The Widow's House by Carol Goodman

It's been a few years since I read my last Carol Goodman novel.  I stumbled across her while I was shelving at my bookstore, thought I'd try out her writing, and I'm so glad I did. Her contemporary gothic thrillers are just the kind of novel I enjoy.

 I would compare her to Kate Morton and Simone St. James; if you're a big fan of novels set around the Hudson Valley, you should read not only The Widow's House, but some of her other novels. She's also written a series for teens: Blythewood, Ravencliffe, and Hawthorn. She hasn't forgotten young readers, either: The Metropolitans looks like a great little mystery, and I'm adding it to my TBR list.  

Onto The Widow's House.  Jess and Clare Martin are two writers who have hit rock bottom.  Jess' first and only novel, written just out of college, was a big hit, but he's failed miserably writing his second novel.  Clare has put aside her own desire to write (she's the better writer of the two) in order to work at a publishing house to makes ends meet.  A stressed marriage and no money combine to take the Martins out of New York City and back to Concord, a sleepy village in the Hudson Valley known for its apple orchards and Apple Blossom Queen Festival.  It is where Clare grew up, and met Jess at Bailey College.  Not a place Clare was eager to return to, as her memories of growing up in a harsh household, knowing she was adopted, has left her feeling a bit adrift.  

Jess and Clare end up at Riven House, a huge mansion out in the country, where Alden Montague--their former professor at Bailey College, resides in what was once a glorious estate.  Taking the caretaker's job means they have an affordable place to stay, and the quiet Jess needs to finish his novel.  

But of course things aren't that simple.  Clare sees a young woman standing outside; hears a baby cry in the night, and is haunted by the tale of the Mary Foley, her lover Bay Montague, and their tragic ending in 1929.  Is it Mary she sees at night near the river, holding her baby?  What story does Mary want Clare to tell?

As Clare digs into Mary's story, her own novel starts to take shape at a feverish pace, and her obsession with Mary's tragic life compels Clare to start exploring the house and the secrets it holds.  Does she just have a vivid imagination, or is there evil at Riven House?  

I've got to say, I enjoyed everything about this novel except the relationship between Jess and Clare. They are obviously an unhappy pair; his treatment of Clare just had me really annoyed and wanting to smack him upside the head. Clare's high school boyfriend is the sheriff in town, and from the first time they meet again, it's obvious he's the good guy, and the man she should be with--not Jess.  That was frustrating, waiting for the story to evolve.  Other than that, there's enough history, paranormal possibilities, and backstory to make this a novel that you will carry with you everywhere, waiting to read just a few pages.  
A perfect Halloween read.

Rating:  4/6 for the atmosphere; the story of the Apple Blossom Queen is solid, and Clare is someone to cheer on in her journey to unveil the mysteries of Riven House. 

Available in paperback and e-book.

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The Widow's House by Carol Goodman

The Simplicity of Cider by Amy E. Reichert

Amy E. Reichert is an author that I associate with summer.  She writes foodie fiction tossed with a dash of magic, along with strong female protagonists who fight for the life they want to live, even if it may mean giving up their chance on love.  

I've read all three of Amy's novels:  The Coincidence of Coconut Cake; Luck, Love, and Lemon Pie, and now The Simplicity of Cider. They all take place in the Midwest, which of course is very appealing to a Midwest gal like myself.  Cider takes place in Door County, WI.  If you've never been, please go.  It's so gorgeous; Wisconsin was the location of many wonderful family vacations during my childhood.  

Sanna Lund runs the family apple orchard business along with her father, Einars. Her brother Anders has left the farm and lives in the city with his wife and two daughters. He would love to sell the farm, and a water park company is sniffing around.  Sanna's orchard is the perfect place to build a tourist mecca, sure to make a lot of money in a place where tourism is a big deal.  Einars is getting old, and the orchard is too much for just Sanna to run on her own. She's determined to graft the oldest trees to new trees, thus keeping the very best cider making apple trees from one day dying.  Those trees have been on the property for decades. Sanna's gift is being able to blend apple juices perfectly to create different ciders. She can see, in her mind, the colors each blend will make.  It's a form of synesthesia, and a few other people in her family have had the same gift.  

Along comes Isaac and Bass, his son. Isaac has traveled from California, seeking to escape a family tragedy and protect his son.  They wind up on the Lund apple farm, and Einars hires Isaac to help out. Isaac is immediately attracted to Sanna, but she's too busy running the orchard and being stand-offish to realize that she's attracted to him, too.  

Meanwhile, the pressure is on to sell the farm. Anders returns to the farm, and along with her prickly relationship with Anders, she's forced to finally come to peace with "the egg donor"; aka her mother. Poor Sanna has a lot of stuff going on in her life.  Can she navigate safely through troubled waters and find happiness with Isaac?  And Isaac; well, he's got a few big issues to face as well.  

I was very excited to read Amy's latest novel. She's an author that I won't hesitate to read or recommend to friends.  This was a refreshing setting, with some pretty fantastic apple trees and a wonderful, cranky old truck as supporting characters.  Little Bass was a delightfully sweet addition to the mix, and helped soften Sanna's prickly exterior. 

A big thank you to Gallery Books (Simon & Schuster) for an advanced copy of this novel.  It is being released in paperback on Tuesday, May 16th in the U.S. 

Rating:  4/6 for a perfect summer read set on an apple orchard in Door County, WI.  A strong, prickly female protagonist carries the story to a satisfying and happy ending.    

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The Simplicity of Cider by Amy E. Reichert

At the Edge of the Orchard by Tracy Chevalier

The Goodenough family moves to Ohio in 1838 after leaving Connecticut and all of their relatives behind.  James and Sadie are one dysfunctional couple, and their dislike for each other makes you wonder how they got married in the first place.  James is determined to establish an apple orchard, and works day and night to keep his orchard of "spitters" and "eaters" from being destroyed by the Black Swamp.  James cares more for his precious apples than he does for his children and his wife.  Sadie is a drunk who has come to loathe the apple trees; she only cares about the spitters, and how much apple jack they can produce.  It is a vicious cycle of resentment, hard work, and struggle that has turned James and Sadie against each other.  

John Chapman aka Johnny Appleseed is not the jolly young man we remember from childhood; he is a bit of a wild man, spending the year traveling via canoe around what at that time is wild territory, selling seedlings to pioneers and loudly preaching the word of God.  Sadie looks forward to his visits because he brings apple jack; James buys seedlings from him, but doesn't appreciate John's dislike of grafting trees in the pursuit of growing the perfect apple.  The stench of the swamp, the dreaded swamp fever that has claimed five of their ten children, the constant tension in the air...all make for an explosion just waiting to happen.  

The story jumps into a series of letters from Robert, the youngest Goodenough, who leaves Ohio and travels West doing odd jobs.  He writes letters back home for years, but never gets a response.  The letters are a transition that at first feels a bit jerky, but soon makes a lot of sense, as the story moves forward 15 years.  After reading the whole novel, I liked this method of transition, because it kept me wondering about why Robert left Ohio at such a young age (12!) and what happened to the family.  Robert, most like his father in his love for apple trees and a talent for grafting, runs into William Lobb, an Englishman who is collecting seeds and seedlings from redwoods and giant sequoias to send to England.  Finding in Robert a perfect partner, William sends Robert traveling through California in the waning days of the gold rush, furthering Robert's love of trees and the wonder of the majestic redwoods.  Yet Robert's past is catching up to him...

I don't want to give anything else away, but the story does include another batch of letters, this time from a family member to Robert.  He never gets the letters, but we travel back to 1838 Ohio, and witness what has become of the Goodenough family, and what happened after Robert left.  I felt a big "ah!" reading this part of the novel, and it all came together.  I have to say I finished the last page, and was surprised to feel a bit sad to end the story.  The Goodenough saga was one of extreme dysfunction, abuse, betrayal, and bitterness.  James and Sadie are awful to each other; it makes me wonder where the vicious cycle of anger and resentment began: was it because Sadie drank too much, or did she begin drinking because she felt ignored by James, who loved his trees more than anything else? Did James become more obsessed with his trees in order to escape Sadie, thus driving her to drink? Would their lives have been different if they had never left Connecticut?  

I've left out some big bits of the story, but that is for you to discover.  I found the apple tree cultivation to be very interesting, and the descriptions of the redwoods to be awe-inspiring.  Tracy Chevalier perfectly conveys the awesome beauty of nature; it has the power to inspire, and the power to destroy.  It can enrich our lives, or it can drive us mad.  The Goodenough family experiences both sides of Nature.  

Rating:  7/10 for a look at the struggles of farmers in early Ohio, establishing an orchard in an hostile environment, and a small slice of botany history.  Some people may find the sudden change in the story line jarring, but I felt it worked for the story and kept me waiting for the inevitable return to the past and the Goodenough family troubles.  

Available in hardcover, e-book, and audio.  

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At the Edge of the Orchard by Tracy Chevalier