The King and Queen of Malibu: The True Story of the Battle for Paradise by David K. RandallMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Who knew the history of Malibu could be so fascinating!!
I belong to the California Reading group here on Goodreads. Someone there recommended reading this nonfiction history about Frederick and May Rindge and their purchase of Rancho Topanga Malibu Sequit (a Spanish land grant) in 1892. I love learning the history of my state and enjoyed this book from start to finish.
I listened to an audiobook version so missed out on seeing the photos in the book. That's one reason why I really prefer to read nonfiction in physical book format. However the narration was good and there are a lot of photos and maps on the internet that satisfied my need for visuals.
I'm terribly sorry the Topanga Arch Rock was destroyed. I get very upset about that kind of destruction, though some may think it was done by nature rather than vandalism. I tend to think it was probably the victim of human interference because in looking at the photos I found through Google, the art rock did not look like it was going to fall down on its own any time soon.
There was so much drama about the use of the Malibu land. The Rindges wanted people to stop violating their property rights but others insisted on barging their way through. In that respect it was a sad story of much struggle.
I really liked Frederick Rindge. He was born to great wealth but because of illness, lived a life of great difficulty. Through all his sorrows he became devoted to the Lord and to sharing his spiritual philosophies about right living. He wrote a few books about this, and I'd like to find and read them. Maybe they're on Archive.Org or Project Gutenberg. I haven't looked for them yet. He married a woman from a poor family and didn't let his huge inherited fortune interfere with his love for Jesus.
Well, Malibu is more interesting than I'd ever imagined. I'm glad I read this book!
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