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 … 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.
Chevalier tells a fierce, beautifully crafted story in At the Edge of the Orchard, her most graceful and richly imagined work yet.
“With impeccable research and flawless prose, Chevalier perfectly conjures the grandeur of the pristine Wild West . . . and the everyday adventurers—male and female—who were bold enough or foolish enough to be drawn to the unknown. She crafts for us an excellent experience.”
—USA Today
From internationally bestselling author Tracy Chevalier, a riveting drama of a pioneer family on the American frontier
From the Hardcover edition.
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The Goodenough parents, James and Sadie, are singularly ill-suited to one another, which has tragic consequences for a family trying to scratch out a life in frontier Ohio. As the family tears itself apart, their youngest son, Robert, heads West, always West, further and further West, taking nothing with him but his father’s unbounded, possibly irrational, love for trees. After working his way West through countless of the usual ways (stable boy? check. ranch hand? check. gold miner? check.), Robert becomes a tree agent, collecting and shipping specimens to England’s landed elite, while drifting in and out of the life of Molly, a camp cook and sometimes prostitute fleeing her own Eastern horrors.
Too much historical fiction uses war as its backdrop, as a prop to move the story along. Often these are very good books: I Shall Be Near You (American Civil War), The Summer Before the War (World War I), or All the Light We Cannot See (World War II). All are excellent books, and yet at the end of the day, the war looms as large or larger than any character any of these authors could have created. One of the glorious things about Tracy Chevalier’s At the Edge of the Orchard is that it stands alone, separate of larger events. The setting, in fact, is primarily the middle of nowhere, both in time (1830s-1850s) and place (Black Swamp, Ohio). The California gold rush makes an appearance, but its the characters in Orchard, as well as Chevalier’s original and compelling plot, that drive this book forward.
Not only are the characters and plot praise-worthy, so is the prose. This is a novel told from – and written in – four highly distinct perspectives. Chevalier has taken care to give each character a unique voice, one that is perfectly suited to the temperament she has created throughout the novel. In short, At the Edge of the Orchard is a story whose core is revealed slowly, the layers gradually unpeeling, like an onion: pungent, rich, and raw.
(This review was originally published at https://www.thisyearinbooks.com/2017/03/at-edge-of-orchard.html)
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this engaging story about human nature; even more importantly, the human condition. And without even realizing it, I learned (and learned!) a lot of American history. AT THE EDGE OF THE ORCHARD is a brutal story that’s filled with hope. My hat is off to the author, Tracy Chevalier, for the incredible amount of research that went into this well-written book.
I didn’t think I would enjoy a book that much about trees. And there is so much more because of the wonderful characters
Good fun read for a rainy day.
I hated this book.
Another great book by Ms Chevalier. Wonderful story telling and characters.
Great historical fiction about johnny appleseed
Quite different.. but kept my attention and interest… unique!
Good book, if a little too obsessive about apples. Hope Molly will help Robert embrace life after running from it. Lesson: A cruel mother and a work obsessed father does not make happy children.
I did not like it at all. I’ve read other books by this author that were great. Not this one!
Another good book by Tracy Chevalier. Interesting plot and characters. Historical fiction from Black swamp in Ohio in 1838 to California Gold Rush. Got to love the trees, Golden Poppin Apples, Redwoods and Sequoias. Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman) even a character in this book. Plant collecting and plant hunters interesting aspect. Overall, very good and we’ll researched.
A dysfunctional family at it’s best. Family has an apple orchard and must maintain a certain amount of apples to live on the land. After a family tragedy the oldest son leave home to seek a life of his own
This was the first book I have read by Tracy Chevalier that was so difficult to stomach. Not that some families don’t act as these characters acted toward each other in the book, but I didn’t enjoy reading about their actions. The two people who did manage to get out of the bad situation were able to find a little joy in their lives. Enough said.
I learned a whole lot about the propagation of apple trees and the settlement of far-reaching areas of the west. A hard-scrabble existence and isolation are the back-drop for a mother’s disintegration into the madness that destroys her family.
I couldn;t stop reading.
Enjoyed reading about the black swamp area where I lived for many years.
Very descriptive characters. Follow one character’s journey. Twists and surprises, and tears!! along with some humor and compassion.
Good Read!
The amount of research in Chevalier’s work is always apparent, and the storytelling is amazing, once again! This time it’s Botany and the Wild , Wild West!!
Very unique story, excellent read.
I was somewhat disappointed with the ending, as it seemed to be a setup for a sequel.
Love this author! Any story she writes is interesting.