Stephen Goodwin's second novel is an emblematic tale of thesixties, of a sophisticated couple going back to the land. The restlessness thatcompels Anna and Steadman to move from the city to a small mountain farm in Virginiais brought into high relief by the cycles of the natural world, and by the arrivalof Anna's demonic twin sister. Goodwin's prose, by turns stark and pastoral, outlines these struggles while leavening them with self-effacing humor and beauty.Peopled with hippies and mountain folk, artists and farmers both organic andtraditional, not to mention an unforgettable child, The Blood of Paradise evokes anera through a sensitive and unstinting portrait of marriage.