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Tender Shadows
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Tender Shadows
by Ann Gaylia O'Barr (Goodreads Author)
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Assigned by the U.S. State Department to an embassy in what is supposed to be a country friendly to the United States, four American diplomats watch increasing signs that not all citizens of this prosperous Gulf nation are pleased with their young ruler’s American ideas. Many fear the erosion of traditional values. The Americans wonder how threatened are their own values.
Beth, staring at middle age in a few years time, hopes to grab what she can from a life first of loss and then of aimless wandering. Joe, widowed, doesn’t want any other woman competing with memories of his beloved wife. Joe’s daughter, Annie, recovers from a past mistake—only was it a mistake? David, a young Palestinian-American, ignores his growing affection for Annie because he’s not worthy of tenderness after what he did in Iraq.
They creep toward community but constantly bump up against barriers which impede it. Each faces a dilemma of trust, even as the country's young people begin showing up before the walls of the embassy and passing around pictures on their cell phones of American atrocities against prisoners in the infamous Abu Ghraib prison
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Tender Shadows
by Ann Gaylia O'Barr (Goodreads Author)
0.0 of 5 stars 0.00 · rating details · 0 ratings · 0 reviews
Assigned by the U.S. State Department to an embassy in what is supposed to be a country friendly to the United States, four American diplomats watch increasing signs that not all citizens of this prosperous Gulf nation are pleased with their young ruler’s American ideas. Many fear the erosion of traditional values. The Americans wonder how threatened are their own values.
Beth, staring at middle age in a few years time, hopes to grab what she can from a life first of loss and then of aimless wandering. Joe, widowed, doesn’t want any other woman competing with memories of his beloved wife. Joe’s daughter, Annie, recovers from a past mistake—only was it a mistake? David, a young Palestinian-American, ignores his growing affection for Annie because he’s not worthy of tenderness after what he did in Iraq.
They creep toward community but constantly bump up against barriers which impede it. Each faces a dilemma of trust, even as the country's young people begin showing up before the walls of the embassy and passing around pictures on their cell phones of American atrocities against prisoners in the infamous Abu Ghraib prison
200 pages, Paperback
First published May 8, 2014
307 people want to read
About the author
Ann Gaylia O'Barr
15 books81 followersDuring my Foreign Service years (1990 until 2004), I served in Saudi Arabia (twice), Tunisia, Algeria, Canada, and in Washington, D.C. at State Department headquarters. I was evacuated from Algeria after three months due to terrorist activities in that country.
Many Americans imagine a Foreign Service officer (diplomat) as one who flits in and out of meetings with VIP’s in exotic overseas capitals. This hardly describes my work. I worked mainly as a consular officer. I interviewed foreigners who wanted to come to the United States as visitors or to immigrate to this country as permanent residents. The job introduced me to those desperate millions who seek better lives in developed countries by legal or illegal means.
My work with American citizens provided me with my most memorable experiences. Routine tasks included renewing U.S. passports and performing notary services. However, duties were never routine for long. With my colleagues, I aided U.S. citizens who were jailed for various offenses. Most incarcerations in Muslim-majority countries resulted from American citizens involved with drugs, alcohol or pornography.
When American citizens died or were killed overseas, we notified next of kin in the States and took care of the remains as dictated by the family. Tragically, a few of these deaths resulted from terrorist attacks. I was in Saudi Arabia for both Gulf wars, in 1991 and after the attacks of September 11, 2001.
Americans married to foreign spouses presented us with the most emotion wrenching problems, especially the custody cases. Such marriages and divorces face the same challenges as those of two Americans, but problems are magnified by different laws governing children, religious beliefs, and the requirement for exit visas to leave some countries.
My novels and blogs since living abroad are influenced by those overseas years. I return to certain topics: immigration, current Arab unrest, and American Christians’ views of both Islamic culture and their own country’s role in international events.
Many Americans imagine a Foreign Service officer (diplomat) as one who flits in and out of meetings with VIP’s in exotic overseas capitals. This hardly describes my work. I worked mainly as a consular officer. I interviewed foreigners who wanted to come to the United States as visitors or to immigrate to this country as permanent residents. The job introduced me to those desperate millions who seek better lives in developed countries by legal or illegal means.
My work with American citizens provided me with my most memorable experiences. Routine tasks included renewing U.S. passports and performing notary services. However, duties were never routine for long. With my colleagues, I aided U.S. citizens who were jailed for various offenses. Most incarcerations in Muslim-majority countries resulted from American citizens involved with drugs, alcohol or pornography.
When American citizens died or were killed overseas, we notified next of kin in the States and took care of the remains as dictated by the family. Tragically, a few of these deaths resulted from terrorist attacks. I was in Saudi Arabia for both Gulf wars, in 1991 and after the attacks of September 11, 2001.
Americans married to foreign spouses presented us with the most emotion wrenching problems, especially the custody cases. Such marriages and divorces face the same challenges as those of two Americans, but problems are magnified by different laws governing children, religious beliefs, and the requirement for exit visas to leave some countries.
My novels and blogs since living abroad are influenced by those overseas years. I return to certain topics: immigration, current Arab unrest, and American Christians’ views of both Islamic culture and their own country’s role in international events.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 18, 2017
This is a wonderful mystery/romantic book that even teenagers can read. I especially liked the inner action between Emilia Stanek and Mac McCall. Emilia is a mail order bride from Chicago who traveled to Helena, Montana Territory, to meet her husband. Instead, her train is met by Mac, the sheriff, who advises her that her husband is dead and she should return to Chicago. Emilia is determined to stay to learn how to run her late husband's ranch and pay off his debts.
I was lucky enough to win this book in a contest from Goodreads. I recommend this as a great book to start your fall reading with.
I was lucky enough to win this book in a contest from Goodreads. I recommend this as a great book to start your fall reading with.
July 26, 2017
In "Tender Shadows," Ann Gaylia O'Barr provides a rare glimpse into the challenging work and life of Foreign Services officers of the US State Department in a fictitious Arab country following the September 11 terrorist attacks, interwoven with love and relationships stories in the diplomatic community. A veteran diplomat herself, O'Barr knows exactly what she writes about, which makes the characters of the novel more credible and the reading more interesting.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews