This book is a love story about the country of Honduras, as well as several of its characters. Nancy Leslie lives with her sister and brother-in-law on a banana plantation. Steve Brent is a (much older) writer coming to gather material for his next novel. Mark Glennon works for Nancy's brother-in-law and makes no secret of the fact that he loves Nancy in a sweet, deep, abiding sort of way. Will Nancy be swayed by the flashiness and celebrity of the faithless writer? Or, will she grow the $%^&$ up and return Mark's affections?
Meanwhile, household employee Vincente sleeps with the domestic Amada, while pining for the fiery Rosita. Will the birth of his and Amada's son make him a family man?
Osborne's tale has much to recommend it. Even though written in 1949, more than 50 years ago, if one ignores the obvious lack of modern technology, it could be mistaken for a much more modern narrative. The secondary characters are also compelling, especially Mr. Austin, a broken-down alcoholic who may have discovered the secret to preventing banana disease, and Mr. Gretler who pines for his home country of Switzerland with as much fervor and descriptiveness as Osbourne utilizes to endear us to Honduras.
The narrative is peppered with sparkling and witty dialouge. Conversations at dinner parties and while lounging on the porch after dinner were my favorite parts of the book. The way these characters speak calls to mind movies starring Jimmy Stewart and Bette Davis. In fact, now that I think of it, this book would have made an excellent movie several decades ago. Unfortunately, as it contains no explosions, fart jokes, or teenage wizardry, it would not get made today. ( )