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At the Edge of the Orchard

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October 1962 in Washington, DC. Youngest of 3 children. Father was a photographer for The Washington Post. Fifteen years later, the youngest Goodenough, Robert, is wandering through Gold Rush California. Restless and haunted by the broken family he left behind, he has made his way alone across the country. In the redwood and giant sequoia groves he finds some solace, collecting seeds for a naturalist who sells plants from the New World to the gardeners of England. But you can run only so far, even in America, and when Robert’s past makes an unexpected appearance he must decide whether to strike out again or stake his own claim to a home at last.

Their youngest child Robert is wandering through Gold Rush California. Restless and haunted by the broken family he left behind, he has made his way alone across the country. In the redwood and giant sequoia groves he finds some solace, collecting seeds for a naturalist who sells plants from the new world to the gardeners of England. But you can run only so far, even in America, and when Robert s past makes an unexpected appearance he must decide whether to strike out again or stake his own claim to a home at last. Yes, this is a grim tale but amid the doom and gloom there is the tiniest glimmer of hope – a sense that those sequoia seedlings might take root and begin anew. MA in creative writing, University of East Anglia, Norwich, England, 1994. There’s a lot of debate about whether or not you can be taught to write. Why doesn’t anyone ask that of professional singers, painters, dancers? That year forced me to write all the time and take it seriously.

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Chevalier tells a fierce, beautifully crafted story in At the Edge of the Orchard, her most graceful and richly imagined work yet. Sadie’s mistakes and aggressions are the ones that propel the plot in the first half of the book. What did you think about her character? Discuss the ways the author makes Sadie’s behavior more understandable or sympathetic. In what ways is James responsible for the family’s strife? What would this novel be like without Sadie? I am a huge fan of Tracy Chevalier and have read all of her previous novels, I've been very excited about this one since I heard about it late last year. This book was another example of that. Up until almost two thirds of the way through I was wondering what the point was. That's not to say I wasn't enjoying the book, as I was happy to follow the two generations of the Goodenough family and the apples they grow which provide the central theme, but I was often wondering where the story was going, who was meant to be the protagonist etc.... From internationally bestselling author Tracy Chevalier, a riveting drama of a pioneer family on the American frontier

Like most Instaread summaries, this one gives a good peek inside the book before you have to make the full investment. This is a great way to get a brief overview of a book. However, there's a situation yet to come involving Robert's sometimes-lover Molly, and his long-lost sister. More tragedy waits in the offing. Excellently researched…brings to life a seminal chapter in American history…A compelling look at what was lost and gained in westward expansion.” Writer Tracy Chevalier spins fiction from history. Her best-selling novel Girl with a Pearl Earring was set in the 17 th-century studio of Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer; 2010's Remarkable Creatures focused on 19 th-century English fossil hunters; and 2005's The Lady and the Unicorn told the stories of medieval tapestry weavers. Now, Chevalier's latest book looks at a pioneer family trying to scrape out a life in the swamps of Ohio. The search for happiness, the complex entanglements of family life, and people’s reactions to trying circumstances: these themes are familiar and universal. What makes Chevalier’s eighth novel distinctive is how she links them to the mid-19 th century world of trees and the care she takes with her realistic characters. It also moves beautifully between different styles and viewpoints, and the plot offers many surprises.

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Here again, are the same problems as in Burning Bright: pacing horribly off, misfocused plotting, odd and dissatisfying plot twists, and characters you like, but could pass in the street and not recognise due to how 'average Joe' or just nice they are. My thanks to Penguin Viking and Net Galley for providing a digital copy of this novel for review purposes. -

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