It’s been some time since I last read a Tracy Chevalier novel, but having enjoyed some of her books in the past, I was pleased to have the opportunity to read her latest one, At the Edge of the Orchard.
The story begins in 1838 in the Black Swamp of Ohio, where James and Sadie Goodenough are attempting to make a living from the harsh, inhospitable earth on which they have settled. With the help of their five children, James is working hard to establish an orchard with enough apple trees to satisfy the requirements to legally claim their piece of land. Sadie, who does not share her husband’s ambition, longs to move on and start again somewhere else – somewhere more comfortable and welcoming. Finding solace in the strong cider and applejack produced from the fruits of the orchard, Sadie’s is a miserable existence from which there seems to be no escape.
Time passes and we jump forward to the 1850s where the youngest Goodenough son, Robert, has made his way alone to California. What happened to the rest of the family? Why does Robert never get a reply to the letters he sends home to his brothers and sisters? We’ll have to wait until later in the book for these questions to be answered, but in the meantime we read about Robert’s work with the plant collector William Lobb, gathering seeds and plants to sell to gardeners in England. Having grown up surrounded by trees, this is the sort of job that interests Robert – yet there is still something missing from his life, and when he is finally given a chance of happiness, he will have to decide whether to take it.
I enjoyed At the Edge of the Orchard and found it a surprisingly compelling read. I say ‘surprisingly’ because, despite the title and the picture on the cover, which should have been clues, I wasn’t fully prepared for so much information on trees: in the orchard sections, we learn about different types of apple tree – the qualities of ‘eaters’ versus ‘spitters’; the taste of James’ favourite Golden Pippins; and the methods used to graft one tree onto another – and in the California sections we are given a wealth of information on the giant sequoia trees of Calaveras Grove. I have to admit, although I do appreciate the beauty and importance of trees, I have very little interest in them. I’m impressed that Tracy Chevalier managed to hold my attention from the first page to the last; I was never bored and would never have expected a book about trees to be so engaging!
Of course, this is not just a book about trees – it’s also a book about human beings, following the stories of several very different characters. At first, the Goodenoughs don’t seem to be a very pleasant set of people. James is decent enough, but with a tendency to be violent when things annoy him and a frustrating single-mindedness when it comes to growing and nurturing his precious apple trees. His wife, Sadie, is a deeply unhappy woman but any sympathy I may have had for her was destroyed by her bitter, spiteful nature and needlessly cruel actions. It wasn’t until later in the novel that I found some characters I could like and care about. In fact, a series of letters written by two of these characters broke my heart…the sense of loneliness and desperation they each felt came across so strongly.
The novel is carefully structured, moving backwards and forwards in time to ensure that certain things are kept hidden until it becomes necessary for us to know them. A mixture of styles are used to tell the story too, from the letters I’ve mentioned above to conventional third party narration and several passages narrated by Sadie in a very distinctive voice of her own. Although the story of the Goodenoughs is fictional, we also meet several real historical figures: the legendary Johnny Appleseed is one you may have heard of, but the English tree collector William Lobb was also a real person. There are so many different elements to At the Edge of the Orchard and they all come together to form one fascinating, enjoyable and very moving novel.
I’ve now read four Tracy Chevalier novels and so far they have all been very different, covering such diverse subjects as the Dutch art world (Girl with a Pearl Earring), fossil collecting on the south coast of England (Remarkable Creatures), religious conflict in 16th century France (The Virgin Blue) and now the trees and orchards of 19th century America. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of her books now that I’ve been reminded of them!
Thanks to HarperCollins for providing a review copy of this book via NetGalley.
She Reads Novels 
I’ve read all of Tracy Chevalier’s novels and I enjoyed all of them except the last one, The Last Runaway. (Too much info-dumping, the characters did not come to life for me.) This one sounds a little like an apple treatise, but I’d still like to try it and see if the magic is back.
There was quite a lot of info-dumping in this one too, but although I wasn’t particularly interested in reading about trees and apples, I found the story much more gripping than I’d expected to at first.
I don’t know why that aspect turned me off in The Last Runaway; was it worse than in her other novels or did I just not notice it before? Like Margaret I also didn’t find the Quaker parts realistic. Still, I will give her another chance!
Helen, I too, read a number of Chevalier’s earlier books, then drifted away. I’ve been thinking that this year I might try to catch up, and your review encourages me to make the effort. The last one I read was Burning Bright, which was ok but didn’t leave much of an impression. My favourites so far have been Girl with a Pearl Earring and The Lady and the Unicorn. It seems I have 4 more to read to be back up-to-date!
I seem to have another four to read too, but not the same four as you. I’ll look forward to reading The Lady and the Unicorn!
I’ve never read anything by Tracy Chevalier! I don’t think this book sounds right for me but I really must try some of her other novels 🙂
This book was quite different from the others I’ve read by Tracy Chevalier. Girl With a Pearl Earring is probably a good place to start as it’s her most popular book.
I gave up on this one part way through – I just found Sadie too unsympathetic and James just ok. Perhpas if I’d persevered it might have worked for me, but life’s too short at the moment to wade through something unless it grips me quite quickly. I did enjoy Girl with a Pearl Earring though.
Sadie was horrible! I was probably halfway through the book before I started to warm to one or two of the characters. Although I enjoyed it, I can understand why you gave up on it.
Oh and I did read right through the Runaway, but I didn’t find it terribly enjoyable either – and I had difficulties believing some of the Quaker parts, they didn’t seem realistic to me – and I found the ending a damp squib. So I’m kind of put off TC at the moment.
I haven’t read The Last Runaway and I have to admit it doesn’t sound very appealing, but I still have some of her earlier books left to read which I’m looking forward to.
I love her books! I’ve read most of them but not this one yet. Great review, thanks Helen.
I hope you enjoy this one when you get round to it.
I have read quite a bit of Chevalier but not this one. Some I’ve enjoyed and others not as much. The first of hers I read is The Girl with the Pearl Earring, and so far, it’s by far the best.
Yes, I think Girl with a Pearl Earring is the best of the Chevalier books I’ve read too. I still have another four left to read, though.
There’s something about the persona she creates in that book.
I have only read the famous one. But it seems like she covers a good range of topics. I do love trees and apples and when I was a kid, Johnny Appleseed was one of my heroes. I might give this one a try.
It sounds like this could be the perfect book for you, Judy!
I forgot to say that Chevalier’s retelling of Othello, entitled New Boy, will be released in May!
I haven’t read any of the Hogarth Shakespeare retellings yet, but they all sound so intriguing! Maybe I’ll try one of them soon.