Product Description

In a searing novel of love and loyalty, guilt and honor, the acclaimed author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Horse Whisperer gives his millions of readers another hero...

The Smoke Jumper

His name is Connor Ford and he falls like an angel of mercy from the sky, braving the flames to save the woman he loves but knows he cannot have. For Julia Bishop is the partner of his best friend and fellow “smoke jumper,” Ed Tully. Julia loves them both--until a fiery tragedy on Montana’s Snake Mountain forces her to choose between them, and burns a brand on all their hearts.

In the wake of the fire, Connor embarks on a harrowing journey to the edge of human experience, traveling the world’s worst wars and disasters to take photographs that find him fame but never happiness. Reckless of a life he no longer wants, again and again he dares death to take him, until another fateful day on another continent, he must walk through fire once more...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #214925 in Books
• Published on: 2002-07-30
• Released on: 2002-07-30
• Original language: English
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 576 pages

From Amazon.com
New York born and bred, Julia Bishop has no warning that spending the summer counseling troubled teens in Montana will change her life forever. Happily in love with smoke jumper and musician Ed Tully, she looks forward to spending the summer weekends with him in Missoula and is stunned and disturbed by the instant connection she feels to his best friend, Connor Ford. Connor, a Montana rancher and smoke jumper, loves fighting fires almost as much as he loves photography, and before the summer is barely started, he loves Julia Bishop just as deeply. The bond between the three is strong but the work of a smoke jumper is fraught with danger and the trio soon face death by fire. Survival changes their lives forever and places them on paths that divide Julia, Ed, and Connor just as surely as their individual journeys bind them irrevocably together. The Smoke Jumper is a tale of loyalty and guilt, honor and selfless love, and the human cost of choices made. --Lois Faye Dyer

From Publishers Weekly
With fists over their hearts, best friends Connor Ford and Ed Tully shout out "hearts of fire" before parachuting into devastating forest fires to extinguish them. Working side by side in life-threatening circumstances, this unlikely pair (Connor is a Montana cowboy and freelance photographer; Ed is a Chicago musician and would-be playwright) bond through their summer job. Ed's girlfriend, Julia, counsels troubled teens in the Montana wilderness and, though neither one acknowledged it, when Connor and Julia met sparks flew. All three of their lives change irreparably when Julia is trapped in a raging forest fire. Ed becomes blinded during the rescue, and Connor saves Julia. Julia marries Ed out of a sense of responsibility, and a frustrated Connor leaves for years to travel the globe as a war photographer. Although it sounds like an extravagant soap opera, and occasionally feels that way, Evans's (The Horse Whisperer and The Loop) latest novel is about more than just a complicated love triangle. From its opening line, "The important things in life always happen by accident," this is a tale of fate and the search for happiness and self-fulfillment. Conger's strong, clear reading has an edge accentuating the danger of Connor's life, yet at the same time his voice is a source of integrity and calm that anchors the story. Simultaneous release with the Delacorte hardcover.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
When Ed Tully meets the woman of his dreams and they begin their life together, it seems natural that she take a summer job working with troubled kids in the area where he works as a smoke jumper. Ed's best friend, Connor, is also a jumper, and that summer begins the intertwining of their three lives. As with Evans's other books, the focus is on the emotional lives of the characters, and Luke Perry brings full measure to the joy and pathos of the story. He reads in a gentle voice, especially to convey the emotionally difficult passages. Although this is not a flashy performance, he subtly captures the sorrows--and finally the joys--of the characters. While the abridgment seems a little awkward, Evans and Perry follow the three lives to an emotionally satisfying conclusion. M.A.M. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

The Smoke Jumper
This is the first of Evans books that I've read and I really enjoyed it. The three words that describe the book best for me would be honesty, devotion, and passion. I didn't know what to expect of the book and was pleasantly surprised. I recomend this book to people wanting a real page turner.

No spoilers included in this review!
First, I have to say that I was very disappointed to see that several reviews here have spoilers for this book! I always come here first to read reviews BEFORE reading a book...if you're doing so, be warned because several reviewers gave most of the story away!

So...on to the book. After reading both of Nicholas Evan's other novels, this one was a bit disappointing. However, I did enjoy it, it was written beautifully, it just didn't move or inspire me like The Loop or The Horse Whisperer.

Without giving too much away, this story is about Ed, Connor and Julia. Ed and Connor are best friends and smoke jumpers in Montana together each summer. One summer Ed brings his new girlfriend Julia along, as she's a counselor for troubled teens in a near-by camp. What ensues is much adventure, as they all have jobs that lean towards the dangerous side. After the summer fades, their lives all take very unpredictable turns, leading them each in their own direction. Will they all stay friends, down these roads life leads them?

What I enjoyed most about this book was that the story was so unpredictable. Evans did a good job of taking us down a path that was amazing as it was surprising. Again, it's not my favorite of his, but he took a chance with something slightly different and did a pretty good job of it.

Worth the jump.
This book is by far the best work of a brilliant writer. Evans creates wonderful charactars that are easy to care about, and will keep you turning pages. This is a beautiful story of human emotion, choices, and love. I highly recommend it.