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At the Edge of the Orchard

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At the Edge of the Orchard

By: Tracy Chevalier
Narrated by: Liza Ross
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About this listen

Ohio, 1838: James and Sadie Goodenough have settled in the Black Swamp, planting apple trees to claim the land as their own. As fever picks off their children, husband and wife take solace in separate comforts.

Fifteen years later their youngest son, Robert, is drifting through gold rush California. When he finds steady work for a plant collector, peace seems finally to be within reach. But the past is never really past, and one day Robert is forced to confront the brutal reason he left behind everything he loved.

©2016 Tracy Chevalier (P)2016 W F Howes Ltd Coming of Age Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Fiction Marriage
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Would you consider the audio edition of At the Edge of the Orchard to be better than the print version?

Tracy Chevalier writes well and is an interesting read and listen.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Tracey Chevalier creates strong characters and even the minor players have personality. They're all plausible and full f life.

Which character – as performed by Liza Ross – was your favourite?

I like all.

Any additional comments?

What a wonderful blend of loosely fact based fiction. Strong sense of time and place, lively dialogue and a story that draws you in and keeps you engrossed.

Great characters and strong plotting

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I have read many books about the push to the West in America in the 19th Century. But this personal story brings the big picture down to the family level. It portrays the drive to move west to clear new ground and build a settled life from the perspective of one family who start in Ohio growing apples and other crops. It brings to life also the stories of plant hunters in California collecting seeds and seedlings to send back to Britain, where we see them grown to giants in some of our stately home parks. But this is mainly a story about a family and its relationships over one generation. I think it is one of Tracy Chevalier's best books, and I love all the others.

Pioneer Spirit Made Personal

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I've read a couple of this remarkable authors books before and wasn't dissapointed with this one. Half way through I turned to Audible to finish it for me, I really enjoyed the verbal re-enactment.

A Very Good Story

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I just could not warm to this one. I’ve loved all the others I have read/listened to but this was hard work partly, I think because it opens with a cast of fairly unsympathetic characters. It was interesting to learn a little about plant collectors but if you are new to this author I would recommend you try one of her other books first

First of her books I’ve not really enjoyed

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I liked the meandering plot, the contrasting characters and the right amount of detail to keep the readers interest.

Good story about trees apples and American family values

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