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Theena's Landing
On the Miami River of the 1880s, amid exotic tropical blooms, terrifying reptiles, and devastating storms, the settlers include one lonely, bewildered girl. Theena Theophilus, at home in the Everglades or on the bay, wants only to love and be loved. Fearing the taint of her mother’s scandalous past, she strives to live a life of virtue and integrity, yet is pulled toward a love that can never be hers. From a girl too desperate to be wise she becomes, through pain and heartbreak, a woman who at last finds her honor and her dreams. Once again, Gretchen Craig presents a page-turning historical novel of insight and compassion. Theena and her sisters are flawed, engrossing, and totally believable.
351 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2011
133 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 20, 2022
Gripping tales of love, loss and life itself
Well written book of loves, loss and life itself. I just could not put it down. I had to know the ending. I fell in love with each character as you wove the tales around each other like the real life love stories they are.
Well written book of loves, loss and life itself. I just could not put it down. I had to know the ending. I fell in love with each character as you wove the tales around each other like the real life love stories they are.
February 2, 2024
I loved the story...
I did not need the raw sex though. There is something to be said for allowing.the reader to use their own imagination!
I did not need the raw sex though. There is something to be said for allowing.the reader to use their own imagination!
November 19, 2015
Theena’s Landing is by Gretchen Craig. It takes place in the bayous of South Florida. It is the narrow strip of land between the Everglades and the Atlantic where modern day Miami sits. It is a paradise that has been inhabited by Indians, explorers, and men and women who toiled the earth, and finally those who own it now. It has been a land that was loved and hated over the years. This story is about a fictitious young lady who living with her father and two sisters in poverty. Mother left long ago with another man leaving Daddy with Dite, Hera, and Theena to raise. Named after Greek goddesses, the three live their lives out in this small piece of land in Florida.
Theena was the youngest and perhaps the strongest. She definitely was the one who behaved the best. She thought that living a chaste life would keep her safe in the eyes of neighbors and definitely please her Daddy. Though she loved Jack, she agreed to marry Randolph Chase after Hera became pregnant with Jack’s baby and they waited only for the minister to arrive to marry. Ironically, they were married the same day by the same minister. Theena watched from the huge house her husband took her to as Hera and Jack scrounged out a life on the water. She herself wanted nothing more than to live by the water as she had done in her youth. Bearing another man’s son, she and Randolph raised him as their son. Living with her mother-in-law was never an easy task. It became harder when she had her daughter and Dite came to live with them to help Theena get well.
Theena’s life on this stretch of land is one full of ups and downs. You cry with her and laugh with her and hurt with her as she makes her way through with no guide. The book is probably the best Gretchen Craig has written.
Theena was the youngest and perhaps the strongest. She definitely was the one who behaved the best. She thought that living a chaste life would keep her safe in the eyes of neighbors and definitely please her Daddy. Though she loved Jack, she agreed to marry Randolph Chase after Hera became pregnant with Jack’s baby and they waited only for the minister to arrive to marry. Ironically, they were married the same day by the same minister. Theena watched from the huge house her husband took her to as Hera and Jack scrounged out a life on the water. She herself wanted nothing more than to live by the water as she had done in her youth. Bearing another man’s son, she and Randolph raised him as their son. Living with her mother-in-law was never an easy task. It became harder when she had her daughter and Dite came to live with them to help Theena get well.
Theena’s life on this stretch of land is one full of ups and downs. You cry with her and laugh with her and hurt with her as she makes her way through with no guide. The book is probably the best Gretchen Craig has written.
March 31, 2015
I was not familiar with this author before this book. Now I am a fan. This is a beautifully written story of a young woman's struggle to survive in a disappointing marriage. Theena is one of three sisters making her way in the the Florida everglades after the death of their beloved father. All are beautiful but each very different in their aspirations and their approach to life. After the death of their father Theena's two older sisters abandon her to make their own way, one moving north to find a rich husband and the other marrying the man she herself yearns for until her sister traps him with a pregnancy. Heeding her fathers deathbed request, Theena marries for what she believes is love only to question that decision when she learns the truth about her husbands real love. Before marriage she gives herself to a childhood friend in a moment of loneliness. This slip has consequences that she tries to hid from her new husband and his mean-spirited mother who believes she is beneath her son. This story has twists and turns that will surprise you and tender moments that will touch your heart. Three love triangles make this story interesting. The author has a talent for drawing you into beautifully written scenes where you feel the heat and smell the everglades. I don't give 5 start ratings very often but this one is well-deserved.
April 17, 2015
Love this author!
Love to read anything by this author. She has become my favorite. The characters are so well developed and real. Such a good story with all the angst, trauma, love, hope and trials we all have in life. Difficult to put down!
Love to read anything by this author. She has become my favorite. The characters are so well developed and real. Such a good story with all the angst, trauma, love, hope and trials we all have in life. Difficult to put down!
June 10, 2015
A Beautiful love Story
It has been a long time since I really stayed with a book until I finished it. This is a touching ,fulfilling story.
It has been a long time since I really stayed with a book until I finished it. This is a touching ,fulfilling story.
August 23, 2015
Enjoyed this book.
I enjoyed the language and location of the book. The settings were different from any other book I read. The story. Line was good but predictable.
I enjoyed the language and location of the book. The settings were different from any other book I read. The story. Line was good but predictable.
April 4, 2016
Intriguing
Wonderful story. Could not stop reading. The story kept me spellbound. There was just the right amount of suspense to hold most romantic s.
Wonderful story. Could not stop reading. The story kept me spellbound. There was just the right amount of suspense to hold most romantic s.
May 5, 2016
Life on the river
I gave this book five stars. The hardships of this wild time were a heartfelt time in history. Look forward to another Craig book.
I gave this book five stars. The hardships of this wild time were a heartfelt time in history. Look forward to another Craig book.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews