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Hambley's Meadow

by Cliff Shelton

241 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #01-0053; ISBN 1-55212-652-8; US$22.00, C$24.95, EUR18.00, £13.00

A young farmer runs the gauntlet of small-town gossip, violence and romance in his bid to settle newly-acquired land.

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about the book      about the author      sample excerpt      catalogue info

About the Book When Hambley Williams sold his meadow, he said, "It's like I was givin' up part of myself." Hambley's feeling for his meadow was more than nostalgia, more than a desire to conserve the bountiful gifts of nature. He came to the meadow when the world was too much for him, and its strength flowed into him, and renewed his spirit. He sold it because he had to, and to Lars Pederson because Lars understood and would preserve it as it had always been. The sale affected the lives of many people. It divided a community. It brought about a re-assessment of values, and in the end, a realization that people must be accepted for what they are not as others would have them be. The story is about a community, everyday folk like Hambley Williams, mail carrier and veteran of the First World War, people of the "thirties", people of the west far removed from thoughts of marching armies overseas until in Hambley's meadow a cache of the dynamite is found. Mostly it is about Lars Pederson. Lars acquires Hambley's meadow as part of a run-down farm near Silver Sands, a summer resort where "nothing ever happens." His neighbor, land hungry, and a power in the community, had wanted the place for his son. Bitterness develops, and confrontation that has its culmination in the final chapter. There is intrigue and strife, barn burning and fence cutting, but also the good times, and Hambley's legacy, "the beauty and peace of the meadow."

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About the Author Cliff Shelton, born in Licolnshire England, had published numerous short stories, plays and poetry. A former teacher and school principal in Edmonton, Alberta, he now resides in Victoria, British Columbia. This photo was taken on his ninetieth birthday.

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Sample Excerpt

Lars thought of Hambley's meadow, and his mind was made up. The place meant more to him, already, than money could buy. Here was what he had been looking for since his parents had gone. A place where he could put down roots. Where he could make a home, maybe with someone to share it with him. Someone who would not care if he were not a big farmer like Ben, but satisfied with a place like Sweyn's, a small place, with a big red barn. And a meadow.

"Ben, you've got lots of land. Why is this place important?"

Straight across the table, Ben thought. With this man, Lars, you did not play your cards close to the vest. You spread them out, all that you wanted him to see.

"All land is important," he said. "It's the backbone of life. It makes the difference between what a man is, and what he isn't. A few acres, and a man stands tall, a few more, and he is tall in the community; and, wherever you go, the number of acres you have will decide what doors swing open. This piece, right across from mine, would be easy to farm, but most of all, I'm thinking of Eddie. We have an understanding. He agreed to stay on the land if he could have this place. No other. His mind is set on it."

"So Hambley had to move?"

A hard light came into Ben's eyes. For a while it seemed that the question would not be answered, then, in a harsher tone, he said. "It should've been Northrup land in the first place."

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Catalogue Information

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