kimbacaffeinate
Written on Jun 21, 2017
Isaac and his son Sebastian (Bass) are spending a carefree summer traveling. Isaac wants to shelter Bass and give him one more idyllic summer, before sharing news about the young boy's troubled mother. Their journey leads them to Door County, Wisconsin. Issac and Sebastian take a temporary job with lodging at the apple orchid Sanna and her father Einar own.
Sanna was not at all welcoming of Issac and Bass. She isn't a fan of change and feels threatened by it but slowly that begins to change. As it does we begin to see Sanna bloom. While I am not sure I would befriend Sanna, I can say I understood her passion and fears.
The story had many threads, but it revolves mostly around Sanna Lund and her beloved trees. Sanna loves her orchid especially the old heirloom apple trees. From them, she creates amazing ciders. She has what her father refers to as the Lund gift. She is able to create different flavors of cider in a unique way. Sanna is young, but she acts like a prickly old woman. She is focused on her apples and is a bit of a recluse. She carries around an awful anger and fears change. It wasn't easy to like Sanna, but it was moments with Bass that I saw the six-year-old girl Sanna. It had me holding out hope she was still in there.
These quirky, genuine characters and the apple orchids had me wanting to move to Wisconsin. We have prickly Sanna, her aging father, a bright and inquisitive young boy and a father fearful for his son all working side by side on the farm. Reichart shares a little of each of their pasts allowing us insight into the characters. She then weaves a wonderful tale about the struggles of life on the farm, from the beautiful heirloom trees to dealing with modern day changes. I appreciated all of the little details from grafting the trees to creating the Cider.
Reichart introduced family tension, troubles with the farm and outside pressures including threats. These elements pulled characters together and created a memorable tale. The writing had a wonderful flow, as the author shared details about farm life and meals around the table. Her writing wraps around you and pulls you in.
Magical Realism is a subtle element in this story and I loved this aspect. Fans of Sarah Addison Allen will want to add this to their list. I love how Reichart describes it particularly the way she tied it to the land and its owners.
The romance was subtle, with stolen glances, quiet moments and slow dancing. While it stayed in the background love was at the heart of this story. For life and love to bloom it must be nurtured.
My only complaint was that a few threads seemed to go nowhere and I felt some weren't properly addressed. While it frustrated me as I waited for reactions and details upon reflection these did not deter my enjoyment.
Copy provided by the publisher. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer
