Review (PDF)

Family Tree: A Novel

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author comes a powerful, emotionally complex story of love, loss, the pain of the past—and the promise of the future.Sometimes the greatest dream starts with the smallest element. A single cell, joining with another. And then dividing. And just like that, the world changes. Annie Harlow knows how lucky she is. The producer of a popular television cooking show, she loves her handsome husband and the beautiful Los Angeles home they share. And now, she’s pregnant with their first child. But in an instant, her life is shattered. And when Annie awakes from a yearlong coma, she discovers that time isn’t the only thing she’s lost.Grieving and wounded, Annie retreats to her old family home in Switchback, Vermont, a maple farm generations old. There, surrounded by her free-spirited brother, their divorced mother, and four young nieces and nephews, Annie slowly emerges into a world she left behind years ago: the town where she grew up, the people she knew before, the high-school boyfriend turned judge. And with the discovery of a cookbook her grandmother wrote in the distant past, Annie unearths an age-old mystery that might prove the salvation of the family farm.Family Tree is the story of one woman’s triumph over betrayal, and how she eventually comes to terms with her past. It is the story of joys unrealized and opportunities regained. Complex, clear-eyed and big-hearted, funny, sad, and wise, it is a novel to cherish and to remember. 

File Size: 865 KB

Print Length: 368 pages

Publisher: William Morrow (August 9, 2016)

Publication Date: August 9, 2016

Sold by:  Digital Services LLC

Language: English

ASIN: B01825C50W

Text-to-Speech: Enabled

X-Ray: Not Enabled

Word Wise: Enabled

Lending: Not Enabled

Enhanced Typesetting: Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #1,062 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store) #16 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary Fiction > American #28 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Women's Fiction > Psychological #33 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary

I have enjoyed many of Susan Wiggs' offerings in the past and "Family Tree" is no exception. Her writing style is clear, her characters are relatable, and her storylines are realistic - full of rich emotional content without being melodramatic.Annie Rush seems to have it all. A satisfying, successful career, a handsome, gifted husband who shares her passion for food/cooking, a lovely home and the fulfillment of a dream to become a mother. Perhaps predictably, all this perfection tempts the fates and in one tragic moment, she loses it all. That moment stretches out into a year as she remains in a coma only to awaken with little to no memory of the event or her most recent past.Seeking refuge in the her family home of Switchback, Vermont, Annie slowly and steadily regains her memories and rediscovers herself, her passion and her authentic, creative voice. What makes this story unique is the backdrop of the maple farm which has been in her family for generations. The author devotes a significant amount to time to explore the intricacies of running a small, family business, specifically the care and maintenance of the maples trees and the production of the final product: Sugar Rush maple syrup. Vermont and the maple trees emerge as characters in their own right.Another thing that separates this novel from the usual chick lit romance is the care given to describing the nature of traumatic brain injuries and the arduous path of rehabilitation. Clearly the author has done her research to be able to address these issues with such insight and compassion.The novel evolves in alternating chapters labeled "Now," "Then," and, lastly, "After.

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