuation with Randall but fails miserably when it comes to Nate. I know Nate's obsessed because she tells me he is, I know Chess is obsessed because she shows me.
Randall is another sore point. Chess deserved some lovin', no one more, but she also deserved a better lover than Randall who basically comes off as chasing her for her money. This is a deliberate character bias on the author's part, cause Randall was actually decent to Chess and treated her like a desirable woman. I wanted Chess to be with Randall, he cared. Ms Ripley realized too late that she wrote herself into a corner and had to make Randall look like a jerk so Chess would stay with manho Nate. This book was such a disappointment on the romance front, I had to throw it in the back of a closet and it is going back there now.
If you read this, read for the history, the famous historical characters and the interesting story of a woman who carves out a place for herself in business as a" power behind the throne" thing. Don't read it for the romance cause IMO, there isn't much of one.
As you can tell from the above, I was not a happy camper with this book. The basic story is the h Chess marries the womanizing man ho (okay the H) Nate. She also comes with a patent for a fancy schmancy tobacco rolling machine-- yep this is the beginning of the smoking industry before we all got wiser and learned Just Say NO.
Chess is an amazing woman for her time, as the author would have you believe, she stands with Nate as a partner in his burgeoning business, runs a gracious Southern home and is a proud mama of a feisty little girl. Nate is a womanizer, three mistresses at a time, various visits to bordellos and a fatal infatuation for kinky sex with his minister brother's wife who is a manipulative witch of the first order. In spite of all this manly love he is dishing out, he can't even make sure his wife enjoys sex because "ladies don't like sex". So what does that make his sister in law who is a minister's wife?
The worst part of all this is Nate feels ashamed of his addiction to sex and he tearfully confesses to Chess his inability to let his affair with his sister in law go. So they go to England, Chess to buy furniture, Nate to get out of his affair with Lily the sister in law. While there Chess meets her cousin Randal who is an amazing lover and starts up an affair. She is now 45 and has been married for 15 years and has never been kissed or had an orgasm. Well at least the girl gets some and she is really enthralled.
Time moves on, as it does and Nate and Chess return to the US and in the course of events Lily has a son and tells Nate it is his. Nate is over the moon of course and Lily is ecstatic cause now she can really make Nate pay through the nose. Lily has been charging for her services over the years and previously lost her remittances in a bank failure, but she is smexxing Nate for all he is worth and he cheerfully forks over the cash.
Chess basically tells Nate he is a pig, the boy is probably Lily's husband's and not his, (and given the alternative entry positions, I have to agree) and he better start appreciating his daughter or life will soon become horrible for him at home. She also adds he needs to wash as he has never come home stinking of his women before and don't think he can start now.
With all of this edifying and enlightening action going on, Nate and Chess are invited to the Vanderbilt's and there Chess runs into Randall again. Randall has decided he is in love with Chess and she should divorce Nate, get a huge settlement and go shack up with him. Chess decides she needs to make Nate admit his love and smex him up for good times in bed. This happens on the last page and bang, supposed HEA.
My Take-- WTF? The ending of this story was badly done. There is no resolution to the Lily plot, there is no reconfiguring of the marriage or any acknowledgement that a new beginning is being made and there is no guarantee or attempt to assure the reader that Nate really loves his wife and will stay faithful.
I know he won't stay faithful, the man's a dog. He loves Chess but he isn't in love and Chess, for all she acts like an 18 year old ingénue, should have gotten a better resolution. Ms. Ripley was a Southern Lady and I do mean that capitalized, unfortunately it comes across in her writing. Her gentility gets in the way of really writing what needs to be written to make us believe Nate and Chess have a chance in the love stakes.
Nate needed to have a revelation that he could have moderately kinky sex with Chess and both could enjoy it. Chess needed to hear Nate apologize and explain that he really wants her and only her. As it is left, Nate will be having nice sweet sex with Chess and go to Lily when he needs to get his kinda kink on. Even the kink part is ladylike and if your going into sexual obsession, you have to be gritty. Polite little descriptions are okay, but they don't convey the power of a full fledged sexual obsession. Surprisingly, she did a good job of describing Chess's infatuation with Randall but fails miserably when it comes to Nate. I know Nate's obsessed because she tells me he is, I know Chess is obsessed because she shows me.
Randall is another sore point. Chess deserved some lovin', no one more, but she also deserved a better lover than Randall who basically comes off as chasing her for her money. This is a deliberate character bias on the author's part, cause Randall was actually decent to Chess and treated her like a desirable woman. I wanted Chess to be with Randall, he cared. Ms Ripley realized too late that she wrote herself into a corner and had to make Randall look like a jerk so Chess would stay with manho Nate. This book was such a disappointment on the romance front, I had to throw it in the back of a closet and it is going back there now.
If you read this, read for the history, the famous historical characters and the interesting story of a woman who carves out a place for herself in business as a" power behind the throne" thing. Don't read it for the romance cause IMO, there isn't much of one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 8, 2023
Powieść jest wciągająca, nie wiem jednak, na ile wiarygodna w przedstawieniu rzeczywistości w Ameryce po wojnie secesyjnej. Zakładam, że autorka dobrze rozpoznała temat, skoro pozwolono jej kontynuować Przeminęło z wiatrem.
Co ciekawe, ani historia ani postaci nie zestarzały się tak fatalnie, jak to się przytrafia wielu historycznym powieściom obyczajowym. Jest oczywiście trochę irytujących współczesną kobietę elementów, ale nie na tyle, żeby nie dało się skończyć lektury. Mimo wszystko sporo tu patriarchalnych bzdur.
Główna bohaterka, Chess, jest panienką z Południa, a raczej starą panną, bo, kiedy powieść się zaczyna, ma już 30 lat. Jest jak na swoje czasy dość nowoczesna, co przejawia się choćby w jej trochę nieprzemyślanej decyzji o zamążpójściu. Chess od pierwszego wejrzenia zakochuje się w prostym chłopaku, który zjawia się na drodze do jej domu boso, ale z szerokim uśmiechem na ustach (aż chciałoby się powiedzieć, że "boso, ale w ostrogach" 😉). Chess wykorzystuje desperację Nate'a i zawiera z nim umowę biznesową: patent jej dziadka dla niego za małżeństwo i dzieci dla niej.
Zastanawiałam się nad łatwością, z jaką Chess przeszła do porządku dziennego nad niedostatkami Nate'a. Przepaść pomiędzy tymi ludźmi była kosmiczna, zarówno jeśli chodzi o pochodzenie, jak i wykształcenie, jednak autorka kompletnie zignorowała dzielące ich różnice.
Przez większość książki miałam ochotę zatłuc Nate'a. Całkowicie rozumiem, że autorka przedstawiła rzeczywiste podejście ludzi tamtych czasów do seksualności mężczyzn i sposobu, w jaki funkcjonowały małżeństwa, ale i tak mi się to nie podobało.
Końcówka historii była pospieszna, jakby autorka znudziła się własną historią i postaciami. Szkoda, bo ja się nie znudziłam i chętnie przeczytałabym więcej o tym, jak w końcu zmieniło się małżeństwo Nate'a i Chess.
Co ciekawe, ani historia ani postaci nie zestarzały się tak fatalnie, jak to się przytrafia wielu historycznym powieściom obyczajowym. Jest oczywiście trochę irytujących współczesną kobietę elementów, ale nie na tyle, żeby nie dało się skończyć lektury. Mimo wszystko sporo tu patriarchalnych bzdur.
Główna bohaterka, Chess, jest panienką z Południa, a raczej starą panną, bo, kiedy powieść się zaczyna, ma już 30 lat. Jest jak na swoje czasy dość nowoczesna, co przejawia się choćby w jej trochę nieprzemyślanej decyzji o zamążpójściu. Chess od pierwszego wejrzenia zakochuje się w prostym chłopaku, który zjawia się na drodze do jej domu boso, ale z szerokim uśmiechem na ustach (aż chciałoby się powiedzieć, że "boso, ale w ostrogach" 😉). Chess wykorzystuje desperację Nate'a i zawiera z nim umowę biznesową: patent jej dziadka dla niego za małżeństwo i dzieci dla niej.
Zastanawiałam się nad łatwością, z jaką Chess przeszła do porządku dziennego nad niedostatkami Nate'a. Przepaść pomiędzy tymi ludźmi była kosmiczna, zarówno jeśli chodzi o pochodzenie, jak i wykształcenie, jednak autorka kompletnie zignorowała dzielące ich różnice.
Przez większość książki miałam ochotę zatłuc Nate'a. Całkowicie rozumiem, że autorka przedstawiła rzeczywiste podejście ludzi tamtych czasów do seksualności mężczyzn i sposobu, w jaki funkcjonowały małżeństwa, ale i tak mi się to nie podobało.
Końcówka historii była pospieszna, jakby autorka znudziła się własną historią i postaciami. Szkoda, bo ja się nie znudziłam i chętnie przeczytałabym więcej o tym, jak w końcu zmieniło się małżeństwo Nate'a i Chess.
April 19, 2021
“Splendid” as George Vanderbilt would say. But that’s much later. Great period book. She did her research and gave it a personal touch with the Richardsons’ many adventures
June 25, 2016
Unusual Love Story, Rich in Detail of Both the American South and Aristocratic London in late 19th Century
Having read Alexandra Ripley’s Scarlett, I was eager to read another by this author.
It begins in the South in 1875. Francesca (“Chess”) Standish, was raised to be a lady but the Civil War left her at 30 with only a rundown plantation and a patent on her grandfather’s machine to make cigarettes. Once her life was filled with laughter, now she is gray and glum. She wants to be married but has all but given up hope until Nate Richardson comes along.
Nate is smart, handsome and has ambition, and desperately wants to gain the patent for the machine that makes cigarettes. When Chess, who is 8 years his senior, tells him he can have the patent if he will marry her, he agrees. Ever since he was a teenager, Nate has been in love with the girl who became his brother’s wife. He shows Chess no passion, believing she is not interested and finds his pleasure elsewhere. Chess is so in love with him, she is willing to take the crumbs he offers her.
Chess is a heroine to love, brave, smart and willing to wait for what she wants. She knows Nate doesn’t love her but she vows to become the business partner he will respect. And she does, sharing with him his dreams and his passion for the tobacco industry. Though he admires her, Nate is not faithful. But a trip to London will show her the affection she has missed and awakens in her the girl she once was.
The story reflects the author’s deep research into the tobacco industry and the era of the late Victorian period, both in the South and in London. She captures the life of the idle rich as well as the Americans who were leading the development of new industries and discoveries. Rich in detail, even as to fashion, with splendid characters, some actual historical figures, Ripley have given us a great tale. You must wait till the very end for that happy ever after, but I assure you, it’s coming.
I didn’t want to put it down!
Having read Alexandra Ripley’s Scarlett, I was eager to read another by this author.
It begins in the South in 1875. Francesca (“Chess”) Standish, was raised to be a lady but the Civil War left her at 30 with only a rundown plantation and a patent on her grandfather’s machine to make cigarettes. Once her life was filled with laughter, now she is gray and glum. She wants to be married but has all but given up hope until Nate Richardson comes along.
Nate is smart, handsome and has ambition, and desperately wants to gain the patent for the machine that makes cigarettes. When Chess, who is 8 years his senior, tells him he can have the patent if he will marry her, he agrees. Ever since he was a teenager, Nate has been in love with the girl who became his brother’s wife. He shows Chess no passion, believing she is not interested and finds his pleasure elsewhere. Chess is so in love with him, she is willing to take the crumbs he offers her.
Chess is a heroine to love, brave, smart and willing to wait for what she wants. She knows Nate doesn’t love her but she vows to become the business partner he will respect. And she does, sharing with him his dreams and his passion for the tobacco industry. Though he admires her, Nate is not faithful. But a trip to London will show her the affection she has missed and awakens in her the girl she once was.
The story reflects the author’s deep research into the tobacco industry and the era of the late Victorian period, both in the South and in London. She captures the life of the idle rich as well as the Americans who were leading the development of new industries and discoveries. Rich in detail, even as to fashion, with splendid characters, some actual historical figures, Ripley have given us a great tale. You must wait till the very end for that happy ever after, but I assure you, it’s coming.
I didn’t want to put it down!
July 3, 2017
Много моя книга, като се има предвид, че една от любимите ми е "Отнесени от вихъра". А краят ме изненада приятно и още повече затвърди намерението ми да й дам максимална оценка. Ще се хареса със сигурност на любителите на любовни истории, но и на всички онези, които харесват времето на революцията в Америка и възможностите, които то открива пред хората.
July 5, 2016
I remember I loved this book but may need to revisit bc I remember very little except it was a major saga. I accidentally ran across this at the library probably 8 years ago.
April 9, 2024
This man built an entire city all because he thought his wife didn’t want to have sex with him. Otherwise great book, very entertaining!
October 18, 2014
Stupid book. Both H and h, who are married, cheated on each other with ow and om. The wife learns some sexy moves from om and seduces husband. HEA. Not.
September 14, 2020
What the f** have I just read? Masochist that I am, I finished it.
*** SPOILER ****
The heroine has an affair and bangs the other man in a frenzy and tells him she loves him in the last pages of the book. Then two pages later she realises she loves her husband more. The hero is obsessed with OW until yesterday and all of a sudden she is not mentioned anymore.
It was so bad I had to finish it
*** SPOILER ****
The heroine has an affair and bangs the other man in a frenzy and tells him she loves him in the last pages of the book. Then two pages later she realises she loves her husband more. The hero is obsessed with OW until yesterday and all of a sudden she is not mentioned anymore.
It was so bad I had to finish it
July 8, 2021
I set out not wanting to like the book because it’s about the South during reconstruction and because racism, but I actually really liked it. It’s about a “spinster” (who is my age right now and that feels rude) who is strong-willed and smart and knows what she wants. For a genteel Southern lady, it was refreshing. I enjoyed following her story of how she helps her husband make oodles of money off tobacco. The book is full of rich detail and transported me to the mid- to late-1800s.
August 23, 2025
I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I had hoped given I really enjoyed the author’s writing in her book Scarlett. I did however enjoy learning a little about the tobacco industry. I could have done without the somewhat detailed sex scenes - I really don’t understand why authors feel a need to put those in their stories. I was happy with the way the story ended - happy with the choice that Chess made at the end.
September 15, 2017
A good look into post civil war America of the south. Ripley has a good hand for realistic descriptions and a complex story line. I love her descriptions of fashions "of the day". The settings of North Carolina, and London, England shows a love of diverse countries.
The only area I found lacking was the lack of depth of the relationship between mother and daughter.
All in all a good read.
The only area I found lacking was the lack of depth of the relationship between mother and daughter.
All in all a good read.
October 14, 2019
This book wasn't all that bad. The characters were kind of hard to like, because I thought they were pretty shallow, and all they cared about wby sex. Thewbook also had some facts about cigarette manufacturingas well. I felt like that was put in just for the sake of moving the story along. There wasn't a lot of character development either, but I'm glad I read the book.
Read
May 25, 2020An interesting weave of real people, real businesses, cut throat deals , upcoming classic books as well as historical happenings interwoven in this novel. Women's fashion is portrayed through the changing trends both in US as compared to being in London. The author has a knack for recreating visual history and stirring emotions.
December 17, 2019
I’ve read this book several times. I just can’t get the characters out of my head. Both of them have strong, loveable, and frustrating personalities. They’re story is complex and fun, and at times sad. But also full of hope and love, although they might not always realize it. Highly recommend.
February 24, 2019
I would give this a 6 star , if there was one'
May 24, 2020
Historical romance novel of post-Civil War tobacco tycoons. Engaging. Fun characters. Light reading.
May 16, 2021
This was a really wonderful book. If you love American Historical Fiction, you will want to read this book which takes us back to the 1800's and the development of the cigarette industry. Though I have never smoked, I found this book to be educational and very entertaining. I loved the part that took place at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC because I have toured the estate and could picture the scene so well. I also enjoyed the story of how businesses evolved in the 19th century, and how suddenly you didn't have to inherit wealth, but you could build your own history.
February 18, 2023
"Ze złotych pól" - saga rodzinna z motywem historyczno-secesyjnym, specjalność autorki. Nie jest to słodka historia.
January 24, 2025
The author, may she rest peacefully, was so skilled that she could take the driest description of agricultural farm life and make it into a hot and racy novel with true, deep themes.
September 21, 2025
Loved this book.
February 18, 2016
Paperback -
An Outstanding American Historical Romance era 1875 after the Civil War, an awesome, rich novel. The historical detailed were well researched giving us a powerful novel set in the old south. Before the Civil War the South was rich and beautiful with large lush plantations.
But after the war the south had fallen into disarray and Francesca 'Chess' Standish was no exception. Francesca being the main character is a believable, lively, strong woman described in detail as all the characters are in this unforgettable novel. Chess had lost everything during the Civil War, she was poor, no money, a crumbling mansion she didn't know which way to turn. The only thing she had was a tobacco machine with a patent that her grandfather had invented. She needed someone to take the machine and start a business with it.
Nathaniel 'Nate' Richardson heard about the tobacco machine and he came up with a deal for Chess. Nate will marry Chess and he will receive the patent and start a business and they will become partners. They build a rich rewarding life together as they began to depend on each other.
A wonderful, lively, powerful antebellum novel of the old south. A fast moving, easy to read story that pulls at your heartstrings. The author is an awesome storyteller with super research that support the characters and the plot. Alexandra Ripley also wrote 'Scarlett' a sequel to 'Gone with the Wind' and other book about the south that I have enjoyed.
An Outstanding American Historical Romance era 1875 after the Civil War, an awesome, rich novel. The historical detailed were well researched giving us a powerful novel set in the old south. Before the Civil War the South was rich and beautiful with large lush plantations.
But after the war the south had fallen into disarray and Francesca 'Chess' Standish was no exception. Francesca being the main character is a believable, lively, strong woman described in detail as all the characters are in this unforgettable novel. Chess had lost everything during the Civil War, she was poor, no money, a crumbling mansion she didn't know which way to turn. The only thing she had was a tobacco machine with a patent that her grandfather had invented. She needed someone to take the machine and start a business with it.
Nathaniel 'Nate' Richardson heard about the tobacco machine and he came up with a deal for Chess. Nate will marry Chess and he will receive the patent and start a business and they will become partners. They build a rich rewarding life together as they began to depend on each other.
A wonderful, lively, powerful antebellum novel of the old south. A fast moving, easy to read story that pulls at your heartstrings. The author is an awesome storyteller with super research that support the characters and the plot. Alexandra Ripley also wrote 'Scarlett' a sequel to 'Gone with the Wind' and other book about the south that I have enjoyed.
April 26, 2016
I’m a huge fan of “Gone with the Wind” and I like to read books about the good old days of the glorious South. Alexandra Ripley wrote the sequel “Scarlett”, so I was quite curious about this story… and I wasn´t disappointed.
After the Civil War, the southern aristocrats are facing hard times. Chess Standish has a difficult time keeping the old farm going but, when a young entrepreneur named Nate Richardson knocks at her door, offering to buy the patent to a tobacco machine her grandfather invented, Chess sees a way to start a new life and makes a deal - Nate can have the patent for free if he marries her and makes her his partner in the new cigarette business.
This is a great story about the American Dream and how fortunes were made with tobacco. From a little mill in the middle of nowhere to an important empire, we follow the highs and lows of Chess and Nate, not only in business, but in their private lives, where feelings can put everything to waste.
There was only one little detail that left me unsatisfied. Just like in “Scarlett”, the author rushed into the end. After spinning the story with detailed chapters, she solves the misunderstandings of 15 years in only three pages! I would have liked things to work out a little more slowly… But a really good read, nonetheless.
After the Civil War, the southern aristocrats are facing hard times. Chess Standish has a difficult time keeping the old farm going but, when a young entrepreneur named Nate Richardson knocks at her door, offering to buy the patent to a tobacco machine her grandfather invented, Chess sees a way to start a new life and makes a deal - Nate can have the patent for free if he marries her and makes her his partner in the new cigarette business.
This is a great story about the American Dream and how fortunes were made with tobacco. From a little mill in the middle of nowhere to an important empire, we follow the highs and lows of Chess and Nate, not only in business, but in their private lives, where feelings can put everything to waste.
There was only one little detail that left me unsatisfied. Just like in “Scarlett”, the author rushed into the end. After spinning the story with detailed chapters, she solves the misunderstandings of 15 years in only three pages! I would have liked things to work out a little more slowly… But a really good read, nonetheless.
September 26, 2013
The story takes place 15 years after the Civil War in antebellum Virginia. Francesca "Chess" Standish lives on a much reduced plantation. Nate is a young entrepreneur from North Carolina who learns of a patent owned by Chess's grandfather for a cigarette rolling machine. Nate want to buy the patent, but Chess has a deal to make. She is now too old, tall and thin, and poor. She bargains with Nate to marry her and give her a family in return for the patent. She becomes a very good business partner, but does not have the marriage she would have liked. . . . (violin music). . . and you know the rest. Still a good story of the era.
September 16, 2014
By the author who wrote the sequel to Gone With the Wind. From Fields of Gold does not follow those same characters but delves into the lives of those who lived in the Carolinas after the Civil War.
I learned a bit about tobacco growing, harvesting, and processing.
It was pleasing to read that the hard work of the main characters brought eventual success. The rapid growth of their town and forecasting of many successful inventions and investments was unbelievable. The affairs, the excessive spending, and constant building of bigger and better businesses and homes without any setbacks was disturbing and unnatural.
I learned a bit about tobacco growing, harvesting, and processing.
It was pleasing to read that the hard work of the main characters brought eventual success. The rapid growth of their town and forecasting of many successful inventions and investments was unbelievable. The affairs, the excessive spending, and constant building of bigger and better businesses and homes without any setbacks was disturbing and unnatural.
April 7, 2013
Lovely escape fiction to a time long before mine, when inventions were mind-boggling for the time, just as they seem to be now. It certainly gives truth to the adage, if you can dream it, you can make it real. Love when authors insert real historical characters into a book to make the story seem real! I don't know of many avid readers who have not heard about Oscar Wilde. And finally, loved her final page - "This book is a work of fiction. No one ever really beat Buck Duke." Makes me want to check out Buck Duke, & so I shall!
August 20, 2019
I read the author's more famous attempt at the sequel to Gone With The Wind, "Scarlett". This romantic novel takes place after the Civil War, with the protagonist, a 30 year old spinster left with a run down plantation, and a patent for an invention that could change the tobacco industry. I enjoy Alexandra Ripley's descriptions of the Old South, and the plot was interesting enough to hold my interest.
January 19, 2010
Loved this book. As expected the author brought an amazing historical romance to life. The time in America when anyone could make it big with a lot of hard work & some great ideas. The love story between Chess & Nathan is beautiful in it's own way because it makes you remember that sometimes the thing you long for the most has been in front of your face all along.
April 21, 2012
Ripley always does an excellent job of portraying her heroines with gentle sensibilities and realistic universal themes that transcend time.
Specifically, her description of Chess' relationship with Nate, an all too easily tempted man is in love with his brother's wife.
I've read this book about 2x. I've enjoyed it both!
Specifically, her description of Chess' relationship with Nate, an all too easily tempted man is in love with his brother's wife.
I've read this book about 2x. I've enjoyed it both!
February 2, 2016
I loved this book! Alexandra Ripley's writing style is very engaging - I couldn't put this book down! The characters are terrific, and there was so much I could relate to (which is why I love historical fiction in the first place). If you enjoy novels like Gone with the Wind, then you will love From Fields of Gold. Great read.
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