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244th out of 385 books
—
203 voters
The Penny Tree
by
Holly Kennedy (Goodreads Author)
Single mom Annie Hillman has been coping with trouble for so long, she's just getting through the days, when the local newspaper carries an ad featuring a picture of a young Annie on the front page, with an earnest message of love and regret from an unknown admirer. The paper's editor refuses to name names, but the ads continue to appear. And when the story breaks, Annie f...more
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
April 3rd 2007
by NAL Trade
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I finished almost all of this book all at once - thank goodness for a break from homework! I got The Penny Tree ages ago when I joined a book club - you know, one of those "five books for $1" deals. This one sounded vaguely interesting from a short description, so I figured - it's cheap! Why not?
Holy crap. It was so amazing. The story is about Annie, who is going through a divorce and is having a hard time coping. Her marriage fell apart during the illness of her younger son - her relationship w...more
Holy crap. It was so amazing. The story is about Annie, who is going through a divorce and is having a hard time coping. Her marriage fell apart during the illness of her younger son - her relationship w...more
I loved this book! As a mother of a one-year-old and another on the way, this book really touched me. There were a lot of moments when the main character reflected on her feelings towards her children. Maybe it's just the pregnancy hormones, but I cried probably seven times reading this book.
I was convinced by ad #2 that I knew who the guy was. I had no doubt in my mind who it was! Then, it was someone who I didn't expect at all!
All in all, this was a great book about the relationships between e...more
I was convinced by ad #2 that I knew who the guy was. I had no doubt in my mind who it was! Then, it was someone who I didn't expect at all!
All in all, this was a great book about the relationships between e...more
I picked this book up on impulse, getting ready to leave on vacation, and didn't know what to expect. The first chapter or two made me wonder if this was going to be another 'woman as victim' story.
Well, it wasn't. Annie's woes recede a bit (or at least take some interesting turns) as she gradually solves one problem after another - not always with the first try, but eventually. I loved seeing her relationship with her sons evolve. (I've owned several 13-year-olds - her characterizations were d...more
Well, it wasn't. Annie's woes recede a bit (or at least take some interesting turns) as she gradually solves one problem after another - not always with the first try, but eventually. I loved seeing her relationship with her sons evolve. (I've owned several 13-year-olds - her characterizations were d...more
I really identified with the themes of love and forgivenss that run throughout the book. Enjoyed the mother-daughter relationship and how we sometimes shortchange our mothers when we ut our fathers on pedestals...I am pregnant, so I am overly emotional, but I cried and cried while finishing the book...If you need a good read, pick it up...
I loved the Tin Box, and I loved this book as well....Kennedy is now an author who I want to read all her books.
The Penny Tree is ultimately a love story centered around a heroine who is finding herself, and we get a front row seat as she remembers events that had lead to her present situation. Not being a mother, and not a divorcee, nor the product of a broken home (I'm just saying, I have no firsthand experience), I think Kennedy does a good job at depicting the turmoil that divorce has on al...more
The Penny Tree is ultimately a love story centered around a heroine who is finding herself, and we get a front row seat as she remembers events that had lead to her present situation. Not being a mother, and not a divorcee, nor the product of a broken home (I'm just saying, I have no firsthand experience), I think Kennedy does a good job at depicting the turmoil that divorce has on al...more
This book kept my attention from page one on! I loved it! A great combination of love, romance, hardships, disappointments and mystery. About a lady named Annie who seems to have been dealt a bad deal in life. Yet she makes the best of it and chooses to see the positive and not the negative. As she is going through a divorce a newspaper publishes an ad that is asking if anyone has seen a certain woman. The woman happens to be her. A different ad runs for three weeks and has a very romantic tone...more
Soon-to-be divorced Anne Hillman is "at the end of her rope". Her oldest son doesn't talk to her much at all, constantly skips school, and reminds her that he'd much rather be living with his dad on a near daily basis. Her younger son has survived an illness that devastated the family: financially and emotionally. She returns to her childhood home and finds strength in the "penny tree" her father gave her when she was twelve following one of the "worst days of her life" (bad part in the school p...more
I'd forgotten how much I like this author (The Tin Box). I just enjoy the way she crafts her books.
This one is about a woman who is in the midst of a divorce, has two sons, one of whom has a serious illness. She feels "real", like someone you can identify with as she struggles to deal with her life. The author is good at developing characters you begin to care about. Her plot has some interesting twists and turns.
This book is recommended for readers who like books about "relationships."
This one is about a woman who is in the midst of a divorce, has two sons, one of whom has a serious illness. She feels "real", like someone you can identify with as she struggles to deal with her life. The author is good at developing characters you begin to care about. Her plot has some interesting twists and turns.
This book is recommended for readers who like books about "relationships."
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I kept reading this book because I wanted to find out who the mysterious ads were coming from, and though it is called the Penny tree, it really isn't about a tree at all. I was surprised when I discovered who was writing the letters and actually felt like it was a little generic and not a lot of thought went into it. I wanted to get through it so that I could read the next book I have planned. I thought the character of Annie was aggravating and at times irrational. It was an okay book but some...more
This novel was the first I had read in sooo long. Probably three years at least. It was not what I would have usually chosen, a friend brought it to me, but it was perfect. I could easily put it down and pick it up later, it had a simple plot and the subject manner was light. Single Mom, trouble with children, a mystery admirer and a link with the past. Sort of like beach reading material.
I loved this book. I was reading it when I was going through something not so fun. I was with my husband and daughter taking her to her freshman year of college. I was reading it in the bathtub of our hotel room because I was having a hard time sleeping. I was belly laughing and trying to be quite so I didn't wake my family up. Just pick it up and read it. I hope you belly laugh too.
This would have been a three until I got to the ending. I did not see it coming and Kennedy really nailed it. I didn't agree with everything the book suggested about marriage and relationships, but Kennedy's biggest message - that love-based marriage can survive the storms of life if we aren't so quick to throw it away for a "fresh start" - is beautifully portrayed! Great book!
This novel took a few chapters to hook me, as I found it a little heavy on exposition and the author’s style occasionally interfered with the story, but it was well worth the extra time. Kennedy packs an emotional wallop in this story of all-too-real people in all-too-real lives, with all-too-familiar problems. If this novel doesn’t get to you, you just may be a little dead inside.
Our book club is reading this book about a woman in the midst of a divorce who has problems with her sons, financial problems, etc. and some of her ways of coping. It had a "secret admirer" thrown in to the mix also. I liked the characters, all of which had their flaws, but were interesting and kept you wondering how their problems would turn out.
A cute story with an ending I was surprised at. It bugs me when books jump from the present to the past- and this book did that a lot. I know it's part of the story, describing what life was like, or whatever, but it still bugs me. If it hadn't done that so much I would've given it a higher rating.
This is the third book I've read from this author and none of them have disappointed. I enjoyed reading this story; it is not some larger than life story but really just a glimpse at a family where one thing after another has gone wrong and how it affected that family. I would recommend it for anybody..
This was a quick and easy read with a really uplifting ending. I loved the theme that ran through the book about how joy and happiness can be found even during the hardest of times and how no matter how close to rock bottom you feel you can always bounce back!
For some reason the characters come up dry. I wanted to feel something for them and felt like I was dealing with cardboard people. The current storyline and reflect-into-past was heavily used and felt unnaturally timed at times.
At first I thought this book was going to be a heart-breaking Nicholas Sparks novel, but I was pleasantly surprised. Even though it was a little difficult keeping up with jumping back and forth between past and present, I really enjoyed the end of this book. Heart-warming.
I love Holly Kennedy's books. Might be just a little prejudice because she is my cousin, but that in no way takes away from the quality of her writing. Her stories are from the heart and her characters are truly believable.
This woman's attempts to bond with her sons touched my heart. She doesn't always get it right, but she never gives up and keeps on put one foot down and then the other. Go girl!
It is a compelling story of how a family copes afterward of having a sick child and how they struggle to rebuild their lives and reconnect with one another. Beautiful
My father recommended this book to me. He felt it taught a good lesson in the end. It is about a divorced women's struggles. Light, easy read.
I would have given 3 1/2 if I could. A good quick read with an obvious feel good ending although I was surprised at the annoymous ad man.
Sep 12, 2009
Rachael (iiluvmygirlz)
added it
It was a slow start for me, but once I could focus and sit downa and read,I really liked it and the story went quick.
Book kept my interest enough to finish it, but I thought it was a little slow in parts. Happy ending.
I may have liked it better than 2 stars....so don't let the low score deter you from checking it out!
I read Holly Kennedy's first book, The Tin Box or something. Anyway her stuff is pretty good. I nice, easy brain candy kinda read.
liked the idea of the penny tree. may try this myself.
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“Any family can fall apart, Annie. It's those that manage to stay together after surviving what life throws at them that deserve a little extra respect.”
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2 people liked it
“In a room filled with babies, you will know yours from his cry. You'll tilt your head to listen, and from the pitch and tone or jagged howl, you'll instinctively know if he has a wet diaper, a lost pacifier, or if he needs good now. Before long, you'll know his favorite colors, what he wants for lunch, what he'll refuse to eat for dinner, that spiders fascinate him, but bull frogs prompt nightmares, and how long it takes him to start complaining on a long car ride. You may even bet on it. And the first time you see him copy your husband, with a hand gesture, or a tilt of his head, your heart will jump into your throat, and for a few seconds, you'll fall in love with the man you married all over again.”
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2 people liked it
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Feb 12, 2012 08:47am