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135th out of 1,003 books
—
2,195 voters
The Wishing Trees
by
John Shors (Goodreads Author)
Almost a year after the death of his wife, former high-tech executive Ian finds a letter that will change his life. It contains Kate's final wish-a plea for him to take their ten-year-old daughter, Mattie, on a trip across Asia, through the countries they had always planned to visit. Eager to honor the woman they loved, Ian and Mattie embark on an epic journey, leaving not...more
Paperback, 368 pages
Published
September 7th 2010
by NAL Trade
(first published July 29th 2010)
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As the mother of a little girl, I found this story profoundly moving. I started it yesterday, didn't want to put it down, and couldn't wait for naptime today to finish it! I loved the relationship of Ian & Mattie (father & daughter), their raw honesty as they travel through grief and search for joy, the rich and detailed story of their journeys to other countries, and the wonderful wisdom & goodness that they find in others in their travels.
I highly recommend the book & suggest h...more
I highly recommend the book & suggest h...more
Yet another great read from John Shors! The Wishing Trees is the story of Ian and Maddie... father and daughter picking up the pieces after beloved wife and mother Kate passes away.
Kate sends her family on an amazing journey after her death. She wants Ian to take their daughter to Asia, where Ian and Kate first met and fell in love. Ian struggles with this request, unsure if he should expose Maddie to the poverty of India and Nepal at the same time he is showing her the beauty of Thailand and Ja...more
Kate sends her family on an amazing journey after her death. She wants Ian to take their daughter to Asia, where Ian and Kate first met and fell in love. Ian struggles with this request, unsure if he should expose Maddie to the poverty of India and Nepal at the same time he is showing her the beauty of Thailand and Ja...more
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This is a nice book. Heavy subject woven into a delightful journey. Bang, right off, chapter one, our hearts crack. We meet a 10 year old girl whose mother has died from cancer and left her and her father alone to grieve, heal and try to rebuild a life together. The mother left behind a note, for her husband to open on his birthday, about 10 months after her death. In it, she begged him to take their daughter on the trip around the world that they had planned to take for their 15th anniversary....more
I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Wishing Trees by John Shors. This book made me smile, laugh, and cry because of it's strong realisitic characters. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give this book a 9 because of all the great details, sentence and plot fluidity, character description, and overall theme. However, I thought it ended too quickly! I was and still am dying to know what happens to the main characters next. Throughout the book, I could place myself in the scene with the characters, and I...more
Ian, a former executive and his 10-year-old daughter, Mattie, are grieving for the wife/mother they lost through death ten months ago. The pain of their grief is real and so intense that it is affecting them emotionally, physically and spiritually. Kate was the nail that held this family together and without her that nail is coming lose and the bond between Ian and Mattie isn’t what it used to be. Each of them misses Kate so much that the grief is overwhelming.
Kate had left a birthday package b...more
Kate had left a birthday package b...more
I've been a fan of John Shors for a while now. He has such a beautiful way with words that never fails to capture my attention from the beginning of one of his novels to the end. The Wishing Trees, his latest, is no different. It is a heart felt story of a father and daughter's journey through Asia that heals both their spirits and their hearts.
Ian and his ten year old daughter Mattie are struggling to go on after the death of Kate. She was the glue that held the family together while Ian worked...more
Ian and his ten year old daughter Mattie are struggling to go on after the death of Kate. She was the glue that held the family together while Ian worked...more
2 likes · like · see review
'She couldn't soar if she didn't have faith.'
John Shors is a Romanticist - and thank goodness there are still writers like John who are able to continually spin tales that revive the simplicity and beauty of that aspect of living that matters most: Love. Some authors can write romance novels that hold the concentration for the duration of the book. John Shors writes novels of romance that become embedded in the psyche and find a home there where they grow and influence the lives of those fortun...more
John Shors is a Romanticist - and thank goodness there are still writers like John who are able to continually spin tales that revive the simplicity and beauty of that aspect of living that matters most: Love. Some authors can write romance novels that hold the concentration for the duration of the book. John Shors writes novels of romance that become embedded in the psyche and find a home there where they grow and influence the lives of those fortun...more
I'm the author, but I do believe that this novel merits five stars. Here's what Wally Lamb, NY Times bestselling author of She's Come Undone, said about it:
"John Shors' The Wishing Trees is an affecting and sensitively rendered study of grief and loss, the healing power of artistic expression, and the life-altering rewards of travel to distant lands. I was deeply moved by this poignant and life-affirming novel."
Here's the back-cover copy for the book:
Almost a year after the death of his wife, K...more
"John Shors' The Wishing Trees is an affecting and sensitively rendered study of grief and loss, the healing power of artistic expression, and the life-altering rewards of travel to distant lands. I was deeply moved by this poignant and life-affirming novel."
Here's the back-cover copy for the book:
Almost a year after the death of his wife, K...more
6 likes · like · see review
Death is painful, especially for ten year old Maddie and her father Ian when their beloved mother and wife passes away. After struggling and coping with his wife's death for a year, old wounds are reopened when he finds his wife's final plea. During their marriage, Ian and his wife Kate had traveled around the world experiencing the joy of new places. Kate asks for Ian and Maddie to travel to the places they had planned to go on their fifteenth anniversary. Unsuspecting of the strange journey a...more
This book was another recommendation from my mother, who apparently likes to weep for fun. Because weep I did, for most of the book. Every time I dried up enough that the letters didn't wiggle around on the page, there was another letter from the dead mother/wife, and off I wept again. No, I didn't enjoy it. Yes, it was a good book. And no, I couldn't just stop reading it because I am too OCD for that.
Father and daughter travel around Asia on a wonderful trip a year and a bit after the wasting...more
Father and daughter travel around Asia on a wonderful trip a year and a bit after the wasting...more
This book was a gift from the author through the Good Reads give-away program; I was surprised and pleased to receive it. The things I liked about it were the relationships between the characters: between Ian the father and young Mattie and the relationships between Mattie and the other children in the story, one of whom is a street child in India. The book describes several journeys, the emotional journey through grief and the physical one one through various countries in Asia. I particularly e...more
The story of the young daughter and her father appealed to me. Also the mother "guiding" them even after her death was a nice twist to the plot. Each time Ian and Mattie read one of the messages their reaction was different - excitement, trepidation, frustration. I felt like I was grieving for Kate with them. Also I love to explore new countries and the travel part of the plot was fascinating to me as well.
This book has a good message at the end, but most of the time I was reading it I felt sad...more
This book has a good message at the end, but most of the time I was reading it I felt sad...more
Almost a year after Ian’s wife Kate dies, he opens a letter from her that makes a request of him. Kate wants Ian to take Mattie, their ten-year-old daughter, on a trip through Asia – a trip that they had planned to all take together, before Kate’s cancer derailed their plans and their lives. Mattie and Ian are treading water, barely keeping their heads afloat in a sea of grief. Ian is learning how to be a father; Mattie is trying to find her place in a world that no longer holds the person she w...more
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This is a beautifully written novel, about the journey of a man and his daughter after the death of their loved one. I enjoyed the book for the first half part, but as I progressed towards the other half, I began to feel tired (the being-sad part gets pretty stale midway of the book).
Why? Having gone through the sad period myself - my father died right the day before my first paper of first semester final exam, and my mother died within the revision week of my degree program - I found the plot t...more
Why? Having gone through the sad period myself - my father died right the day before my first paper of first semester final exam, and my mother died within the revision week of my degree program - I found the plot t...more
I really loved this book! This book is about a father and daughter that are desperately trying to deal with the loss of his wife, and her mother. On the mother's death bed she wrote letters to her family asking them to do something very special for her. To go on the trip across Asia that they had planned to take all together. This is very difficult for them as the father-daughter team after a year is still feeling like her death just happened. Her thought is through this journey they will find a...more
What a delightful read :o) The book is so thoughtfully written and the author so spot on in regard to his understanding of emotions related to loss. He very succinctly conveys these emotions in both Ian and Mattie, so it is very easy to get attached as you read along.
The plot of the book is also very enduring. The basic plot being that Ian's wife Kate who has passed away requests that he take is daughter on a "worldwide" traveling adventure mostly to places they had been to together as a couple...more
The plot of the book is also very enduring. The basic plot being that Ian's wife Kate who has passed away requests that he take is daughter on a "worldwide" traveling adventure mostly to places they had been to together as a couple...more
I love John Shors' books. I was so excited to read this one. I loved that it explored many different countries and explored the theme of how can we help others. Ian and Mattie are wonderful characters. I really liked them, although Ian was a bit one-dimentional to me. He was almost too perfect in his love and devotion to his wife, Kate, who passed away. In that sense, it was a bit unbelievable. If you are okay with taking that leap that he took his daughter on a trip to across the world as his d...more
Jul 25, 2012
Michelle
added it
Unless one has experienced the loss of a loved one, novels about such topics are difficult to critique. Being too harsh makes a reviewer appear insensitive and somewhat cruel, but to falsely praise a story about loss and grief when it does not deserve it does a disservice to potential readers everywhere. Such is the conundrum with John Shors’ The Wishing Trees.
The Wishing Trees’ main premise, a journey between father and daughter, brought about by the dying wishes of the wife/mother, is poignant...more
The Wishing Trees’ main premise, a journey between father and daughter, brought about by the dying wishes of the wife/mother, is poignant...more
I enjoyed reading this book. The premise was sad - Ian & Mattie are traveling throughout Aisa as dying request of their wife/mother. But along the way, we see how they begin to heal and get over the sadness that has engulfed their lives since her death. I loved reading about all the different countries that Ian & Mattie traveled too. I liked that in addition to big tourist attractions, like the Taj Mahal, they also went to lesser known destinations within each country. You really got a f...more
A lovely, moving book about a father and daughter who are struggling at moving on after the death of the woman they both love. Years ago an Australian boy, Ian falls in love with an American girl, Kate, while working in Japan. Tramping around Asia, the couple decide to marry and move back to America, where they produce a daughter, Mattie, who has her mother's artistic skills. As Ian and Kate's 15th anniversary draws nearer, they plan another romp around Asia, but cancer interrupts their plans. H...more
In this novel, Ian takes his 10-year-old daughter, Mattie, on a journey across Asia that is the dying wish of his wife, Kate. They were supposed to take the trip as a family to celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary. Instead, Ian and Mattie set off alone, and the story takes them through Japan, Nepal, Thailand, India, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Egypt. Kate leaves them letters to open in each country, and in turn, Mattie finds a special "wishing tree" in each location where she places a letter or...more
The Wishing Trees is an endearing story about a father and daughter relationship.
Ian's wife Kate passed away about a year ago. Prior to her death, Kate writes a letter to Ian. After reading this letter, Ian and his daughter Mattie go on a journey. They travel away from America and visit several countries. These various places all played and important part in Kate and Ian's life together.
At first, I thought this story was going to be all about traveling. It ended up being so much more!
It is a tou...more
Ian's wife Kate passed away about a year ago. Prior to her death, Kate writes a letter to Ian. After reading this letter, Ian and his daughter Mattie go on a journey. They travel away from America and visit several countries. These various places all played and important part in Kate and Ian's life together.
At first, I thought this story was going to be all about traveling. It ended up being so much more!
It is a tou...more
1 like · like · see review
Things I liked about this book: Shows the beauty of Asian countries and the people. Author is donating some of profit from book to Arbor Day Foundation which is cool. Has a reader's guide with a conversation with the author as well as questions for discussion. The story drew me in and I looked forward to each country being visited
Things I didn't like so much: The main character, Ian, was a fun character, but I didn't feel that he was very realistic. Not many people go from being a teacher of Eng...more
Things I didn't like so much: The main character, Ian, was a fun character, but I didn't feel that he was very realistic. Not many people go from being a teacher of Eng...more
1 like · like · see review
John Shors has very good intentions. He supports philantrophic organizations with some of the funds generated from the sale of his books. He dwells on the positive side of humanity, not exactly portraying his characters as perfect human beings, but as people with broad and mature thoughts making tough, but necessary and good decisions. It is a departure from other novels, as it is a little notch higher in its intent to inspire and to give hope.
If I may compare, the story is similar to Eat, Pray,...more
If I may compare, the story is similar to Eat, Pray,...more
I loved Beneath a Marble Sky by John Shors and saw at the Borders 70% off closing sale and grabbed it. I read it in 2 days. It is an emotional read. It's a story of a father/daughter who have lost their wife/mother. The mother is guiding them even after her death via last wishes and trips to different countries. Each time Ian and Mattie read one of the messages their reaction was different - excitement, loneliness, desperation, frustration. I felt like I was grieving for Kate too. I'm a traveler...more
this was truly a lovely book. the relationship between the father and daughter was superbly described. i just loved the main character Mattie, and although at times i found the father's Australian slang annoying, i loved learning about him and how he was coping with the loss of his wife while understanding the needs of his daughter. it was a bit too unbelieveable that he and his wife's friend were going to fall in love, but after thinking about it, i realized that it was the wish of his wife tha...more
This is a book that I randomly picked up at the library. New author for me. Loved this book on so many levels. Loved the relationship of the father and daughter, loved the way the mother connected to the family, and helped heal them after her death.
The only complaint I had was the very wordy descriptions of everything and everyone. Once I got used to the author's style of writing though, I had a complete mental picture of each and every character, and location.
I would definitely recommend this...more
The only complaint I had was the very wordy descriptions of everything and everyone. Once I got used to the author's style of writing though, I had a complete mental picture of each and every character, and location.
I would definitely recommend this...more
Much about this novel seemed too far from reality. Yes, the grieving seemed real enough, but some of the relationship between Ian and Mattie just seemed a little too much. But maybe that is how some fathers would treat their daughter in this kind of situation.
The trip gave both of them a way to deal Kate's death, but if it were me, I'm not sure it would have helped me, having to read those little notes every few days.
I thought the author went a way overboard with the minute details of many, many...more
The trip gave both of them a way to deal Kate's death, but if it were me, I'm not sure it would have helped me, having to read those little notes every few days.
I thought the author went a way overboard with the minute details of many, many...more
I loved it. I imagined a much different ending... the ending that was given is scary to me because I'm immature.
Because of the point that I'm at in my life right now - fresh from having a baby and preparing for the worst, just in case - this book was very emotional to me. I cried in the first couple pages - and I am not a crier... especially in books. I think Shors capturing the emotions of each character so well, and his descriptions were almost poetic to me. I felt like I could understand each...more
Because of the point that I'm at in my life right now - fresh from having a baby and preparing for the worst, just in case - this book was very emotional to me. I cried in the first couple pages - and I am not a crier... especially in books. I think Shors capturing the emotions of each character so well, and his descriptions were almost poetic to me. I felt like I could understand each...more
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Hi, everyone. I hope this message finds people well.
I'm the bestselling author of Beneath a Marble Sky, Temple of a Thousand Faces, Cross Currents, Beside a Burning Sea, Dragon House, and The Wishing Trees. My novels have won multiple awards and have been translated into twenty six languages. I have also spoken (via speakerphone) with more than 3,000 book clubs around the world.
For more informatio...more
More about John Shors...
I'm the bestselling author of Beneath a Marble Sky, Temple of a Thousand Faces, Cross Currents, Beside a Burning Sea, Dragon House, and The Wishing Trees. My novels have won multiple awards and have been translated into twenty six languages. I have also spoken (via speakerphone) with more than 3,000 book clubs around the world.
For more informatio...more
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Sep 27, 2010 03:02pm
Sep 27, 2010 03:21pm