USA TODAY BESTSELLER!A grieving widower, a determined girl, a courageous librarian and a mysterious book come together in an uplifting tale of love, loss, friendship and redemption.Thirty-four-year-old Harry Crane works as an analyst for the US Forest Service. When his wife dies suddenly, Harry, despairing, retreats north to lose himself in the remote woods of the Endless Mountains of … remote woods of the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania. But fate intervenes in the form of a fiercely determined young girl named Oriana. She and her mother, Amanda, are struggling to pick up the pieces from their own tragic loss of Oriana’s father. Discovering Harry while roaming the forest, Oriana believes that he holds the key to righting her world.
Harry reluctantly agrees to help Oriana carry out an astonishing scheme inspired by a book given to her by the town librarian, Olive Perkins. Together, Harry and Oriana embark on a golden adventure that will fulfill Oriana’s wild dream—and ultimately open Harry’s heart to new life.
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This book was sent to me in the mail and I am so glad it was! I really enjoyed this uplifting read, It did take me a few chapters to really get lost in the book but once I was hooked I couldn’t put it down.
Everyone should read this book. It’s such a feel good story with beautifully drawn characters. It makes you believe in the goodness of people and how they can really lift each other up. LOVED IT
Not since Flavia de Luce in the Alan Bradley books have I been as captivated by a young girl in a novel as I am with Oriana in Harry’s Trees. There are those who will licken this book to a fairy tale for adults but it is so much more. If you want to spend some hours with a book that will make you feel good, rescue you for a while from all of the bad news in the world, I direct you to Harry’s Trees.
Harry Crane has suffered the loss of his wife in a very cruel manner and he feels to blame for her accident. He has spent a year of misery in his house, never moving any of his wife’s things, even leaving her toothbrush next to his. He works for the Forestry Department but sits behind a computer every day, he longs to be outside among the trees. His wife had always told him to quit his job and find “Harry’s Trees” and one day he does just that. He quits his job, leaves everything behind and heads to the Pennsylvania forests. He has come here to see the end of his life but instead he finds a little girl, Oriana.
Oriana and her mother have suffered a loss of their own, her dad died unexpectedly one day, without warning and at a young age. Amanda and Oriana have been making their way in life, Amanda is a nurse, but the money is running out and Amanda is no longer sure which way her life is heading.
Oriana is one special girl who spends large amounts of time in the forests and in the amazing treehouse that her father built for her. She loves to read and her favorite person in town is Olive the librarian who feeds her love of books. Olive has secrets of her own and some of those are revealed in a very special book that she gives to Oriana to read, The Grum’s Ledger. This book will play a large part in furthering the plot in this story.
The story is told from multiple points of view, including the above named characters as well as Wolf, Harry’s brother, Ronnie and Cliff, friends of Oriana’s dad and Stu a down on his luck realtor with a devious nature. These characters are well described and very easy to visualize and understand.
This is not just a magical tale. There is real human suffering, grief, loss, greed, redemption and great love. Seeing life through a child’s eyes is always magical and difficult to write about, Mr. Cohen does it beautifully. There are gorgeous descriptions of the forest along with information of many of the trees found there. Harry tells us in depth about each tree, how it lives and grows, during the course of the story.
There are perhaps many of us who are “trapped” in jobs that we no longer care about and maybe Harry’s story will provide the nudge that we need to do something to change that or find something else that will enrich our lives. In any case, reading this book is a wonderful way to spend a weekend.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss.
Absolutely fantastic! Just what I needed after 7 months of covid stuff.
Affirms one’s belief in the goodness of people. Loved all the “loser” characters.
Charming story of resilience, renewed purpose and romance, with a bit of whimsy. Refreshing and thoroughly enjoyable. Don’t we all need renewed purpose these days?
Enjoyed the book! Characters were realistic, varied. Location was local to me. Dealt with struggles of death of a loved one and healthy recovery of survivors. A good mix of emotions.
Well written and I really liked the characters. Nice read. Liked it so much I bought hard back book to share and read again!
In a stormy world, Jon Cohen’s new novel is a ray of warm sunshine. Dubious hero Harry Crane can’t seem to rescue himself from the loss of his wife in a shocking accident, until he meets a brilliant and resourceful little girl who is suffering a loss of her own. Harry and Oriana’s journey to redemption includes a treehouse, a lot of gold, a crazy scheme, and a village of very real, very interesting characters. The hallmark of Cohen’s writing is his ability to lovingly imbue even the most minor characters with dreams and dignity. In this book he outdoes himself with a cast of characters so real, so ridiculous, so heartbreakingly brave and infuriating that you’ll feel like they’re your own friends and family. Harry’s Trees is a delicious escape from the real world to a funnier, more hopeful one, where the lines between coincidence and magic feel blurred and love promises to conquer all. If you liked A Man Called Ove you will LOVE Harry’s Trees!
“Harry’s Trees” by Jon Cohen is a wonderful step into small-town America with all its characters and flaws, but also the relationships, caring, and life that only small towns have. Fairy tales, grief from the loss of loved ones, and working together to help each other get through day-to-day lives are just some of the circumstances in this novel about regret, redemption, and newfound hope. The novel is witty, charming, unpredictable, and engaging; the ending is better than hoped for. You laugh out loud with the antics of the townspeople. You “boo” the villains. You cheer on the heroes. All the time waiting to see how each situation is handled. I recommend this book as a perfect way to pass a rainy day and put aside your worries for a day. I hope Jon Cohen writes another book. I will be the first in line to read it.
Harry’s Trees weaves stories of loss and healing, individual quests and redemption, and coincidences or inevitability in this novel that takes place among the trees in northeastern Pennsylvania. Cohen deftly creates a world in which Harry’s escape to the forest, young Oriana’s belief in the stuff of fairytales, and the supporting characters’ paths seem somewhat extraordinary at times but yet believable. Cohen’s fondness for his characters shows through—even the “bad guys” find some redemption in playing their roles in the unfolding of the tale. This is an uplifting story in part about the value of stories—and trees and libraries!
A forest manager blamed himself for his wife’ death in a freak accident, so he headed into the forest to commit suicide, where he came upon a little girl mourning her dead father; they came together, and when he received $4 million in compensation, he was determined to give away all the money. In doing so, he saved the local library and created a family.
Harry’s Trees by Jon Cohen is an inspirational, sad, and sometimes funny novel about shattered lives, unbearable grief, and redemption.
Harry Crane, grief stricken over the sudden death of his wife, harbors guilt. If only he hadn’t left her for just that moment to buy a stupid lottery ticket. But he did, and now she’s been killed by a wayward wrecking crane and he’s riddled with guilt. He leaves his office job with the U.S. Forest Service and heads for the only place he can find solace—a forest in the Endless Mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Harry is at home with trees. His grief is so overwhelming that he can’t imagine life without his beloved Beth.
While in the forest, he meets Amanda Jeffers, an ER nurse, and her ten-year-old daughter, Oriana. They’re both grieving for Dean, their bigger-than-life husband and father who, without warning, died suddenly a year before. Harry can’t bear to go home. Amanda and Oriana offer him the use of a magnificent tree house that Dean built, just a half-mile from their home.
Wolf, Harry’s older, over-bearing brother, can see that profit can be made from Harry’s tragedy. Wolf instigates a law suit against the wrecking-crane company that killed his sister-in-law, thinking of course that he’s entitled to his share of what promises to be a large settlement.
Oriana, wise and mature beyond her years, learned the ways of the forest from her outdoorsman father. She and Harry can talk trees for hours, call them by their Latin name, know their seasons, their growing patterns, their friends, their enemies. Oriana is an avid reader and, still a child after all, fantasizes that her father will return.
Harry’s Trees touched my heart. The down-to-earth characters, even the ill-intentioned scoundrels, are well crafted. The author knows his trees and his descriptions bring nature’s life to the page. I highly recommend this engaging story of unbearable loss, the strength of the human spirit, and the comfort found in nature.
This book would have been better if it was shorter. The story started out with a nice steady flow. Realistic characters, with well thought out back stories, come together in an unusual way while dealing with traumatic loss.
Poignant and a bit humorous at times, the story is a heartwarming blend of supernatural karma and real life situations. But about a third of the book could have been scrapped, as it started to drag and the story grew tiresome.
By the end, I had lost interest in everyone in the book. I had so looked forward to reading this novel, and am very disappointed that what could have been a wonderful story lost traction.
Touching with interesting characters.
Really enjoyed this book.
An unusual book, but so very rewarding.
beautifully written and a touching story about loss, grief and the re-entrance to life.
Harry’s Trees, is the kind of book you can reread. I know I will.
Loved this book!
Interesting …. fanciful but with some heartfelt truths and sweetness.