The Talking Tree

The Hartwell Women #1

by Judith Keim

The Talking Tree is book one in the Hartwell Women Trilogy...
Following her estranged mother’s death, Marissa Cole returns to her hometown. Her mother has left a request for Marissa to scatter her ashes in New Hope, Maine. Marissa doesn't understand why; she’s never heard her mother talk of such a place. In Maine, Marissa is thrilled to discover a family she never knew she had. But the family isn’t what she thought, and helping her grandmother keep her share of the family fortune might cause Marissa to lose the only man she’s ever trusted enough to love.

Genres: Womens Fiction, Family, Contemporary Romance

306 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 7, 2015

About the author

Judith Keim, A USA Today Best Selling Author, is a hybrid author who both has a publisher and self-publishes. Ms. Keim writes heart-warming novels about women who face unexpected challenges, meet them with strength, and find love and happiness along the way, stories with heart. Her best-selling books are based, in part, on many of the places she's lived or visited and on the interesting people that she's met, creating believable characters and realistic settings her many loyal readers love.

She enjoyed her childhood and young-adult years in Elmira, New York, and now makes her home in Boise, Idaho, with her husband and their two dachshunds, Kacy and Wally, and other members of her family.

While growing up, she was drawn to the idea of writing stories from a young age. Books were always present, being read, ready to go back to the library, or about to be discovered. All in her family shared information from the books in general conversation, giving them a wealth of knowledge and vivid imaginations.

Ms. Keim loves to hear from her readers and appreciates their enthusiasm for her stories.

To sign up for her newsletter, go here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/oeiwdp1vkc

Her website: https://judithkeim.com/

Follow her on Book Bub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/judit...

Reviews

[ANNETTE · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first book by Judith Keim my mother -in law loved the author so I wanted to read it and wasn't disappointed.
I enjoyed the drama and banter with the characters.
A young lady coming from a hard life and wanting to find her roots after her mother died.

[Melissa B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Face paced, great characters, lots of twists and turns!

[Theresa Timlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Woman sets out for Maine to learn the truth about her impoverished alcoholic mother’s family, and maybe the identity of her father. She discovers that she is sole heir to a wealthy family that owns a paper mill - and that there are several people who are none too happy about her arrival on the scene. Can Marissa make peace with her mother’s secrets, build alliances with her cousins, save the mill from unscrupulous board members, and also discover love?

[Aleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was lovely story about a woman's journey to find herself. Raised by a mother who was an alcoholic and drug addict, Marissa did not have a happy childhood. She confided in her neighbor Doris and talked to a tree when things got really bad at home. An abusive step father and her mother's ignorance of that, she moves far away from home vowing to never come back. However, it is the death of her mother and her odd final request that causes Marissa to make a decision between running away again or facing the obstacles that lay before her.

It's the promise of a long lost family that Marissa finds attractive and it leads her to Maine. There, she is thrust with sudden responsibilities and hostile attitudes.

Marissa does find love in a man, Brad, but is forced to have a long distance relationship with him. And that adds more for to deal with and overcome.

I found Marissa to be naive at times, but she does grow into a strong woman. Able to let go of her demons, she maintains the love she has with Brad and finds a sense of belonging. I liked that this book had characters that were flawed, but yet felt real. It brings up very real topics, like abuse, greed, alcoholism, and sexual orientations. I look forward to reading about Samantha's and Allison's stories.

[Jenny Belk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable book gifted to me by the author. This is my honest and unsolicited review.

Marissa Cole heads to New York to see to her mothers' affairs after she dies.
As she and her mother did not have a good relationship, she is dreading this.
Her mothers' wish is to have her ashes scattered in New Hope, Maine. Baffled as to why, Marissa heads out to solve the mystery as she has never known of any connection to her family there. Once she arrives she stumbles on a family that has a dark secret that connects her to them in a very surprising way. What she finds out will change her and her lifestyle dramatically. Will she accept her destiny and all that comes with it and will she be able to hold on to the love of her life.
I look forward to reading more of Judith Keim's books.

[Darlene Otet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Complimentary Copy generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. Great book - very easy to read and kept me coming back every spare minute I had to read! Very good book, and even though I had already read the two subsequent books in this trilogy, they did not spoil this book for me. Events moved quickly and unexpected events keep me reading to find out what was going to happen next! Thank you for a very good read!

[Jennifer Lara · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Talking Tree is the first book in The Hartwell Women by Judith Keim. Returning to her hometown after the death of her estranged mother, Marissa Cole just wants to dot the i’s and cross the t’s and leave it all behind once again. However, her mother has one final request: take her ashes to New Hope, Maine and scatter them from the local cliffs. Marissa never heard her mother mention New Hope and she didn’t understand why her mom would make such a request. Once in Maine, she discovers a family her mother left behind. However, the family isn’t what she thought where the smiles and the welcomes aren’t as sincere as she hopes. With the family fortune on the line, can Marissa make the right decision for herself, her family and her future?
This story had an interesting start. A woman discovers her mother was hiding secrets and she must unravel the mystery after her death. However, once Marissa is in New Hope and she learns about her mother’s family, the story gets bogged down. The drama surrounding the family business and who should be running it or not. I definitely didn’t care for Brad, Marissa’s boyfriend and “love of her life.” I didn’t care how he acted like a spoiled brat when Marissa was trying to find her place in her mother’s family. By the end of the book, I was glad it was over. Overall, the story was good; however, I was not interested enough to continue the series. If you enjoy stories of discovering family, coming to terms with the past and finding a new future, I recommend The Talking Tree.

The Talking Tree is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

[Carol Deegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved this book from the very beginning. Judith Keim has a way of describing characters so you know exactly who they are and how they think, as well as understand them. In seeking out a family she doesn’t know about, Marissa finds herself the heir to being a board member of a paper mill. History of paper mills is twisted into the story; I found the history to be quite interesting. This story has many parts that come together to make it successful. I have already ordered the second book in this series, and I’m looking forward to reading it. I believe no one should miss this book. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

[Linda Vermillion · Rating 3 out of 5]

So so book

In all of the books by this author I have never read a book that I didn't enjoy. This book was the exception. I didn't like the main character from the beginning. Yes she had a horrible childhood but after being away ten years and years of therapy she was still acting like it happened yesterday. After she found out her mother had changed her name and ran away from her family everyone said let it go and live your own life. But of course she wouldn't let go and found that the family she thought she wanted was much worse than not knowing. There is a time to just let go and she was so unbending, she got what she deserved, too bad she didn't lose the man too.

[Linda Sebright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent - a great mystery

This book had me wanting to jump ahead to find out what was going to happen. Every book I read of Judith Keim's book is always her best one. So I guess from now on I will be reading the best book by her and counting all of the books that I will read in the future. The mystery in this book was amazing. Judith is an excellent writer in all of the books I have read and will read in the future.

[Gina Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing wrong with that.......

If it keeps you sane why not? Better than I expected for a contemporary read, fast paced and lots of emotions for Marissa to deal with. I didn't like the cliff hanger ending just to many unanswered questions for me. Not sure if I will finish the series as I prefer historical reads.

[MJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

The authors found a story, but hasn’t figured out how to translate it to the page. To me, from the start, it was very ‘words in paper’. I ‘felt’ nothing for the characters, or the story in the end because it was just a list of things happening/happened. I should have put it down after the first chapter, but the idea if the story was ok, and I was kind of hoping it would get better. It didn’t.

[Elizabeth G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trees don't talk, they listen..

Not sure how I missed this series, but am glad I started it now.
A love story with a mystery attached. Told very well. I could feel Marissas hurt and frustration when she found out the truth. How different both her mother's life could have been thus making hers so better .

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that out of the last 4 books I tried to read, I gave up on 3 of them. I know that Judith Keim's books always have such great character development and stories, I actually went back and reread the Talking Tree. I read it quite a while ago, and while some things were familiar,  it was like reading it for the first time again. I highly recommend her books.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Estranged mother’s death, Marissa Cole returns to her hometown. Her mother has left a request for Marissa to scatter her ashes in New Hope, Maine. And boy does she find out all about her family that she never knews.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

Enjoyed the drama as it infolded. The tramatic escape from an abusive situation to discovering the reason for her mother running away from a rich family. Finally ending in a difficult but fulfilling long distance relationship in love.

[Marta Ratliff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Discovery

I loved The Talking Tree! It is filled with so many emotions. A young woman is on a journey to discover where her deceased mother came from. What she learned was amazing! I am looking forward to the next book in this series by Judith Keim!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well developed storyline of a young pregnant girl leaving home and staying under the table. Now, her daughter is notified her mother has died, and she has to come home to settle her estate. You have many twists in this book that keeps you reading.

[Maribeth Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great read

Twists and turns in the life of Marissa kept me wanting to know more about the mystery of her mother’s unknown life and how determined Marissa was to find the answers because of the hate she had for her mother.
A story that has an interesting ending.

[christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Talking Tree

This has a mystery vibe as well as family dynamics that grabs your attention right away. The characters were friendly, bold, ruthless. This book will sweep you into the pages. A must read family dynamics Story that reels you into the characters lives. Enjoy

[Cheryl McCrork · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Very Interesting Book

This book has many exciting twists and turns. The characters were a magnitude of different types. Some parts of the book really hits your emotions. The romance of love was great. I really enjoyed this book from start to finish.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

wish i had a talking tree! loved this!

[Valory Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great story.

This book had a great development of characters, a good story line and a book full of life’s trials and triumphs.

[April Baxley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read. Good story about finding yourself and empowering women

[Debbie Boldman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read right through. Hard to put down. Strong women. Family secrets

[Alayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book to be very slow, and found I was skimming a lot. The story was interesting, but the pace was not.

[Pam McCallister · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

[Tracy Russie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read.

Not as spellbinding as the others, of hers, I've read, but the story is good.
I was able to put it down more often.😕

[Patt · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much forgiveness and healing in this book. Strong women characters, which I love. Worth the read and complete on its own.

[Marjorie Morales · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a good read

I found the story boring. The characters I likeable and had a hard time finishing the book. I do not recommend the book.