This was very disappointing. I love many of the authors books, but this one is on the bottom of my list. thankfully it was a quick read. It alternated between a horrible dysfunctional family and endless descriptions of trees.....half the time I was depressed and the other bored.
Anyone else get the spin on the character's last name? Goodenough aka Good enough? Wow, pretty much sums up this book. A heart-breaking story about settling a plot of land and finding yourself in pioneer America. Family secrets, family dynamics and the harsh realities of living during the period are fleshed out successfully in this work. I could have learned a bit less about trees, thank you, but I did enjoy this one. Robert Goodenough is all about going west, leaving his past behind, but he can't see that he is becoming his father. Falling in love with a woman who sometimes resembles his own mother. And trying to spread his family's legacy of taking care of trees. The story of James and Sadie was rough to read. Mary's was even rougher, though I wish she had played a much bigger part. You need a light-hearted read after this one.
Read through Penguin's First to Read program.
Read through Penguin's First to Read program.
A story of a marriage trying to survive in difficult living conditions, a story of a young man escaping his past, a history of a young United States, and the beauty of trees are the four main elements of At the Edge of the Orchard by Tracy Chevalier. Robert Goodenough's story is the focus of the book, but James and Sadie Goodenough's story is the more interesting one. That's the one I wish I read more about.
Read my complete review at: http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2016/03/at-edge-of-orchard.html
Reviewed based on a publisher's galley received through NetGalley
Read my complete review at: http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2016/03/at-edge-of-orchard.html
Reviewed based on a publisher's galley received through NetGalley
This is an interesting story about a couple who settles in a swamp and establishes an apple orchard. Of their ten children, only five survive due to disease spread by mosquitoes. The marriage becomes polarized as the wife becomes addicted to apple jack made from a sour apple variety. The husband loves the sweetness of another type that his family brought from England. They must have a grove of 50 trees established to keep their land. However, the makeup of that grove becomes a battleground as the two insist that their favorite apples be planted.
The tale is about their life and the trials thereof until in a rage the wife takes after the husband's trees with an ax. He steps between her and the tree and encountering the ax in his side. With his last efforts he gives her a kick and she lands on a sharpened stake that was part of the fence protecting the tree. Both die and the story shifts to that of their son, Robert, who runs away from the farm roaming throughout the country but usually writing a letter to his brothers and sisters once a year. Only one sister tries to find him but her letters never catch up to him until close to the end of the tale. At that point Robert's life changes dramatically as his sister joins him in California. The ending is surprising and a bit sad but I liked it enough to give the book 4 stars.
The tale is about their life and the trials thereof until in a rage the wife takes after the husband's trees with an ax. He steps between her and the tree and encountering the ax in his side. With his last efforts he gives her a kick and she lands on a sharpened stake that was part of the fence protecting the tree. Both die and the story shifts to that of their son, Robert, who runs away from the farm roaming throughout the country but usually writing a letter to his brothers and sisters once a year. Only one sister tries to find him but her letters never catch up to him until close to the end of the tale. At that point Robert's life changes dramatically as his sister joins him in California. The ending is surprising and a bit sad but I liked it enough to give the book 4 stars.
