James Lane Allen 
Mettle of the Pasture 

Though James Lane Allen’s The Mettle of the Pasture is rife with the lush descriptions and strong sense of place that imbue his previous works, the central focus of this novel is on the complicated nuances of the blossoming love between protagonists Isabel and Rowan, proving that Allen is as skilled in creating unforgettable characters and dramatic tension as he is at depicting the contours of the natural landscape.