Love, Ava
A Novel
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
"The wide brim slanted low over her face. The upturned lapels of her coat covered part of her features. The dark sunglasses concealed her eyes. And yet he knew beyond a doubt!"
She was Ava Gardner, in her youth one of the most sizzling screen goddesses of the Hollywood Golden Era. Her reputation as a man killer was well earned, and she was still as dangerous as she was beautiful. He was Major Russ Jefferson, just returned from a brutal tour in Vietnam, scarred by fire and haunted by loss.
Turning his back on a spectacular future in aviation, Jefferson takes a desk job at the American Embassy in London. Into this aimless life steps the most gorgeous woman he has ever seen, an icon he recognizes from the movie screens of his childhood. Exiting a taxi, Ava Gardner trips on a curb and he is instantly at her side. Long past her zenith, she fights back symptoms of the illness that will ultimately claim her life.
The hero and the aging movie star embark on a tentative love affair that will change their lives forever. In an uncharacteristic gesture of selflessness, Ava Gardner sacrifices what might be her last chance for happiness in order to save Major Jefferson from himself. Bittersweet and poignant, Love, Ava is a story of two people whose lives cross briefly, but unforgettably.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Vietnam veteran Rivers turns out an entertaining, if predictable, debut novel that mixes affairs of state with those of the heart. Air Force Maj. Russell Jefferson is badly wounded and his "backseater" best friend killed when his F-4 Phantom is shot down over North Vietnam. He is held as a prisoner of war in the prisoner of war camp known as Hanoi Hilton and, when freed, is physically scarred and suffering survivor's guilt. He rejects a flying assignment in favor of a staff job in the air attach 's office at the U.S. Embassy in London, where, in a "one-in-a-million chance meeting," Jefferson saves Ava Gardner from a fall on a London street. Jefferson becomes increasingly infatuated with the older film star as he courts the scorn of his boss, Gen. William Eads. Eads is blocking the approval of training routes for U.S. jets stationed in England, and Jefferson rashly confronts him. When Jefferson declares his love to Ava and announces his intention to resign his commission, it's up to the former Hollywood maverick to prevent the rebellious young officer from destroying his career. Rivers writes eloquently about air combat mostly in flashbacks but is less adept at exploring Jefferson's psyche or charting his romantic sorties.
