Fall in love with The Simplicity of Cider, the charming new novel about a prickly but gifted cider-maker whose quiet life is interrupted by the arrival of a handsome man and his young son at her family’s careworn orchard by the author of The Coincidence of Coconut Cake and Luck, Love & Lemon Pie. Focused and unassuming fifth generation cider-maker Sanna Lund has one desire: to live a simple, … has one desire: to live a simple, quiet life on her family’s apple orchard in Door County, Wisconsin. Although her business is struggling, Sanna remains fiercely devoted to the orchard, despite her brother’s attempts to convince their aging father to sell the land.
Single dad Isaac Banks has spent years trying to shield his son Sebastian from his troubled mother. Fleeing heartbreak at home, Isaac packed up their lives and the two headed out on an adventure, driving across the country. Chance–or fate–led them straight to Sanna’s orchard.
Isaac’s helping hands are much appreciated at the apple farm, even more when Sanna’s father is injured in an accident. As Sanna’s formerly simple life becomes increasingly complicated, she finds solace in unexpected places–friendship with young Sebastian and something more deliciously complex with Isaac–until an outside threat infiltrates the farm.
From the warm and funny Amy E. Reichert, The Simplicity of Cider is a charming love story with a touch of magic, perfect for fans of Sarah Addison Allen and Gayle Forman.more
This book was magical in the feeling it left me with. It’s about a family orchard run by Sanna and her father who is getting up there in years. The orchard is not doing well financially and the father is having more and more trouble keeping up. He hires Isaac to help out. Isaac is in the area taking a break from life with his son Sebastian (Bass). Bass (who’s father also calls him other fish names like Tuna) doesn’t know that his mother has recently died from drug use.
Sanna isn’t happy about Isaac and Bass being there, but pretty soon the running of the orchard is dependent on them being there. Both start to worm their way into her heart, even as her brother starts pressuring her to sell the orchard. As if things are stressful enough for her, vandalism starts occurring to the trees, especially the heirloom trees that are the basis for Sanna’s special ciders.
I loved that Isaac made super tall Sanna feel like an appealing woman possibly for the first time in her life. I also loved that she went from believing all children hated her and not being any fonder of them, to being willing to do anything for ten year old Bass. Their relationship turned out to be amazing!
Isaac was a hunky, sensitive guy who acknowledged all the special qualities and strengths of Sanna. He may have been wrong to withhold the death of his ex-wife from Bass, but he loved Bass with all his heart and nothing is sexier than that!
Great story and great narration by Rachel Dulude.
I truly enjoyed this book with its wonderfully captivating characters. Sanna Lund’s dry sense of humor reminded me of my own, and I loved seeing her soften. This is a great book about family and falling in love.
A father and son on a road trip make a stop in Door County, Wisconsin. When an opportunity arrises to help out at a local apple orchard, they decide to extend their visit. I really enjoyed the story, the characters, the apple theme and setting.
Sanna Lund lives on her family’s apple orchard with her father in Wisconsin. She tinkers all day with ingredients to make cider, seeing the flavors as vivid colors in her mind. Her father hires Isaac Banks and his ten year old son Sebastian to help out around the farm for the summer. Sanna isn’t excited to share her space with a child but her blunt straightforwardness and his childlike exuberance are the perfect pairing opening Sanna’s eyes to things outside the box of her farm. When her father has an accident, Isaac’s steadfast assurance and helpful hands enables them to keep the farm running while her father heals. When her brother comes home to help out, he tries to convince them to sell the land to developers and Sanna has to deal with more change in her little world.
Unlike the previous novel of Amy E. Reicherts that I have read, The Coincindence of Coconut Cake, there was a sad undertone to this story that held me back from giving it a 5 rating. Isaac was running away from troubles at home and keeping a huge secret from his son Bass. Their relationship had such a great father son dynamic that I really didn’t look forward to his secret being revealed which made me a little uncomfortable. Sanna was a very blunt, straightforward young woman and when her world is threatened by developers she got more stubborn, missing some clues that someone was sabotaging her farm. I was a little frustrated that she stuck her head in the sand for so long! However, I also could identify with her need for her world not to change too fast or too much. Change is hard! When she and Isaac started to work together to help the farm move into this century it gave me hope that both of their characters would grow, and they did, but the pace of the novel remained pretty slow which confused me. Those contradictions of pace and plot made me a little hesitant to commit myself to the outcome of their relationship.
The best part of The Simplicity of Cider was how family was such a huge part of both plot points. Isaac’s relationship with his son meant the world to him. He knows the secret he is holding is going to destory his son, and it does, but they are able to overcome his actions through love. Sanna’s family too was at odds, but as the novel went on her family joined together to save their farm. Sanna, too had to forgive and move on, becoming healthier and more ready to accept the changes life may have for her. If you are looking for a romance novel this may not be the right fit for you. Yes, there is a romance but it takes a back seat to the conflicts in both Isaac’s and Sanna’s families. I will say that after all was said and done I did go grab an apple out of my fruit bowl and relish taking that first bite.
This was the fourth book that I have read by Amy E. Reichert. I loved them all. Now that I have caught up with what is available, I am a bit sad. I discovered her books through my library’s connection to Hoopla Digital. I usually read paper books, then expanded to ebooks and with Amy’s books, I then took a leap into audio books. The writing is excellent, and the narrators are so gifted, with using different voices for each character.
This book dealt with lost and how people dealt with it, with trusting and opening up yourself to love, to the heart-strings that hold you to home and family relationships (whether blood related or others that become your family).
The characters are very well developed and I grew to love them as I got to know them more. One person is not so lovable, but that always makes a story good, right? The scenes are so well written, I kept looking at my tablet or computer, to “see” what was going on, I felt almost like I was listening to a movie and I would forget that it was an audio book and I would want a look at what was being talked about. 🙂 I want to walk through an orchard, and drink cider (I never have) and I definitely want to see fireflies.
I recommend this book highly. I think everyone would enjoy this trip to an apple orchard in Door County, Wisconsin.
Sanna grew up at the orchard – that is all she knows. Working on a cider to help bring her family orchard back to life is her goal. Being taller than the boys in her class growing up made her untouchable so relationships, other that the boy next farm over, were non-existent. Isaac had his own issues with his ex-wife and raising his son “Bass”. When tragedy strikes, Isaac takes Bass on a cross-country adventure. The adventure leads them to Idun’s orchard. At first Sanna is very put off dealing with Bass and Isaac. As they spend more time together, Sanna finds that she can have happiness – well, until her father gets better and Isaac and Bass leave. Isaac helps put Idun’s farm on social media, Sanna’s ciders are going well, but there is an outside source determine to have them fail. A little mystery, romance, heartache in this book. Well-written and the characters are realistic in which you sympathize. Will definitely be reading more of Ms. Reichert’s books.
Although I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher, all opinions remain my own.
A good story pulls you in with characters who are real and believable. I think I fell in love with these characters as soon as I opened the book. With each page that turned, another layer of the characters showed up. There is so much more running through this book then just the story of a father and son road trip. Having it set in an apple orchard was just perfect for me, having been raised around apple trees. I love, love, loved this book.