Wild Dream

by Alice Duncan

Hopeless romantic Addie Blewitt daydreams of brave knights and southern heroes as she works her farm and cares for her spinster aunt Ivy. When a brass-band musician rides into her life, Addie doesn't... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 044022361X
• ISBN13: 9780440223610
• Release Date: May 1997
• Publisher: Dell Publishing Company
• Length: 362 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

My most favorite book of Alice Duncan's, a/k/a Emma Craig an

Wild Dream is Alice's first published book and my very favorite. It is funny, historical, romantic, educational (I never had heard of the Americus Brass Band!) and there's even a bit of mystery thrown in. If you're a New Mexican and especially a southeastern one(!), you will enjoy reading the names of the towns used in the story - Rothwell for Roswell and Arleta for Artesia! All of us who have read this delightful story feel it should be made into a movie - any takers out there!

Fun

Charlie Wilde was born and raised in Georgia in a wealthy, genteel family. He and his friends were members of the prestigious America City Brass Band, which served as a Southern brigade band during the Civil War. As their leader, Charlie promised the surviving members that they would always stay together. No longer able to return to war-torn Georgia and their former jobs, they attempt to travel to Albuquerque to reestablish their band and gain employment. But en route, they find themselves near to starving and they have to resort to robbing for food. They bungle two robbery attempts, and while fleeing from the last attempt, they separate and Charlie is shot. He and his buddy Lester seek refuge at a farm belonging to Addie Blewitt and her Aunt Ivy.Addie, raised on the frontier with no friends her age, grew up hearing Aunt Ivy's repeated tales of the genteel side of life. She is the queen of daydreamers, and when Charlie and Lester ride up, "Princess" Addie believes one of them must be her Prince Charming or White Knight coming to sweep her away. She greets them as though they are her heroes. Charlie agrees to accept Miss Addie's hospitality in return for his carpenter's skills while he recovers, but he feels guilty since he plans to rob her of the Blewitt rubies to help get his band established. Charlie tries to live up to the image of a gentleman, but he becomes so in lust with Addie that she drives him crazy. He is continually amazed at how effortlessly she runs the ranch and takes care of problems, and she has the entire town in awe of Charlie and his band-except for the bungling sheriff, who just knows they are crooks and repeatedly tries to prove it.WILD DREAM is a light, fluffy, nonsensical kind of story. The hero and heroine are fun, but there are too many unbelievable characters, and the humor was too slapstick for my reading pleasure. Also, the author repeats some of the same thoughts over again, which is distracting. But the story covers such redeeming qualities as trust, forgiveness, and good family values, and it is a fun read. This would be a good reading choice when you need a break between darker, more serious stories. ~Carol Carter for Bookbug on the Web

This book saved my sanity during a marathon weekend.

Addie Blewitt is a dreamer. Living way out in the middle of a desert with only her nearly deaf Aunt Ivy for company her life consists of running her ranch. If it weren't for her wild daydreams about knights in shining armor her life would be unbearably boring. Charley is actually on the run, suffering from a bullet wound he received while he and his gang were attempting a robbery in a neighboring town. Because Addie appears so innocent and is convinced that he is the perfect Gentlemen he doesn't have the heart to tell her the truth. Being an honorable man he also fears for her safety. After all she just let two strangers into her home. What would happen to the girl if one of the nasty vermin in the area showed up? So he tells her a little fib. Actually it's a pretty big one. He says he was shot while a gang attempted to rob him and his defenseless fellow brass band members. He's also no fool and doesn't fancy getting booted out on his butt. If you are in the mood for a charming romp with touches of humor, sweet sensuality and likable, good hearted characters struggling to do what they think is best for the people they love look no further than Alice Duncan's appealing tale: WILD DREAM.

Delightful and heart-warming!

Addie Blewitt dreams of a knight in shining armor to come and rescue her--and then one comes riding right onto her New Mexico Territory farm! Mr. Charley Wilde turns out to be a real Georgia gentleman, and Addie takes him right into her home to tend to his gunshot wound that she figures must have come from some of those miserable varmit men who roam the desert. Charley Wilde does his best to keep his brass band--the only one to have made it through the entire civil war together--intact. But playing music doesn't make money, and jobs are hard to come by. His men aren't very good at stealing either, and Charley takes a bullet while trying to rob a mercantile. Now this dreamy-eyed young lady wants to make a hero of him! WILD DREAM is a delightful, heart-warming read. Addie is charming and funny in her own trying-to-be-a-real-lady-while-farming way; resolute in her habit of dreaming and the thinking the best of all situations and people. Charley is the perfect reluctant hero, and the balance that helps Addie see just enough of reality to enjoy life even more. It's a journey as glorious as the New Mexico sunset to see these two bring out the best in each other. Addie's Aunt Ivy, the men in in Charley's band, and the townspeople of Rothwell round out the story to make it a delicious slice of frontier life. Added bonuses are a great cover and author's historical notes. I can hardly wait to read more of Alice Duncan's Americana this summer! Kimberly Borrowdale Under the Covers Book Reviews http://www.silcom.com/~manatee/utc.html

Wild Dream....a phenomenal read

The ultimate dreamer, Addie was looking for *the* man...her knight in shining armor. One night, two strangers rode into her life. One was wounded and she devoted her attention...and her heart...to him. Charley Wilde. The gentleman of all gentleman, she told herself as she grew to love him more and more. Charley was a criminal. Oh, he had not planned on being that. His band had left Georgia in the hopes of a better life but hard times had befallen them. Desperate, they had turned to a life of crime. Now an angel has entered his life yet he knows he must steal from her and leave. His men depended on him, afterall. A bungling sheriff and a no-nonsense indian help to make this a wonderful read. Alice Duncan does not disappoint. If you are looking for a great, funny and inspiring read, Wild Dream is it.