TheBestseller
Observatory

Best Sellers

Hardcover Fiction

Week of December 7, 1997

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COLD MOUNTAIN
Charles Frazier
Cover of COLD MOUNTAIN

COLD MOUNTAIN

by Charles Frazier · Atlantic Monthly Press

18 wks at #1 · 22 on list

The impact of the Civil War on lovers. Inman is not the man he used to be, as wounded in battle he slowly makes his way home to North Carolina. His sweetheart, Ada, too has changed, no longer a flighty belle but a hard-working farm woman. Will love be the same?

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THE GHOST
Danielle Steel
Cover of THE GHOST

THE GHOST

by Danielle Steel · Delacorte Press

3 wks on list

After his ten year marriage comes to an abrupt end, Charlie Waterston finds solace traveling through New England and in the pages of the diary of a woman named Sarah who first came to American in 1789. Caught between Sarah's world and his own, Charlie finds the courage to let go of his past, and the freedom to grasp the future that is right before his eyes. National ads, including "People". Online promo (www.daniellesteel.com). Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

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THE LETTER
Richard Paul Evans
Cover of THE LETTER

THE LETTER

by Richard Paul Evans · Simon & Schuster

6 wks on list

The love story of David and MaryAnne Parkin and the storms that their relationship must face when the blissful state of romance vanishes into real-life challenges and difficulties.

6
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VIOLIN
Anne Rice
Cover of VIOLIN

VIOLIN

by Anne Rice · Knopf

6 wks on list

A woman from New Orleans steals a violin from a ghost and becomes the musician she always wanted, finding herself acclaimed on two continents. Part fantasy, part reality.

8
LUCKY YOU
Carl Hiaasen
Cover of LUCKY YOU

LUCKY YOU

by Carl Hiaasen · Knopf

4 wks on list

JoLayne Luck enlists the help of investigative journalist Tom Krone to chase down Bodean Gazzer and his sidekick Chub, the two men who stole JoLayne's winning lottery ticket in order to set up their own underground militia group in Florida.

9
COME THE SPRING
Julie Garwood
Cover of COME THE SPRING

COME THE SPRING

by Julie Garwood · Pocket

3 wks on list

Julie Garwood triumphed with her phenomenal For the Roses and her #1 New York Times bestselling trio of novels, One Pink Rose, One White Rose, and One Red Rose. Now, she brings her irresistible and heartwarming wit to a delightful love story featuring the unforgettable frontier family, the Claybornes of Blue Belle, Montana. Cole Clayborne had always walked a dark path and flirted with a life of crime. While his three brothers chose to settle into married life, Cole rebelliously refused to be tied down. Now, an elusive stranger draws him into a shadowy chase that will bring unexpected turns to his uncertain future—and may determine which side of the law the restless Cole favors. A tragic, heartbreaking loss drives US Marshal Daniel Ryan on a quest for vengeance—and leads him to a beautiful young woman, the sole witness to a terrible crime. But the lawman finds that love is the greatest trial of all as he unwittingly draws her into the line of fire. The power and drama of their blossoming passion, entwined with the surprising destiny of the wayward Cole, make Come the Spring a superbly entertaining adventure inside the heart of “a family whose love and loyalty will truly inspire” (Romantic Times).

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COMANCHE MOON
Larry McMurtry
Cover of COMANCHE MOON

COMANCHE MOON

by Larry McMurtry · Simon & Schuster

4 wks on list

Two Texas Rangers fight Indians and bandits while trying to sort affairs with their women. One is Gus McCrae, a hard-drinking womanizer jilted by his love, the other is sober Woodrow Call, father of a boy by a prostitute. By the author of Lonesome Dove.

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WOBEGON BOY
Garrison Keillor
Cover of WOBEGON BOY

WOBEGON BOY

by Garrison Keillor · Viking Press

2 wks on list

Garrison Keillor is the consummate storyteller, gifted with the rare ability--both in print and in performance--to hold an audience spellbound with his tales of ordinary people whose lives contain extraordinary moments of humor, tenderness, and grace. This exclusive recording of Garrison Keillor reading a carefully edited abridgement of the book and includes a few segments taken from live performances recorded during a fundraising tour for public radio stations in 1985. 1987 Grammy(R) Award winner Table of Contents Tape 1 Prologue; Home; Forbears; Sumus Quod Sumus; Protestant Tape 2 Protestant; Summer; School Tape 3 Fall; Winter Tape 4 Footnote (95 Theses 95); Spring; Revival

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THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS
Arundhati Roy
Cover of THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS

THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS

by Arundhati Roy · Random House

17 wks on list

The story of an Indian family during the 1969 Communist disturbances in Kerala province. It is told through the eyes of a boy and his sister who are the children of a rich rubber planter. Politics, family drama, illicit love. A debut in fiction.

15
NEW
ALL I NEED IS YOU
Johanna Lindsey
Cover of ALL I NEED IS YOU

ALL I NEED IS YOU

by Johanna Lindsey · Avon

The head strong child of Chandos Straton and Courtney Harte, Casey Straton inherited her mother's eyes and her father's stubborn temperament. Despite her unladylike prowess at roping, riding and shooting, the responsibility of running her late grandfather's ranch was given to Casey's older brother. She's a beautiful young woman of marrying age, Chandos tells his daughter, and she should be looking to settle down--which only infuriates Casey, sending the high-spirited hellion storming away from her Texas home, determined to prove to her family that she can do much more than "woman's work." Damian Rutledge III has left his home far behind as well. A successful New York businessman, he used important connections to gain a U.S. Deputy's badge. And now he has come west to kill the man who murdered his father. But despite his powerful physique and unwavering courage, the handsome Eastern "dude" is like a fish out of water in the untamed and unpredictable country. And his inability to handle a shooting iron would have cost him his life at the hands of two desperate outlaws if it weren't for the timely intervention of a half-pint bounty hunter called "Kid"--a youngster whose cool head and lightning-fast draw Damian quickly decides will be valuable assets in his hunt for his father's killer. But there is more to Kid than first meets the eye. For beneath a large hat and dusty poncho, and behind two blazing six-guns, is a stunningly sensuous young lady: Casey Straton. And despite Casey's resolve to maintain her disguise at all costs, the nearness of this proud, fearless and undeniably masculine gentleman has awakened the fires of her womanly passions and touched her vulnerable, aching heart--which could lead to serious complications on a rocky trail that winds dangerous duty to irrepressible love. The head strong child of Chandos Straton and Courtney Harte, Casey Straton inherited her mother's eyes and her father's stubborn temperament. Despite her unladylike prowess at roping, riding and shooting, the responsibility of running her late grandfather's ranch was given to Casey's older brother. She's a beautiful young woman of marrying age, Chandos tells his daughter, and she should be looking to settle down--which only infuriates Casey, sending the high-spirited hellion storming away from her Texas home, determined to prove to her family that she can do much more than "woman's work." Damian Rutledge III has left his home far behind as well. A successful New York businessman, he used important connections to gain a U.S. Deputy's badge. And now he has come west to kill the man who murdered his father. But despite his powerful physique and unwavering courage, the handsome Eastern "dude" is like a fish out of water in the untamed and unpredictable country. And his inability to handle a shooting iron would have cost him his life at the hands of two desperate outlaws if it weren't for the timely intervention of a half-pint bounty hunter called "Kid"--a youngster whose cool head and lightning-fast draw Damian quickly decides will be valuable assets in his hunt for his father's killer. But there is more to Kid than first meets the eye. For beneath a large hat and dusty poncho, and behind two blazing six-guns, is a stunningly sensuous young lady: Casey Straton. And despite Casey's resolve to maintain her disguise at all costs, the nearness of this proud, fearless and undeniably masculine gentleman has awakened the fires of her womanly passions and touched her vulnerable, aching heart--which could lead to serious complications on a rocky trail that winds dangerous duty to irrepressible love.

Historical bestseller data sourced from the New York Times Book Review, archived by Hawes Publications.