At The Edge of the Orchard by Tracy Chevalier – Discussed on Wed Oct. 4,
2017 at Geneseo Public Library
1838: James and Sadie
Goodenough have settled where their wagon got stuck – in the muddy, stagnant
swamps of northwest Ohio. They and their five children work relentlessly to
tame their patch of land, buying saplings from a local tree man known as John
Appleseed so they can cultivate the fifty apple trees required to stake their
claim on the property. But the orchard they plant sows the seeds of a long
battle. James loves the apples, reminders of an easier life back in
Connecticut; while Sadie prefers the applejack they make, an alcoholic refuge
from brutal frontier life.
1853: 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.
1853: 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.
We enjoyed the history and
traveling of this story. There were
several fictional characters that were based on real life people, and they were
interesting. The readers learned information about growing apples and the trees
in California. However the plot was
about a very disfunctional farming family.
Our group had mixed feelings about this dark novel, but it generated
good discussion.
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