It is 1838 and James and Sadie Goodenough set out from their
overcrowded family farm in Connecticut
and pretty much land where they land. After a horrible, difficult
journey, the mud so thick they can barely struggle through it, they call it a
day in northern Ohio. Sadie and
James and their five children pretty much struggle daily. Their land is swampy
and unrelenting. It is hard work just to meet basic needs. James begins to
fulfill his dream of having the apple orchards he grew up with and with a few
seedlings he brought on the journey and more he purchases from a traveling
salesman, his focus becomes apples. There are apples that are eaters and apples
that are spitters. Sadie becomes much too enthralled with the spitters which
are made into alcohol and she is drunk much of the time. She is downright mean
and very unhappy. The children are sadly neglected. James finds solace in the
orchard until tragedy strikes and changes their lives forever. Flash forward to
1853 and Robert, the youngest who was always the apple of their eye, finds
himself traveling west towards California. Many years pass with the Gold Rush,
some odd jobs and finally using the knowledge he absorbed helping James in the
orchard, Robert begins to assist a naturalist, botanist English gentleman that
he finds traveling through the Redwoods. And so begins his journey to make his
own future and find peace with the past. Author Tracy Chevalier is a
magnificent storyteller and I love historical novels filled with characters so
detailed you can see and hear them, but I have to admit there was way too much
apple tree and plant information for my liking. It did not keep me from enjoying
the book but I found those parts tiresome.
I am listening to this on audio! it is a great listen!! I love Tracy Chevalier's writing. The stories are always entertaining and educational. If you haven't read her other books, I recommend them all,especially Remarkable Creatures and The Passion of Artemesia.
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