At the Edge of the Orchard: A Novel
by Chevalier, Tracy
- Used
- Condition
- UsedVeryGood
- ISBN 10
- 0143110977
- ISBN 13
- 9780143110972
- Seller
-
Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
UsedVeryGood. Item has stickers or notes attached to cover and/or pages that have not been removed to prevent further damage
Reviews
On Mar 27 2016, a reader said:
At the Edge of the Orchard by Tracy Chevalier is not what I expected. James Goodenough and his wife, Sadie leave Connecticut (and the rest of the Goodenough family) to find a farm of their own. They end up in Black Swamp, Ohio (because it was so muddy they could go no further). James and Sadie had ten children (but only five lived because of swamp fever from the mosquitoes). Life is hard in the swamp, but James is determined to make a go of his apple orchard. James and Sadie do not get along. Sadie resents the apples (because her husband pays more attention to the apples than her) and does her best to sabotage the trees. Sadie is a drunk (on applejack) the majority of the time. Things do not end well for the couple and their youngest son, Robert takes off. We then have a series of letters that explain what Robert did for the next seventeen years. Robert ends up working for William Lobb as a plant collector in California. We get to see how his growing up years affected the rest of his life and the choices he makes.
At the Edge of the Orchard was okay. I normally love Tracy Chevalier's books, but I was not a fan of this one. It is a slow paced book with unengaging characters. Parts of the book are told in the first person (Sadie and James) point-of-view. Sadie's part is hard to understand with her backwards way of talking (and accent). The rest is told in the third person (about Robert). The descriptions of the apples, the orchards, and the plants/trees in California were lovely and interesting. The pace of the novel, though, is slow (I think apples grow faster). The writing is good, but the story is depressing. There is domestic violence, foul language, sex, and incest in this novel (just fair warning). I give At the Edge of the Orchard 3 out of 5 stars.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Goodwill (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 2Y6RVK004BWW_ns
- Title
- At the Edge of the Orchard: A Novel
- Author
- Chevalier, Tracy
- Book Condition
- UsedVeryGood
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10
- 0143110977
- ISBN 13
- 9780143110972
- Publisher
- Penguin Books
- This edition first published
- 2017-01
Terms of Sale
Goodwill
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Address changes and cancellations after shipment may result in only a partial refund amount that does not include shipping postage. This also applies to returns/refunds made for discretionary returns.
Address changes and cancellations after shipment may result in only a partial refund amount that does not include shipping postage. This also applies to returns/refunds made for discretionary returns.
About the Seller
Goodwill
Biblio member since 2021
Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
About Goodwill
The mission of Goodwill Easter-Seals Minnesota is to assist people with barriers to education, employment and independence in achieving their goals. We envision strong communities where all people are economically self-sufficient.More than a store...we prepare people for work.