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The Memory Trees
The Memory Trees is a dark magical realism novel about a mysterious family legacy, a centuries-old feud, and a tragic loss that resurfaces when sixteen-year-old Sorrow returns to her mother’s family orchard for the summer.
Sorrow Lovegood’s life has been shaped by the stories of the women who came before her: brave, resilient women who settled long ago on a mercurial apple orchard in Vermont. The land has been passed down through generations, and Sorrow and her family take pride in its strange history. Their offbeat habits may be ridiculed by other townspeople—especially their neighbors, the Abrams family—but for the first eight years of her life, the orchard is Sorrow’s whole world.
Then one winter night everything changes. Sorrow’s sister Patience is tragically killed. Their mother suffers a mental breakdown. Sorrow is sent to live with her dad in Miami, away from the only home she’s ever known.
Now sixteen, Sorrow’s memories of her life in Vermont are maddeningly hazy; even the details of her sister’s death are unclear. She returns to the orchard for the summer, determined to learn more about her troubled childhood and the family she left eight years ago. Why has her mother kept her distance over the years? What actually happened the night Patience died? Is the orchard trying to tell her something, or is she just imagining things?
Sorrow Lovegood’s life has been shaped by the stories of the women who came before her: brave, resilient women who settled long ago on a mercurial apple orchard in Vermont. The land has been passed down through generations, and Sorrow and her family take pride in its strange history. Their offbeat habits may be ridiculed by other townspeople—especially their neighbors, the Abrams family—but for the first eight years of her life, the orchard is Sorrow’s whole world.
Then one winter night everything changes. Sorrow’s sister Patience is tragically killed. Their mother suffers a mental breakdown. Sorrow is sent to live with her dad in Miami, away from the only home she’s ever known.
Now sixteen, Sorrow’s memories of her life in Vermont are maddeningly hazy; even the details of her sister’s death are unclear. She returns to the orchard for the summer, determined to learn more about her troubled childhood and the family she left eight years ago. Why has her mother kept her distance over the years? What actually happened the night Patience died? Is the orchard trying to tell her something, or is she just imagining things?
320 pages, Hardcover
First published October 10, 2017
21 people are currently reading
3365 people want to read
About the author
Kali Wallace
32 books622 followersKali Wallace studied geology and geophysics before she decided she enjoyed inventing imaginary worlds as much as she liked researching the real one. Her short fiction has appeared in Clarkesworld, F&SF, Asimov's, Lightspeed Magazine, and Tor.com. She is the author of the dark, fantastical teen novels Shallow Graves (2016) and The Memory Trees (2017), as well as the middle grade fantasy adventure City of Islands (2018). Her first novel for adults, the sci fi horror SALVATION DAY, is forthcoming from Berkley. She lives in southern California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 176 reviews
September 10, 2017
This book had some of the best writing I've ever come across, which is why I'm giving it 4 stars, despite it feeling quite slow at times. It was a great story but I feel like it could've been 50 pages shorter. I'm so glad I read it though and I look forward to reading more from this author.
October 9, 2017
(I received an advance copy of this book for free. Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss.)
This was a contemporary story, about a girl who couldn’t remember the details of her sister’s death 8 years previously.
Sorrow was an interesting character, and I did feel sorry for her when she couldn’t remember the details of her own sister’s death, or even the funeral. Moving to Florida because her mother had had a breakdown couldn’t have been easy either, especially considering that she barely knew her father back then.
The storyline in this was about Sorrow going back to the orchard where she had spent the first 8 years of her life, and trying to work out what had happened to her sister – Patience, and why there was such a feud between her family and the Abrams family. There was a little bit of magical realism around some objects that Sorrow had found in the orchard when she was younger, but there wasn’t as much magical realism as I expected.
At the end of the story we did find out what had happened to Patience, but things were still left a little open as we didn’t find out whether Sorrow would stay with her mother at the orchard, or return to Florida with her father.
6.5 out of 10
“There had been a fire. Patience had died. It was maddening, simplistic, and hollow, but that was all what Sorrow knew.”
This was a contemporary story, about a girl who couldn’t remember the details of her sister’s death 8 years previously.
Sorrow was an interesting character, and I did feel sorry for her when she couldn’t remember the details of her own sister’s death, or even the funeral. Moving to Florida because her mother had had a breakdown couldn’t have been easy either, especially considering that she barely knew her father back then.
The storyline in this was about Sorrow going back to the orchard where she had spent the first 8 years of her life, and trying to work out what had happened to her sister – Patience, and why there was such a feud between her family and the Abrams family. There was a little bit of magical realism around some objects that Sorrow had found in the orchard when she was younger, but there wasn’t as much magical realism as I expected.
At the end of the story we did find out what had happened to Patience, but things were still left a little open as we didn’t find out whether Sorrow would stay with her mother at the orchard, or return to Florida with her father.
6.5 out of 10
March 6, 2017
Enchanting graveyard where bodies are marked with twisty old trees, a long history of magical women with more secrets than you can shake a stick at, and a good old creepy mystery. I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH THAT I WANT TO MARRY IT.
I was lucky enough to read an early draft of this beauty and will be buying it the day it comes out. The writing is gorgeous, the tale is gripping, and the haunted forest atmosphere is nightlight worthy. I can't wait!!!
I was lucky enough to read an early draft of this beauty and will be buying it the day it comes out. The writing is gorgeous, the tale is gripping, and the haunted forest atmosphere is nightlight worthy. I can't wait!!!
May 3, 2017
This book is exquisite—and often times painfully so. Wallace is a masterful storyteller who reveals the secrets of Sorrow’s past with mesmerizing acuity. In truth this is a really difficult review to write because I don’t feel like The Memory Trees was a book at all. Rather, it was an experience—one I lived and breathed—and it shook me so viscerally that it’s hard to step away to reflect on it here. But I want EVERYONE to read it so I’ll say a few things that rocked my world:
There are women in this book.
Lots of beautiful, enduring women who carve their own fate.
There are women who love women and women who love men.
Women who love daughters and daughters who try to protect that love at any cost.
And these women live and love upon a fertile patch of Vermont land where the very past vibrates in the soil as the orchard moans, mourns and loves.
Sorrow Lovegood’s quest to find the truth of her own story—and marry it to the stories of generations of Lovegood women who came before—is beautiful. It is heartbreaking and powerful. Wallace deftly explores really heavy themes in this book: divorce, mental health, death and loss, dysfunctional families, complicated familial relationships, and finding one’s voice. But Wallace also manages to weave such magnificent hope within the story and Sorrow’s quest. Because the orchard is a thrilling, vibrant heartbeat of love and life and loss; the trees pay attention to the rhythms of love in all the ways that humans should pay attention to this magnificent force.
Wallace’s sophomore novel is brilliant. Wallace is capable and confident in her rich prose and her resilient, brilliant female characters reminded me of the richly drawn women brought to us by authors such as Alice Walker, Margaret Atwood, Isabel Allende. This book has my whole heart. I recommend this book for teens, but also for adults. It is a stunning powerhouse of a book. It is timeless. It is beautiful. It is a gift.
There are women in this book.
Lots of beautiful, enduring women who carve their own fate.
There are women who love women and women who love men.
Women who love daughters and daughters who try to protect that love at any cost.
And these women live and love upon a fertile patch of Vermont land where the very past vibrates in the soil as the orchard moans, mourns and loves.
Sorrow Lovegood’s quest to find the truth of her own story—and marry it to the stories of generations of Lovegood women who came before—is beautiful. It is heartbreaking and powerful. Wallace deftly explores really heavy themes in this book: divorce, mental health, death and loss, dysfunctional families, complicated familial relationships, and finding one’s voice. But Wallace also manages to weave such magnificent hope within the story and Sorrow’s quest. Because the orchard is a thrilling, vibrant heartbeat of love and life and loss; the trees pay attention to the rhythms of love in all the ways that humans should pay attention to this magnificent force.
Wallace’s sophomore novel is brilliant. Wallace is capable and confident in her rich prose and her resilient, brilliant female characters reminded me of the richly drawn women brought to us by authors such as Alice Walker, Margaret Atwood, Isabel Allende. This book has my whole heart. I recommend this book for teens, but also for adults. It is a stunning powerhouse of a book. It is timeless. It is beautiful. It is a gift.
May 12, 2018
3.5. That was actually a pretty good read, though it was not perfect. It was pretty slow from time to time and to be honnest I got pretty lost more than once in this huge family tree. I was confusing the characters and their stories which made it sometimes difficult to know what was going on. Also, I don't know about how realistic the story was sometimes. Yes I know, it's a fantasy but even in a fantastic context you can't give me realistic content and sometimes the feud between the two families seemed too ridiculously exagerated. However I really loved the story and it's difficult not to get into the mystery and not to be enthusiastic about finally knowing what happened. It's full of action, tragedy, love, filled wih strong women and very different and colourful personalities. The book had what a book needs to be good, though it was not the best read ever for me.
November 9, 2017
3.5 stars
I was sent an ARC of The Memory Trees by Harper Collins (thank you so much!) but wasn't able to finish it before the book released (sawwy 😞).
Magical Realism is not a genre I ever pick up despite the fact that I keep collecting magical realism books. Which means I have no idea how to rate this one. So here's this: I really enjoyed the story and I think Kali's prose are lovely. As for the cons, I think it was a tad too long for how uneventful it was, there really wasn't any magic, and it just didn't have any type of pow factor for me personally. I actually thought the mystery aspect was much stronger than anything else.
I think there are a lot of women who will really like this book, especially those who are interested in family legacy stories, because it focuses on a line of very strong, interesting women. It follows the present timeline when Sorrow returns to Vermont with flashbacks to eight years earlier when Patience died, as well as a chapter on each Lovegood woman during the most significant time of her life. It flows well and is not at all confusing. The novel isn't just about grief; it also explores depression, guilt, secret relationships (both platonic and romantic), and the pressure of family expectations. It is basically the beautifully written love child of Practical Magic and Hatfields and McCoys.
I listened to the second half on audio and I think Kim Mai Guest has the perfect whispery, sweet voice for the atmosphere of the story. I personally don't like slow narration so I sped it up to 1.25x, but I think the format would be enjoyable on either setting, and I felt more engrossed when I listened to it than when I read it. I will probably revisit this story next year, because I was letting my reading challenges get the best of me and ended up taking a whole month to finish this book.
I was sent an ARC of The Memory Trees by Harper Collins (thank you so much!) but wasn't able to finish it before the book released (sawwy 😞).
Magical Realism is not a genre I ever pick up despite the fact that I keep collecting magical realism books. Which means I have no idea how to rate this one. So here's this: I really enjoyed the story and I think Kali's prose are lovely. As for the cons, I think it was a tad too long for how uneventful it was, there really wasn't any magic, and it just didn't have any type of pow factor for me personally. I actually thought the mystery aspect was much stronger than anything else.
I think there are a lot of women who will really like this book, especially those who are interested in family legacy stories, because it focuses on a line of very strong, interesting women. It follows the present timeline when Sorrow returns to Vermont with flashbacks to eight years earlier when Patience died, as well as a chapter on each Lovegood woman during the most significant time of her life. It flows well and is not at all confusing. The novel isn't just about grief; it also explores depression, guilt, secret relationships (both platonic and romantic), and the pressure of family expectations. It is basically the beautifully written love child of Practical Magic and Hatfields and McCoys.
I listened to the second half on audio and I think Kim Mai Guest has the perfect whispery, sweet voice for the atmosphere of the story. I personally don't like slow narration so I sped it up to 1.25x, but I think the format would be enjoyable on either setting, and I felt more engrossed when I listened to it than when I read it. I will probably revisit this story next year, because I was letting my reading challenges get the best of me and ended up taking a whole month to finish this book.
July 25, 2017
Beautiful, haunting, and mysterious. I was fortunate enough to read an advance copy of this novel. The writing is so rich and evocative--I found myself re-reading paragraphs just so I could take it in again. This story is richly layered with meaning, the characters deeply drawn. THE MEMORY TREES is utterly immersive, the kind of story that resonates long after the last page is read.
January 3, 2018
The Memory Trees is a haunting, atmospheric, and gripping story. It can be slow at times, but the writing makes even the slow moments quite enjoyable. The story centers on family dynamics and Sorrow’s struggles - with herself, her past, and her families.
Sorrow Lovegood has been living with her dad since the tragic death of her sister, 8 years ago. For all the tragedy and how much Patience’s death marked Sorrow’s life, she doesn’t remember much of it, and it's not a subject neither her dad, nor her mother, talk about. After years of silently trying in vain to cope with it, she decides to go back to the Lovegood farm, where everything happened, to try and collect the pieces missing from the puzzle that is her head and the mystery surrounding her sister’s death.
Wallace gives us tiny details of Sorrow’s past here and there and we, as much as Sorrow, learn to put them together and form a bigger picture. There’s a family feud, that much we know, between the Lovegoods and their neighbors, the Abramses. For generations, the Lovegood women have been at war with the Abramses men. A war rooted so deep and going so far back, that the details don’t matter anymore. Lovegood girls aren’t supposed to befriend the Abramses, no questions asked. But maybe a few questions and answers could have spared them from tragedy generation after generation.
In focusing on Sorrow's attempts to find herself through finding more about her sister and the events surrounding her death, I appreciate the lack of love interest, especially if we take into account this is a YA novel. This is a story about a girl and the women of her family; of generations of strong, independent women, and it is just right that Sorrow is allowed to go through her journey without having to juggle her feelings towards anyone else at the same time. Mental illness also plays an important role and I appreciate how it was dealt with. Sorrow’s mom, Verity, suffers from depression, and Sorrow’s memories of being a little kid tiptoeing around her mom’s unexpected ups and downs made me feel for both. It was interesting to see this side of the story, and I welcomed the personal touch it gave to the story.
I strongly recommend this book for rainy days, and for whenever you feel like losing yourself in a farm in which weather has its own mind, and the trees may say a thing or two if you’re willing to listen.
Sorrow Lovegood has been living with her dad since the tragic death of her sister, 8 years ago. For all the tragedy and how much Patience’s death marked Sorrow’s life, she doesn’t remember much of it, and it's not a subject neither her dad, nor her mother, talk about. After years of silently trying in vain to cope with it, she decides to go back to the Lovegood farm, where everything happened, to try and collect the pieces missing from the puzzle that is her head and the mystery surrounding her sister’s death.
“A memory was a thing with no shape, no mass, but an indescribable weight.”
Wallace gives us tiny details of Sorrow’s past here and there and we, as much as Sorrow, learn to put them together and form a bigger picture. There’s a family feud, that much we know, between the Lovegoods and their neighbors, the Abramses. For generations, the Lovegood women have been at war with the Abramses men. A war rooted so deep and going so far back, that the details don’t matter anymore. Lovegood girls aren’t supposed to befriend the Abramses, no questions asked. But maybe a few questions and answers could have spared them from tragedy generation after generation.
In focusing on Sorrow's attempts to find herself through finding more about her sister and the events surrounding her death, I appreciate the lack of love interest, especially if we take into account this is a YA novel. This is a story about a girl and the women of her family; of generations of strong, independent women, and it is just right that Sorrow is allowed to go through her journey without having to juggle her feelings towards anyone else at the same time. Mental illness also plays an important role and I appreciate how it was dealt with. Sorrow’s mom, Verity, suffers from depression, and Sorrow’s memories of being a little kid tiptoeing around her mom’s unexpected ups and downs made me feel for both. It was interesting to see this side of the story, and I welcomed the personal touch it gave to the story.
I strongly recommend this book for rainy days, and for whenever you feel like losing yourself in a farm in which weather has its own mind, and the trees may say a thing or two if you’re willing to listen.
“She had wept until she was scrapped raw inside, empty but for the leaden weight of every memory of the life she had left, the grasping thorns of every choice that had brought her to this bleak and howling place. When darkness fell she poured rivers of tears into the wood and soul and stone beneath her, a well of loneliness that felt as though it would never run dry.”
October 31, 2018
> 3.5/4 stars
A really interesting standalone about family feuds, grief and an orchard full of magical trees that also doubles as a graveyard. Gorgeous writing, though the pacing was on the slower side.
A really interesting standalone about family feuds, grief and an orchard full of magical trees that also doubles as a graveyard. Gorgeous writing, though the pacing was on the slower side.
December 31, 2017
Despite a slow start and to begin with a slightly irritating main character I actually ended up really enjoying the book. The revelations were interesting and I didn't guess them at all. I ended up really liking the story and the development of Sorrow. I'd be interested in reading more from this author.
January 24, 2018
Alas, The Memory Trees falls on that odd line that I've found lately between something that enchanted me, and also left me slightly cold. I'll do my best to explain, I promise. It should be noted that I love Magical Realism. There's something beautiful about books that keep one foot firmly rooted in our reality, while exploring something otherworldly at the same time. In this case, I'm just not sure that Sorrow's story really accomplished that as well as I had hoped.
At the core of this story is a deep family lineage that, as is often the case, is peppered with grief and loss. The Lovegood family has never had it easy. From the moment that the first Lovegood moved onto their ancestral land, their lives have been difficult and layered. I appreciated the fact that Wallace took the time to let the reader see the vast history that surrounded Sorrow's childhood home. It's easy to see how one event can echo through history, and even affect the present in ways that might not be completely obvious. The stories that were told rooted me in the Lovegood's lives like nothing else could.
The downside to this way of writing though, is that it's rough to really settle into. Although I felt for Sorrow, and understood her anger at what she had lost, I couldn't quite step into her shoes and really become her. There were portions of this story that, while I could see that I should be feeling grief or hatred or anger, all I felt was a missing connection. It's a little tough to explain, but I felt like I was being told this story by someone far removed rather than someone who had actually experienced this. Additionally, I felt like the Magical Realism wasn't really coming through as strongly as it could have. There were small elements of mystery and magic, but they didn't feel as fleshed out as I would have liked. I wish I could have felt more of the magic that Sorrow was meant to feel. Try as I might though, it never stuck.
As you can see, I'm of two minds about this book. The Memory Trees has great bones. The family history here is vast, and gives this book something that I'd been missing. It gives it roots. On the flip side, I never felt fully connected with our protagonist and that made things tough. What I can say is that the audio book version of this is definitely perfection. The narrator that was chosen has a voice that pins down that ethereal quality, and really brings the ghostly Lovegood family to life. So, my final suggestion is just to read this! If you're in love with rich familial ties, wide open country land, and stories that pull you into the life of someone unlike you, this is a book for you.
At the core of this story is a deep family lineage that, as is often the case, is peppered with grief and loss. The Lovegood family has never had it easy. From the moment that the first Lovegood moved onto their ancestral land, their lives have been difficult and layered. I appreciated the fact that Wallace took the time to let the reader see the vast history that surrounded Sorrow's childhood home. It's easy to see how one event can echo through history, and even affect the present in ways that might not be completely obvious. The stories that were told rooted me in the Lovegood's lives like nothing else could.
The downside to this way of writing though, is that it's rough to really settle into. Although I felt for Sorrow, and understood her anger at what she had lost, I couldn't quite step into her shoes and really become her. There were portions of this story that, while I could see that I should be feeling grief or hatred or anger, all I felt was a missing connection. It's a little tough to explain, but I felt like I was being told this story by someone far removed rather than someone who had actually experienced this. Additionally, I felt like the Magical Realism wasn't really coming through as strongly as it could have. There were small elements of mystery and magic, but they didn't feel as fleshed out as I would have liked. I wish I could have felt more of the magic that Sorrow was meant to feel. Try as I might though, it never stuck.
As you can see, I'm of two minds about this book. The Memory Trees has great bones. The family history here is vast, and gives this book something that I'd been missing. It gives it roots. On the flip side, I never felt fully connected with our protagonist and that made things tough. What I can say is that the audio book version of this is definitely perfection. The narrator that was chosen has a voice that pins down that ethereal quality, and really brings the ghostly Lovegood family to life. So, my final suggestion is just to read this! If you're in love with rich familial ties, wide open country land, and stories that pull you into the life of someone unlike you, this is a book for you.
May 24, 2017
Reading this book was like stepping into another world, and I loved every second there. It takes place on a piece of rural family property that goes back generations and is imbued with history, joy, sorrow, struggle, and BLOOD (literally).
Wallace's immersive descriptions transported me to the Lovegood orchard, where things don't work quite like they do everywhere else. Weather turns cold to mourn a family loss, and lost objects abruptly reappear. This isn't a full-on paranormal novel like Wallace's debut, Shallow Graves; it's primarily a moving study of depression, family dynamics, and coming of age. The fantastical element is beautifully handled, though, always supporting the story of Sorrow Lovegood and her troubled return home to face the consequences of a family tragedy she barely remembers.
I also loved the thread of family history that runs through the book, with intermittent chapters devoted to past Lovegood women. I don't think I've seen a family quite like this in a book before. They're matriarchal and strong and all about women power (even in the 1700s and 1800s, when that was truly radical), but they're also real, vulnerable people who make a lot of sacrifices to hold on to their land and their way of life. They practice conflict avoidance. They get depressed. In short, unique as they are, they're highly relatable, and I found myself worrying about Sorrow and her mom, Verity.
I think teens who like family sagas—with a tinge of the creepy—are going to love The Memory Trees as much as I did.
I received an advance review copy of this book.
Wallace's immersive descriptions transported me to the Lovegood orchard, where things don't work quite like they do everywhere else. Weather turns cold to mourn a family loss, and lost objects abruptly reappear. This isn't a full-on paranormal novel like Wallace's debut, Shallow Graves; it's primarily a moving study of depression, family dynamics, and coming of age. The fantastical element is beautifully handled, though, always supporting the story of Sorrow Lovegood and her troubled return home to face the consequences of a family tragedy she barely remembers.
I also loved the thread of family history that runs through the book, with intermittent chapters devoted to past Lovegood women. I don't think I've seen a family quite like this in a book before. They're matriarchal and strong and all about women power (even in the 1700s and 1800s, when that was truly radical), but they're also real, vulnerable people who make a lot of sacrifices to hold on to their land and their way of life. They practice conflict avoidance. They get depressed. In short, unique as they are, they're highly relatable, and I found myself worrying about Sorrow and her mom, Verity.
I think teens who like family sagas—with a tinge of the creepy—are going to love The Memory Trees as much as I did.
I received an advance review copy of this book.
October 8, 2017
Second re-read for the blog tour by the Fantastic Flying Book Club!
I liked the book very much. There is an atmosphere of haunting magic and trees. Sorrow is a really well fleshed out character. Despite the slow pace of the book, I enjoyed the adventure and the mystery the book had. The storytelling is masterful and tragically so too!
I received an e-ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
This was an enchanting read with an amazing diverse cast, realistic characters, and mystery! Totally recommended!
I liked the book very much. There is an atmosphere of haunting magic and trees. Sorrow is a really well fleshed out character. Despite the slow pace of the book, I enjoyed the adventure and the mystery the book had. The storytelling is masterful and tragically so too!
I received an e-ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
This was an enchanting read with an amazing diverse cast, realistic characters, and mystery! Totally recommended!
June 8, 2021
3.5/5 stars
It feels a little unfair to only rate this book 3 stars, as I feel there were parts of it that were wáy better than that. Unfortunately, surrounding that quality core were big chunks of very slow paced musings that messed with the overall flow of the story and took me out of it at times. I'm a big fan of multi-generational family saga's and I enjoy magical realism and the dreamlike, slow writing that comes with the genre. That being said: this book at times was too slow even to me.
I was ready to round my 3.5 star rating up to a 4, purely for memorable characters and a wonderful atmospheric experience, until the ending turned out to be exactly as I imagined and let me down a bit.
Final verdict: I recommend this to fans of the genre who are okay with a slow paced story and enjoy a multi-generational tale of conflict between the women of two eccentric families.
It feels a little unfair to only rate this book 3 stars, as I feel there were parts of it that were wáy better than that. Unfortunately, surrounding that quality core were big chunks of very slow paced musings that messed with the overall flow of the story and took me out of it at times. I'm a big fan of multi-generational family saga's and I enjoy magical realism and the dreamlike, slow writing that comes with the genre. That being said: this book at times was too slow even to me.
I was ready to round my 3.5 star rating up to a 4, purely for memorable characters and a wonderful atmospheric experience, until the ending turned out to be exactly as I imagined and let me down a bit.
Final verdict: I recommend this to fans of the genre who are okay with a slow paced story and enjoy a multi-generational tale of conflict between the women of two eccentric families.
October 16, 2017
Going into The Memory Trees, I had high expectations. The majority of the reviews I had seen had been incredibly positive, and the summary made it sound like the sort of book I normally love. I mean, "century-old feud" AND "a mysterious family" legacy?! How can you not be sold by that?
The Result? Beautifully written as well as spellbinding, Kali Wallace's The Memory Trees had me captivated from the first word until the very last.
One of my favorite aspects of The Memory Tree was the writing. Kali Wallace has such a talent when it comes to words, and boy did it make reading this an utter and complete joy. Not only did she make the Vermont setting come alive but she also fully fleshed out the history of the Lovegoods. Her descriptions of the Lovegood's farm as well as the small-town it was in made me want to pack my bags and head to Vermont. Seriously. Additionally, I enjoyed how Kali split the story between Sorrow's POV (past and present) as well as the variety of other Lovegood women who have called the Lovegood farm home. It truly managed to get across how important this farm was to this family while also bringing to the light the many positives and negatives that have come from it over the years. If there's one family with horrible luck, it's the Lovegoods. My heart ACHED for them all the whole time I read this.
Talking about Sorrow, I liked her from the start. When we're first introduced to her she's feeling lost. She wants to be able to move on from her sister's untimely passing, but she also can't do that until she remembers what exactly happened that day as well as the days leading up to it. I thought Kali did a great job of capturing Sorrow's voice. Her coming-of-age felt incredibly real given the circumstances. Additionally, with it came such a wide range questions to make the reader thing, such as what does family mean and how far would you go to "keep" the land that made your family who they are today. As mentioned above, the Lovegoods have had quite the history, and Sorrow isn't always quite sure how she fits in, especially given the fact that she was gone for so long...It was interesting to see what came from those feelings of uncertainty.
The plot of The Memory Trees described in one word? Magical. It's hard to really describe the plot without giving too much away; however, I will say that if you love a good feud and a rich family history, you're going to eat this one right up! Trust me when I say it's GOOD.
In all, The Memory Trees is a beautifully told story. Kali's writing and story building is like eating a box of chocolate - rich, smooth, and fully satisfying. However, the true advantage here is there's no calories to be found. ;)
Grade: A
The Result? Beautifully written as well as spellbinding, Kali Wallace's The Memory Trees had me captivated from the first word until the very last.
One of my favorite aspects of The Memory Tree was the writing. Kali Wallace has such a talent when it comes to words, and boy did it make reading this an utter and complete joy. Not only did she make the Vermont setting come alive but she also fully fleshed out the history of the Lovegoods. Her descriptions of the Lovegood's farm as well as the small-town it was in made me want to pack my bags and head to Vermont. Seriously. Additionally, I enjoyed how Kali split the story between Sorrow's POV (past and present) as well as the variety of other Lovegood women who have called the Lovegood farm home. It truly managed to get across how important this farm was to this family while also bringing to the light the many positives and negatives that have come from it over the years. If there's one family with horrible luck, it's the Lovegoods. My heart ACHED for them all the whole time I read this.
Talking about Sorrow, I liked her from the start. When we're first introduced to her she's feeling lost. She wants to be able to move on from her sister's untimely passing, but she also can't do that until she remembers what exactly happened that day as well as the days leading up to it. I thought Kali did a great job of capturing Sorrow's voice. Her coming-of-age felt incredibly real given the circumstances. Additionally, with it came such a wide range questions to make the reader thing, such as what does family mean and how far would you go to "keep" the land that made your family who they are today. As mentioned above, the Lovegoods have had quite the history, and Sorrow isn't always quite sure how she fits in, especially given the fact that she was gone for so long...It was interesting to see what came from those feelings of uncertainty.
The plot of The Memory Trees described in one word? Magical. It's hard to really describe the plot without giving too much away; however, I will say that if you love a good feud and a rich family history, you're going to eat this one right up! Trust me when I say it's GOOD.
In all, The Memory Trees is a beautifully told story. Kali's writing and story building is like eating a box of chocolate - rich, smooth, and fully satisfying. However, the true advantage here is there's no calories to be found. ;)
Grade: A
June 5, 2017
A gorgeous tale of two clannish families in the hills of rural Vermont (wait, is there an urban VT?). Sorrow Lovegood's family has owned the same orchard for generations, passed down the matrilineal line. Eight years ago, her older sister, Patience died tragically in a fire and Sorrow hasn't set foot on the orchard since. Strangely, her memories of the time leading up to and just after her sister's death have are inaccessible. Could a trip to VT be exactly what she needs to get to the bottom of this? In beautiful prose steeped in the rural setting, Wallace crafts a tale of sisters, warring families, family secrets, and more. Moody, magical, marvelous.
June 8, 2017
Riveting, masterful. Hard to put down. Glorious setting (creepy apple orchard in Vermont), secrets, a multi-generational family feud, an intriguing mystery. And the gorgeous prose! Wallace is SO good. I loved this book from the first page to the last.
May 14, 2021
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Kim Mai Guest is the narrator for the audiobook version of this novel.
3.5 stars
Kim Mai Guest is the narrator for the audiobook version of this novel.
3.5 stars
August 27, 2017
Loved this!!
This is an intense, exquisite magical realism novel about women, young and old across centuries. The language is beautiful and the characters deftly crafted. If you're looking for a book that has lots of action or romance, look elsewhere. This is a book about a girl trying to figure out who she is and where she comes from through the chaos of teenage emotion and the mist of childhood memory.
I strongly recommend this book for fans of Anna-Marie McLemore and Maggie Stiefvater.
*I received an ARC from the author but I absolutely would've bought and adored this book anyway
This is an intense, exquisite magical realism novel about women, young and old across centuries. The language is beautiful and the characters deftly crafted. If you're looking for a book that has lots of action or romance, look elsewhere. This is a book about a girl trying to figure out who she is and where she comes from through the chaos of teenage emotion and the mist of childhood memory.
I strongly recommend this book for fans of Anna-Marie McLemore and Maggie Stiefvater.
*I received an ARC from the author but I absolutely would've bought and adored this book anyway
March 23, 2021
WHOOP WHOOP
I am shouting for joy.
NO ROMANCE AHHH YES FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE
*****
This was such a beautiful book. Not that the plot was beautiful, it was so sad. THE WRITING, the writing style, I loved. Ahhh Kali Wallace WHO!? I loved it!!
I kid you not, I loved this book. It was so deep, and I loved all of the characters. I have no idea why but this kinda reminded me of the adams family? or a hint of romeo and juliet?? A HINT!
I legiterally have no words. THere is nothing left to say..
I just soooo highly recommend this book. It was pretty quick and fast-paced and aghhh I can't express how much I enjoyed it and LOVED it!! <3333
(and the family trees at the beginning of the book were everything. I LOVE visuals and maps in book so- I'll try to add a photo :)
This book just hit differently and I am interested in checking out her other novels!!
I am shouting for joy.
NO ROMANCE AHHH YES FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE
*****
This was such a beautiful book. Not that the plot was beautiful, it was so sad. THE WRITING, the writing style, I loved. Ahhh Kali Wallace WHO!? I loved it!!
I kid you not, I loved this book. It was so deep, and I loved all of the characters. I have no idea why but this kinda reminded me of the adams family? or a hint of romeo and juliet?? A HINT!
I legiterally have no words. THere is nothing left to say..
I just soooo highly recommend this book. It was pretty quick and fast-paced and aghhh I can't express how much I enjoyed it and LOVED it!! <3333
(and the family trees at the beginning of the book were everything. I LOVE visuals and maps in book so- I'll try to add a photo :)
This book just hit differently and I am interested in checking out her other novels!!
January 3, 2018
This is a hard book to review. Mostly because it feels very ethereal, almost as if it isn't there. It gives a huge The Disappearances feel but you can't compare stories as they are not the same.
I was glad to have read it but it wasn't my style of book and the ending left me wondering so many things I wasn't so pleased with it. I somehow expected a little more from the ending, as the story kept developing well near the end.
I was glad to have read it but it wasn't my style of book and the ending left me wondering so many things I wasn't so pleased with it. I somehow expected a little more from the ending, as the story kept developing well near the end.
July 9, 2017
I was lucky to read an ARC of THE MEMORY TREES.
Beautiful language, beautiful storytelling. I will definitely read it again.
Beautiful language, beautiful storytelling. I will definitely read it again.
December 28, 2017
This was an enjoyable read. Mostly because I love stories centred around family and set in beautiful landscapes. However, the magical realism of the story didn't always hit the mark for me. There's extensive, detailed descriptions of the weather and the landscape which could get a bit repetitive and boring after a while. Do note that I'm not particularly fond of very descriptive writing - I enjoy some more plot-driven action. Even though the writing was not my cup of tea, I do admit it was beautiful and had me (mostly) fully emerged in the story.
Besides that, I often got confused when there was talk about the Lovegood family's ancestors. I don't know why, but I couldn't keep any of them apart for some reason.
Besides that, I often got confused when there was talk about the Lovegood family's ancestors. I don't know why, but I couldn't keep any of them apart for some reason.
January 2, 2018
Sixteen year old Sorrow Lovegood returns to her family Orchard in Vermont after eight years away. Can she piece together her missing memories from her hazy childhood and remember the events that led up to and surrounding her sisters death?
This was a beautifully imaginative and hauntingly melancholy read, with a lot of loss and (aptly enough) sorrow. There were twists and turns throughout Sorrow's story, tying together past and present and delving through old family feuds and history.
The ending was bittersweet and I still feel like there is so much yet to explore with the matriarchal line of the Lovegood family- why did Rejoice Lovegood settle in Vermont, alone? Where did she come from? Why the emotive female names? Is the orchard actually magic? I feel like there was still a lot left unearthed, despite Sorrows story reaching it's conclusion.
This was a beautifully imaginative and hauntingly melancholy read, with a lot of loss and (aptly enough) sorrow. There were twists and turns throughout Sorrow's story, tying together past and present and delving through old family feuds and history.
The ending was bittersweet and I still feel like there is so much yet to explore with the matriarchal line of the Lovegood family- why did Rejoice Lovegood settle in Vermont, alone? Where did she come from? Why the emotive female names? Is the orchard actually magic? I feel like there was still a lot left unearthed, despite Sorrows story reaching it's conclusion.
February 11, 2020
This was not easy to follow, the timelines are very jumbled. Just as one part was getting interesting she’d jump back 100 years and tell a story that had nothing to do with the current plot line. I did not really enjoy it but gave it 3 stars because it’s a good story for what it is, just not my particular taste.
June 12, 2019
Meh. I realized when I was nearly halfway done, listening on double speed, and STILL didn't care and wanted it to just be over already, that it was time to DNF
December 27, 2017
I really enjoyed this. It’s well written and intriguing. The pacing feels a bit slow in places but I really like how that means we get bits and pieces of the history throughout the story. And the ending is a gorgeous way of summing it up.
My only real quibbles were not getting enough information - how is the orchard lined to their family? I definitely also need more on why the family history is so strained between them and the Abrams - I know you get bits but the level of anger over boundary lines and several people getting shot seems a bit more than what is laid out. And why did their family evolve how it did? I always like when I am left wanting so much more information but here were bits I wished were included to improve the story. However, a really interesting read!
My only real quibbles were not getting enough information - how is the orchard lined to their family? I definitely also need more on why the family history is so strained between them and the Abrams - I know you get bits but the level of anger over boundary lines and several people getting shot seems a bit more than what is laid out. And why did their family evolve how it did? I always like when I am left wanting so much more information but here were bits I wished were included to improve the story. However, a really interesting read!
April 12, 2020
Easily one of the most beautiful books I’ve read this year. For someone who grew up with Latin American magical realism novels (and hating them), seeing this genre transplanted so beautifully, in the frame of a feminist novel, surrounded by struggle, where money isn’t the solution to everything, it was amazing.
October 27, 2017
It was quite interesting getting to know Sorrow and the 12 generations of women in her family, as she tries to piece together her sister's final days. This trip through her tangled family tree unfolded through beautiful prose, family vignettes, and flash backs to that ill fated day. My heart ached and broke along with Sorrow's, and although the ending fell a little short for me, I enjoyed this coming of age tale.
•Pro: The writing was so beautiful. Wallace's prose had this magical quality, that fit the story so well.
•Pro: I really liked the format. Flashbacks and vignettes of Sorrow's ancestors were intertwined with Sorrow trying to gain clarity about her sister's death. It was interesting the way the pieces fit together, and it added to the tension and mystery of the story.
•Pro: I really cared about Sorrow. I wanted her to get the answers she desired in order to get that closure she had been needing for so long. Her pain and frustration just made my heart ache.
•Pro: This is a grief story and I love grief stories. This one definitely put the grief and loss center stage, but there were so many other things, such as the way the town isolated Sorrow and her family, the way she lost a little bit of her childhood due to her mother's illness, and the way she had to shoulder so much guilt, because she could not remember the events leading to her sister's death. Let's just say, I felt a lot of feels.
•Pro: So many different ideas of family are explored. I was especially fond of the relationship between Sorrow and her step mother. It made me happy to know that Sorrow got to experience that type of relationship, because she had lost her whole world when she left the farm, and I was needed something positive came from that loss.
•Con: I could have used more closure with the ending. It was hopeful, but there were some things left open ended, that I would have liked tied up.
•Pro: I loved the whole concept of the trees. "Their only ceremony was giving the dead back to the earth and planting a new life to mark its passage." It was a lovely concept and combine with the idea that the trees held their memories, just worked so well in the overall story and enhanced the effect of the magical elements present.
Overall: A magical journey towards healing after a great loss, filled with a rich family history and a little magic.
**I would like to thank the publisher for the advanced copy of this book.
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•Pro: The writing was so beautiful. Wallace's prose had this magical quality, that fit the story so well.
•Pro: I really liked the format. Flashbacks and vignettes of Sorrow's ancestors were intertwined with Sorrow trying to gain clarity about her sister's death. It was interesting the way the pieces fit together, and it added to the tension and mystery of the story.
•Pro: I really cared about Sorrow. I wanted her to get the answers she desired in order to get that closure she had been needing for so long. Her pain and frustration just made my heart ache.
•Pro: This is a grief story and I love grief stories. This one definitely put the grief and loss center stage, but there were so many other things, such as the way the town isolated Sorrow and her family, the way she lost a little bit of her childhood due to her mother's illness, and the way she had to shoulder so much guilt, because she could not remember the events leading to her sister's death. Let's just say, I felt a lot of feels.
•Pro: So many different ideas of family are explored. I was especially fond of the relationship between Sorrow and her step mother. It made me happy to know that Sorrow got to experience that type of relationship, because she had lost her whole world when she left the farm, and I was needed something positive came from that loss.
•Con: I could have used more closure with the ending. It was hopeful, but there were some things left open ended, that I would have liked tied up.
•Pro: I loved the whole concept of the trees. "Their only ceremony was giving the dead back to the earth and planting a new life to mark its passage." It was a lovely concept and combine with the idea that the trees held their memories, just worked so well in the overall story and enhanced the effect of the magical elements present.
Overall: A magical journey towards healing after a great loss, filled with a rich family history and a little magic.
**I would like to thank the publisher for the advanced copy of this book.
BLOG | INSTAGRAM | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
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