Lawrence Coates is an associate professor of creative writing at Bowling Green State University. He has published numerous short stories and two other novels, The Blossom Festival and The Master of Monterey, both with the University of Nevada Press.
“Another novel by Lawrence Coates so magical, aching, and complete
that once begun I could not turn away. There is a tenderness and
dignity in these pages that make me realize this is the writing I
long for.” -- Robert Olmstead, author of Far Bright Star
“Lawrence Coates knows California’s Santa Clara Valley, its
history, and the history of its once-great wine industry, and it
permeates every page of his new novel. In The Garden of the World
he has created a complex and beautiful story.” -- Charles Sullivan,
author of A Companion to California Wine: An Encyclopedia of Wine
and Winemaking from the Mission Period to the Present
“Coates is one of a handful of contemporary American novelists who
write about agriculture and the social life of communities of the
soil. I find his work fascinating because of it. He is part of the
literary thrust to recapture and reimagine lost worlds, and we as
readers are the better for it. Coates is a unique and significant
presence.” -- W. Jack Hicks, coeditor of The Literature of
California
“This is both a literary work and a good read, by a writer who
knows how to turn a provocative phrase and weave a satisfying
plot.” -- Joy Passanante, author of My Mother’s Lovers
""Coates does an admirable job of exploring the bonds between
misguided father and prodigal son, all against the backdrop of a
fallen American Eden."" -- Publishers Weekly
""The spirit of California looms large in The Garden of the World.
Lawrence Coates's intimate knowledge of the state's history and
environs brings life to a myriad of characters in search of the
quintessential California dream."" Western American Literature,
Fall 2013
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