The Far Side of Eden: New Money, Old Land, and the Battle for Napa Valley

James Conway cuts to the chase in new money vs established money in a battle for land in Napa Valley. Detailed stories of conflicts between new money mentality of expand at any cost and old money in keeping things in check. Good story lines. I hope James returns with an updated book as this was written in 2002 and much has changed since.

As a Napa resident and former winemaker, I can say that this book truly pulls back the curtains to expose the overinflated egos that are rapidly transforming our valley into just another trendy, overpriced tourist trap.It is a much more entertaining and accurate read than Kolpan's Sense of Place which basically parrots Coppola's publicity agent's "approved" history. This is a must have book for anyone interested in what goes on behind the scenes in the Napa Valley.

I enjoyed reading this book a lot, even though I felt Conaway was clearly biased in favor of the most extreme environmentalists there, Malan/Mennen as he called them, or in other words the Sierra Club. He also managed to make everyone look bad, and I don't think people there are not as bad as they look in this book. For example, the long term residents love the valley and get along famously for the most part.Having said that, it does make for entertaining reading, and if you have any interest in the Napa Valley at all it will enlighten you to the local culture and to the issues that are in the forefront of people's minds there as far as land use goes. Although a true story it reads like a page turner novel, there are a lot of colorful characters. I am also dubious about the claim that this may be a precursor for other land use battles across the country. I sure hope not, I don't think most other places are so willing to listen to extremism as they are in California, and will work out their issues with more comity and more reliance on actual and not junk, politically based science.

I loved "The Far Side of Eden." Conaway vividly captured the personalities in Napa Valley, and the absurdities, carried out by all sides and told in rich and wonderful detail, make this book both hilarious and disturbingly sad. It was a book that needed to be written, and Conaway does a great job of reporting all sides of this important land-use issue. The unfolding drama - and humor - carried me forward effortlessly.

Conaway's first book on the topic, "Napa, the Story of an American Eden," held a mirror to a beautiful place and the wonders of American winemaking. This sequel goes through the looking glass into a world of greed and self absorption, where a monoculture rapes land, trophy homes blight ridgetops, egos swell and rot like grapes too long on the vine. Finely reported, elegantly written, "The Far Side of Eden" would be depressing -- if the tale weren't told with such wit and good humor. The hubris of winemakers like Pahlmeyer and Staglin and Copolla emerge as hilarious, the self-righteousness of both the winos and the ecos as ridiculous. It's quite sad, and hugely funny. I think this is an important book. It spotlights Napa, but it could be anywhere in America where riches come too fast and too much and the result is look-at-me-look-at-me development. Read it slow, and let it breathe, it's a treat.