Family Tree by Susan Wiggs – Blog Tour and Book Review

I received a free copy of Family Tree from TLC Book Tours for my honest review.

EXCITING NEWS!!! 

Susan Wiggs is coming to my town – Superior, Montana –  on Saturday, August 27th for an event at our library. I have been given the opportunity to interview her prior to the start so be sure to come back next Monday to check it out and enter a special giveaway.

About the Book:

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow (August 9, 2016)

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author comes a powerful, emotionally complex story of love, loss, the pain of the past—and the promise of the future.

Sometimes the greatest dream starts with the smallest element. A single cell, joining with another. And then dividing. And just like that, the world changes. Annie Rush knows how lucky she is. The producer of a popular television cooking show, she loves her handsome husband and the beautiful Los Angeles home they share. And now, she’s pregnant with their first child. But in an instant, her life is shattered. And when Annie awakes from a yearlong coma, she discovers that time isn’t the only thing she’s lost.

Grieving and wounded, Annie retreats to her old family home in Switchback, Vermont, a maple farm generations old. There, surrounded by her free-spirited brother, their divorced mother, and four young nieces and nephews, Annie slowly emerges into a world she left behind years ago: the town where she grew up, the people she knew before, the high-school boyfriend turned judge. And with the discovery of a cookbook her grandmother wrote in the distant past, Annie unearths an age-old mystery that might prove the salvation of the family farm.

Family Tree is the story of one woman’s triumph over betrayal, and how she eventually comes to terms with her past. It is the story of joys unrealized and opportunities regained. Complex, clear-eyed and big-hearted, funny, sad, and wise, it is a novel to cherish and to remember.

About the Author:

Susan Wiggs is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than fifty novels, including the beloved Lakeshore Chronicles series. Her books have been translated into two dozen languages. A Harvard graduate, Susan lives with her husband on an island in Puget Sound.

Find out more about Susan at her website, and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

My Opinion:

This is my first book by Ms. Wiggs but I am sure it will not be my last. As I’ve noted, I’m stepping outside of my usual reading box these days; I have not read many family dramas. Heck – I don’t read many books that take place in the 20ieth century let alone the 21st! I think it’s good that I’m bringing my reading into the modern world.

Annie grows up in a small town in Vermont where the family has a sugaring business. Her parents are divorced; her father left to pursue a dream and her mother was left to raise the children and maintain the family business. Due to this she makes sure that Annie leaves to pursue her dreams even though Annie has fallen in love. But Annie views her relationship through her mother’s experience and doesn’t trust it. She heads off to film school to follow her dreams.

She meets a man and together they seem to have it all. A hit TV show, a happy marriage and Annie just learns of some more good news. As she rushes to share it disaster strikes and her world explodes. Annie ends up in a coma and is sent home to her family. It is a long recovery after she wakes up and she is not sure what she wants. She is not sure who she is! As she remembers and learns friends and family remind her of what is truly important.

The book goes back and forth in time as Annie recovers and remembers. I generally don’t care for that in a book but it’s used to good effect here. In fact, I think it’s almost necessary due to the construct of the book. The characters are defined and I enjoyed their individual stories. It’s a very sweet story as one might expect from a tale circling around the making of maple syrup but it was one I enjoyed. It was a perfect book to read while sitting in the sun with a nice glass of lemonade. I thoroughly enjoyed my foray into Annie’s world even with it’s ups and downs.

Rating:

4