The perfection of the novel: a sweeping tale of a woman's loss and discovery from the best-selling author of The Perfection of the Morning.

Sharon Butala achieved that magical combination of critical acclaim and popular sales success with her #1 national bestseller, The Perfection of the Morning (over 50,000 copies sold). Now, in what many are predicting will be her most powerful novel ever, Sharon Butala returns to Perfection territory in a profoundly moving tale of two generations of western women and their search to heal themselves.

A farm woman like her mother and her grandmother before her, Iris finds her comfortable rhythm of prairie life shattered forever when her husband dies suddenly. She begins a search for the niece she raised as a daughter, but has not seen for ten years. Lannie, fleeing from her own past, is desperately trying to save others -- and herself -- in the drought-ravaged deserts of Ethiopia. In her quest for Lannie, Iris must come to terms with her rage, her longing for love and the inexorable truths of nature.

The Garden of Eden is a transforming story that travels deep into the heart of contemporary womanhood and challenges the myth of the West. A search for redemption in a landscape on the edge of ruin, The Garden of Eden is a passionate testament to Sharon Butala's immense talent as a writer and interpreter of our own search for a place in the world.

Sharon Butala is the author of nineteen books of fiction and nonfiction, numerous essays and articles, some poetry and five produced plays. She published her first novel in 1984, Country Of The Heart, which was nominated for the Books in Canada First Novel Award, followed closely by a collection of short stories, Queen of the Headaches. She was born in Nipawin, Saskatchewan. After graduating from the University of Saskatchewan, she taught English in Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Nova Scotia. She eventually returned to Saskatoon, before moving near Eastend, Saskatchewan, to live on her husband, Peter Butala’s ranch. Sharon’s books have been on the Canadian bestseller lists, including her memoir, The Perfection Of The Morning, which reached #1 in July 1994 and remained on the list for over a year. Most recently, Wild Rose was also on the bestseller lists. Sharon has read all over Canada and in the United States as well as in Mexico, the Czech Republic, and Ireland. She has been a guest at nearly every literary festival in Canada and some US festivals, as well as teaching literally dozens of writing workshops. Sharon has been a guest at the “Geography of Hope” conference on Wallace Stegner, at Point Reyes Station, California. She has also been a guest speaker at Speak to the Wild: a multi-disciplinary gathering dedicated to the politics and poetics of wilderness, at Wells Gray Provincial Park, BC. She is also in demand as a lecturer, having spoken recently at the Edmonton Jung Forum, the Banff Centre for the Arts Book Discussion Weekend, the “Books ‘n’ Brunch” series in Toronto, the UBC and Hollyhock’s “Summer Speakers’ Series” in Vancouver, the Vancouver Institute, and was a keynote speaker at the narratology conference at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick, among other engagements. Sharon has also been a keynote speaker at the International Grasslands conference and delivered the inaugural annual lecture at University of Saskatchewan Creative Writing program.

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