Larger	Ayla's Paradise Author: Esther Slade
	Book Information Publisher: Robert D. Reed Publishers Book Type: Paperback Members Wishing: 2 Rating: ? ISBN-13: 9781885003874 - ISBN-10: 1885003870 Publication Date: 8/2001 Pages: 150

Set on the United States Island territory of St. Croix and the eastern U.S., Ayla's Paradise is the provocative story of its heroine, Ayla Walker Johnson, and her triumphs over adversity. At age nine, Ayla surrenders her mother to what will become her own fiercest enemy -- Death. Abandoned by her father in his grief and forced to carry the burden of taking care of her brothers, she becomes determined to find freedom and longs for love.

The lure of the mainland and its promise of independence and opportunity lead Ayla to escape St. Croix and her responsibilities to begin her own family. But when she finally finds love and maternal fulfillment her world is torn apart and she must fight to save herself and her children from absolute despondency. At times Ayla is insecure, having been politely discarded by a college sweetheart; at other times, she is feisty, threatening to pluck out the eyes of the woman who would dare take her husband; and still other times, she is passionate, scorching her husband with the "island fire" of their prurient lovemaking. More than anything, Ayla is a woman of great strength who overcomes distress and ill fortune to emerge victorious and proud.