Member Reviews
Absolutely beautiful book. The descriptions were so vivid and the characters so well written. Highly recommended.
I really enjoyed this tragically beautiful coming of age story. Set initially in the 1940's and goes right up to the Vietnam war, it follows the story of Torie, a young girl who falls for a young First Nation man. A tale of love, prejudice, survival and peaches. Beautifully written, great characters, beautifully descriptive and I loved the ending. Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC.
This story had me hooked from beginning to end, beautifully told bringing alive the hardship of life on a peach farm in a little town called Iola back in 1949, where Victoria, an innocent 17yr old, lives with her widowed father, wheelchair bound uncle and her embittered and angry younger brother Seth. Victoria meets William Moon, an American Indian looking for work, their attraction is immediate and a sheer joy to read. Seth causes trouble but the romance blossoms and they secretly meet in a hut way up in the depths of the mountains where there is nothing but the two of them! The inevitable baby is conceived and life for Victoria changes completely. Alone in the mountains she faces her future with sheer grit and determination. An unputdownable story, utterly engrossing and I was an emotional wreck at its conclusion! I loved it! My only very small criticism would be the book title!
What a beautiful and descriptive story this is.
Victoria (Torie) grows up on a rural peach farm in Conneticat, where one day she meets a young man, when she is just 17. There is an immediate attraction on both sides. Unfortunately it is 1949 and the young man is a native American or "injun" as the other folks in town call him. He is run out of town but he sneaks back to see Torie. He has found an abandoned shepherd's hut in the mountains where he is living. Torie goes with him one day to see where he lives and the inevitable happens.. they are truly in love. However the consequences of their encounter follow Victoria throughout the rest of the book.
A tragic tale but very moving.
Torrie is a naive, innocent 17 year old in the 1940’s, with a troublemaker for a younger brother (Seth), she has a quiet father and a deeply religious mother. Tragedy hit the family before the story starts and her mother, aunt and cousin were killed in a car crash. Torrie has taken on the mantle of homemaker for the remaining men in the family - her father, wayward brother and wounded, veteran uncle.
One day she’s walking Iola High Street to find her brother and save him from their father’s displeasure and she sees Wilson Moon - an Indian from out of town, there’s an instant connection. But Wilson isn’t welcome in Iola.
Wil doesn’t run away, he stays because of Torrie. They hide their affection, but Seth follows her me day into the wilds and arms of Wil. Next Torrie hears of his brutal murder, a little later she finds out she’s carrying Wil’s child. She takes herself off into the mountains and gives birth, but life is hard. She doesn’t know what to do, she’s hungry, tired, unable to cope and sees a mother feeding her baby in a clearing, just off the mountain road - she puts Baby Blue on the back seat of the car and runs away, hoping he’ll be taken into their family.
Torrie returns home as Victoria, only her father is there. They don’t speak,, but muddle along, tending the peach orchard the family business. Her father is ill and things get worse. Then she has to cope with the threat of flooding Iola to make it a reservoir, she sells up, moves the peach orchard and starts a new life.
Baby Blue is always in her thought, her love for Wil never leaves her. What happened to her baby, will she ever find him.
A beautifully written book, you can smell the peaches, feel the intense heat and cold, sense the animosity, and warmed by the friendships. Emotional and heart wrenching. I loved it.
Although it took me a few chapters to get into the book, I'm so glad that I persevered. The main character is Torrie or Victoria., she stepped up to look after the cooking and cleaning plus lots of other jobs on the family farm, her mother had died and it wasn't looked upon as men's work. When a young man passing through catches her eye she has no idea how the meeting will effect her whole life. It is a story of undying love, terrible cruelty and prejudice. I was immensed in the story and loved reading the outcome for Torrie.
A fascinating story showcasing how different society has been in the past and how decisions can make life awful for some people. Only flaw (although often a good thing) is that I wanted to know so much more at the end!
I have just finished reading this heart wrenching story. It is so well written, I could almost see myself among the peach trees. Victoria is such a wonderful character. She suffers so much but keeps on going.
I would like the ending to have gone on a little longer. It felt a bit abrupt but I am so glad I read this story.
I have just finished this book and all I can say is wow! Although it appears slow in parts, the story is just gathering momentum. It takes us on a journey of drug addition, mental health issues, low self esteem and friendship, all happening to different people. Beth is the beautiful friend with a seemingly perfect family and her wonderful best friend Saskia who lives across the road. Kat then enters the picture and she is a quiet, unassuming person who works as a dog groomer and befriends Beth by offering to walk her dog. We then start to see the cracks in Beth’s life and how it may affect her perfect family and life and how Kat’s character grows.
Without giving any spoilers I cannot say too much more apart from the ending blew me away and that doesn’t happen very often.