At the Edge of the Orchard

(Paperback)

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Description

'A wonderful book; rich, evocative, original. I loved it' Joanne Harris
One in ten trees comes up sweet

In the inhospitable Black Swamp of Ohio, the Goodenough family are barely scratching out a living. Life there is harsh, tempered only by the apples they grow for eating and for the cider that dulls their pain. Hot-headed Sadie and buttoned-up James are a poor match, and Robert and his sister Martha can only watch helplessly as their parents tear each other apart. One particularly vicious fight sends Robert out alone across America, far from his sister, to seek his fortune among the mighty redwoods and sequoias of Gold Rush California. But even across a continent, he can feel the pull of family loyalties

Reviews

Praise for At the Edge of the Orchard:

Chevaliers prose is by turns muscular, raw and sumptuous a delight INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

Chevalier has carved out a middle-point between writing literary fiction and its page-turning, commercial counterpart and this book will serve both those audiences INDEPENDENT

A rollicking yarn of 19-century America THE TIMES

A densely packed tale of fruit, roots, family and hardship FINANCIAL TIMES

A wonderful book; rich, evocative, original. I loved it Joanne Harris

A stunning read GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

A kind of arboreal love song an absorbing depiction of the harshness of pioneer life and the impossibility of escaping familial ties MAIL ON SUNDAY

Dark, brutal, moving, powerful Jane Harris

Powerfully realised [A] fine novel DAILY MAIL

Its her best since Girl with a Pearl Earring, telling the story both of America and a pioneer family with acuity, freshness and zest. I was captivated by it Amanda Craig

Tracy Chevalier serves up a rollicking yarn of 19th-century America. What Deborah Moggach did for tulips, Chevalier may well do for apples THE TIMES

This novel of raw beauty touches themes Chevalier explored in her novel, The Last Runaway. Its a richly rewarding read EXPRESS

With Chevaliers excellent storytelling ability and gift for creating memorable characters, this novel paints a vivid picture of the hard and rough-hewn life of American pioneers on their Westward journey STARRED LIBRARY JOURNAL REVIEW

Wonderful descriptions of apple grafting and plant-hunting in a 19th century New World America. Chevalier weaves an enthralling, feverish narrative through a backdrop of exploratory horticulture TOAST

Author Bio

Tracy Chevalier is the author of ten novels, including At the Edge of the Orchard, Remarkable Creatures and Girl with a Pearl Earring, an international bestseller that has sold over five million copies and won the Barnes and Noble Discover Award. Born in Washington DC, in 1984 she moved to London, where she lives with her husband and son.