Edna and Carl met when the airbase came to town. Edna worked for the local photo studio and Carl trained pilots to fly B52 Bombers. When World War II ended, the young couple headed to Carl's hometown of Marysville. Through trial and effort, they started a flying school and an airport. Edna's story covers a time when the United States was becoming the largest aviation manufacturing country in the world. A delight for aviation history buffs, as well as for readers who enjoy strong female characters in non-traditional roles, this is the true story of one family's experiences set against the early days of the Air Age.
Alert for danger, Laura Roth stands at the door of her sod house, anxiously watching a lone rider cantering toward her across the prairie. Dismounting, he removes his hat and bows slightly. His eyes-in striking contrast to his dark skin, black hair and beard-are an intense blue. He returns her gaze honestly. She sees nothing to fear. As she dips a cup of water from the barrel by the door and offers it to the weary traveler, Laura never dreams that she and this man would share a mutual secret to the grave. Thus begins the saga of John and Laura Roth and their descendents; their hopes and dreams, trials and tribulations through 110 years on the sweeping Kansas plains. We meet: Eva, spoiled and willful, who "does what she has to do" to survive the depression. Silas, who chooses an unorthodox way to deal with his wife's infidelity. Gerald who, haunted by a phantom from a boyhood indiscretion, also harbors a lifelong secret. And more. The land, located on the western fringe of "The Heartland", one of the richest wheat and gas producing regions in the world, is a significant protagonist in this Southwest Kansas saga.
Pablo Picasso once said, "art is lies that tell the truth". Although these stories are fiction, they delve deeply into the reality of life on The Great Plains."Fragile Hopes, Transient Dreams is a saga you'll not easily forget. It is love and trust, hardship and turmoil, life and death from the settlement days forward in Southwest Kansas. Edna Bell-Pearson masterfully brings to life the hard times and the spirited people who lived and died there."-Gordon A. Kessler, author of Jezebel, Dead Reckoning and Novel Writing Made Simple"Edna Bell-Pearson's book, Fragile Hopes, Transient Dreams, is a clear and honest story about pioneer life in southwest Kansas. Her steady voice and compassion for her subject breathes life into her characters and reveals the conflicts and struggles early Kansas settlers faced as they attempted to tame the frontier. You won't be disappointed."-Troy Boucher author of Prince of the Plains and The Last Kansas Exit
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