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1st out of 58 books
—
3 voters
The Eve Tree: A Novel
by
Rachel Devenish Ford (Goodreads Author)
Ten years ago, Molly Boscelli took over her family ranch and goat farm in Humboldt County, California, with her husband, Jack. Now, a forest fire is making its way toward them, threatening their home and way of life. Molly’s mother and grown children rally at the ranch in a last ditch attempt to prepare for disaster.
The family must work through the truth about their histo...more
The family must work through the truth about their histo...more
ebook, 274 pages
Published
(first published April 20th 2011)
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I received this as a goodreads giveaway.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It was a good balance between prose and dialogue and I found myself unable to put it down, finishing it in two work days. I enjoyed the pace of the story, which was set and helped along by a forest fire threatening to take down the O'Leary Ranch. I know nothing of forest fires, and the descriptions of what was happening were vivid enough to make me believe I was seeing it.
I also enjoyed the back story of Molly and...more
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It was a good balance between prose and dialogue and I found myself unable to put it down, finishing it in two work days. I enjoyed the pace of the story, which was set and helped along by a forest fire threatening to take down the O'Leary Ranch. I know nothing of forest fires, and the descriptions of what was happening were vivid enough to make me believe I was seeing it.
I also enjoyed the back story of Molly and...more
The author provided me with a review copy of this book in exchange for a review. Wow, this one is a winner!
This story has an exceedingly simple plot: Fire is threatening Molly and Jack’s ranch, and despite the fire officials’ reassurances, the extended family comes back to the ranch “just in case” they need to evacuate. The characters are as complex as the plot is simple. The book centers on Molly, who seems just out of reach of her doting husband Jack. As the book progresses, you learn more abo...more
This story has an exceedingly simple plot: Fire is threatening Molly and Jack’s ranch, and despite the fire officials’ reassurances, the extended family comes back to the ranch “just in case” they need to evacuate. The characters are as complex as the plot is simple. The book centers on Molly, who seems just out of reach of her doting husband Jack. As the book progresses, you learn more abo...more
I wasn't sure what to expect while reading this book, and it turned out to be a little more literary than I had anticipated (in a good way!)but overall I adored The Eve Tree. It's a compelling cross-section of familial shortcomings, and how those shape our lives.
Set on a family farm in a time where a crawling forest fire threatens everything, the family converges to make preparations. Three generations of people that grew up on the land, nurtured from and by it, struggle to come to terms with t...more
Set on a family farm in a time where a crawling forest fire threatens everything, the family converges to make preparations. Three generations of people that grew up on the land, nurtured from and by it, struggle to come to terms with t...more
I really wanted to like this book. I love the idea of the land being cared for by different generations of the same family, and I understand the stress of a forest fire, but I just didn't like Molly. I thought she was mean to her mother, her children and Jack and I couldn't muster up much sympathy for her in spite of her mental state. I didn't think there was much depth to the characters. Bottom line for me; the premise of the book was interesting but I think it was lacking character development...more
The Eve Tree by Rachel Devenish Ford is a interesting glimpse into the life of a ranch in California that had been passed down from generation to generation. In the novel, the ranch is threatened with wildfire and Molly, the current owner of the ranch, must come to terms with the potential of losing everything her family had built two generations before her.
This book is well paced and not only moves with the plot of the threat of fire, but also takes it time in examining each part of the family...more
This book is well paced and not only moves with the plot of the threat of fire, but also takes it time in examining each part of the family...more
When I describe this book to people, I tell them that it’s about family, mothers and daughters, the land and belonging to it, mental illness, love and fires. It also has trees. And a donkey. And some goats. I also tell them that it was written by a hippy mother of four children who lives 6 months of the year in a community in rural India. Rachel blogs at Journey Mama, I’ve been reading there a while now, living vicariously through her a tiny bit. Mostly for the beautiful beautiful places they st...more
This book is filled with tension! Tension from an approaching wildfire, tension in relationships, tension with self. I am disappointed with how the major tension is revolved. Although it is a verse from Scripture that ultimately frees the protagonist from her struggle with guilt & bitterness, God, the author of Scripture, is not mentioned or acknowledged. There are some memorable, poignant quotes and I love the word pictures the author paints, but overall I was disappointed.
"The Eve Tree" - complexity of family relationships, complexity of the human mind and soul, woven around an event (the forest fire threatening a multi-generational family ranch) made for a VERY touching read. Keep writing, Rachel Devenish Ford!! I'll be watching for another book! (I would love to know what the author drew on to make it such a believable storyline - well done!)
I really enjoyed this book and the sentiment of it. This is a well developed story with really believable characters. There are some really beautiful passages in this story. I would recommend this to any mother of a daughter, any daughter, or any husband. I'll definitely be re-reading this one. Bonus, it takes place on a goat farm!
Really, I'm a sucker for anything that has to do with homesteading. And I long to have goats some day, so this was an enthralling read for me. I loved the faith in God that weaves throughout the story. I also thought her illustration of how the darkness of Molly's mind led Her to a realization of God's grace and blessings. Definitely a good read!
Characters were well-developed, and I enjoyed reading about their relationships and the history of this ranching family. An occasional grammatical error added slight distractions, but overall the fast-paced story and the characterization carried me through this book. I was especially touched by Jack's tender love for Molly.
This was a different kind of book for me. Not one that I would normally pick up. I found it to be a bit slow in places and wanted to rush through parts to get to the conclusion. Then all of a sudden the ending was there and I was left with a sense of incompleteness. A lot of parts of the story not finished for me All in all, I liked it sort of
It was interesting to read about a family in this situation- forest fire threatening property- but some of the characterizations of the people in the story didn't play out in a way that felt real.
Wonderful book about a mentally ill woman who both loves and hates the land that she inherited. Amazing, well-flowing story told from several different perspectives. I loved this book!
I loved this book. I enjoyed getting to know Molly - felt like I know her all too well sometimes. I especially loved the ending - not entirley "happy" but ever so complete.
Read if you love the outdoors, tree hugger or not. Read if you are a dog lover. Read if you have ever been brave enough to live out of your comfort zone for the one you love.
A good read. I was interested in it because of the ranching aspect of it. The book didn't really get into the nitty gritty of ranching, but still touched on it. The story was well thought out and researched. The last chapter took a weird, pseudo religious turn that confused me. Overall it was a good book, and I would recommend it.
Kind of a sad story about a family trying to save their ranch from a fire. A lot of backstory throughout. It was ok but I was kind of tired by the end of it.
Well written about overcoming adversity. I enjoy the author's writing style. She does an excellent job of describing the characters. Recommended reading..
This was good. It was a little slow to start, but picked up eventually. It's not one that I would normally read so maybe that is why it took me a little longer to read it.
It's a very interesting book as it takes place during a forest fire and exploring how it influences 3 people: Molly, her mother and her husband. I did like how we would "travel" to the past to know more about the characters but it seems that they lacked some depth. Molly was annoying and it was, probably, my least favourite character. Ok, she had some mental problems and many issues but sometimes I think she was just overreacting. :/
Still, it was a very nice book. I was surprised by how much I l...more
Still, it was a very nice book. I was surprised by how much I l...more
A more accurate rating would be 3.5. I was back and forth between 3 and 4 stars. A moving and emotional story.
Sme effective setting description; characters seem flat, just finished to finish
I was not able to become interested in this book, hence no rating.
This was a good book about acceptance of self and recognizing what is most valueable- the love of family and friends.
As a regular reader of the author's blog I was keen to read this, her first novel.
The fact that I finished it in a couple of days is proof that there is something compelling about this simple story. Having just finished reading, this is a book that I need to think about before I decide quite what to make of it. I have a feeling that the main character will stay with me for a while.
When I've pondered it some more, I'll update the review and give it a rating.
The fact that I finished it in a couple of days is proof that there is something compelling about this simple story. Having just finished reading, this is a book that I need to think about before I decide quite what to make of it. I have a feeling that the main character will stay with me for a while.
When I've pondered it some more, I'll update the review and give it a rating.
This was a good read. I enjoyed the metaphors and finding life through experiencing it...not just letting it pass you by. The main character had to learn that in a hard way. plenty of people to love her, she just necessary to let them love her. This was about resilience, marriage, and never giving up on the one you love.
Jul 03, 2011
Sindi
marked it as to-read
On Kindle.
Wonderful Story!!
Okay. Reminder that we are not always in control. Things happen and we must adjust.
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