First published 2016
Frederick and May Rindge arrive in frontier Los Angeles in 1887 as newlyweds from vastly different worlds. He brings Harvard connections and a Boston fortune. She carries Midwestern farming roots and deep wariness. Frederick transforms his inherited wealth into California empire, becoming one of the state's richest men within years. When he dies suddenly in 1905, May faces a choice. Surrender the family's Malibu ranch to developers and government officials, or fight. She chooses war. For thirty years, May battles the most powerful men in America while her own family fractures around her. She refuses railroad access, blocks highway construction, and wages the longest land dispute in California history. Her private kingdom becomes the prize in a Supreme Court case that will reshape the coast. The struggle spans decades as America sheds its Civil War past and enters the modern age. Railroads cross the frontier, automobiles appear on dirt roads, and Hollywood's first stars seek refuge in exclusive enclaves. Through it all, May Rindge stands guard over her slice of paradise, determined to preserve what love built.
Genres: biography, historical-fiction, 20th-century, american, 19th-century, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water, power-struggle
Setting: California, Malibu, United States
Period: 1887, 1905, 20th-Century
264 pages · Kindle Edition · W. W. Norton & Company