Nominated for a Books in Canada First Novel Award when it was first published in 1984, Country of the Heart is the resonant story of Iris and Lannie, also the heroines of Sharon Butala's newest novel, The Garden of Eden.Set in Butala's beautifully realized prairie landscape, Country of the Heart introduces 40-year-old Iris, seemingly happily married to Barney, a rancher-turned-farmer; Jake, a widower who, despite his age, still radiates the power and passion of the legendary cowboy he once was; and Lannie, Barney's niece, the troubled young woman who has lived with Barney and Iris since her own mother died.A story of the transforming power of love and land as only Sharon Butala can tell, Country of the Heart is a welcome addition to the hugely successful Butala backlist, a novel -- because of its link to The Garden of Eden -- that will gain instant recognition with Butala's fans.