by Jane Hamilton
Reviewed by Linda:
A novel about a high-spirited girl growing up on an idyllic Wisconsin apple orchard, which is owned jointly by her father and his cousin. As a child, Frankie assumes that she and her brother will inherit this beloved property, but she learns that for farmers, change is inevitable in our contemporary age. Frankie especially resents her mother’s fierce determination to send her away to college to discover the wider world. Hamilton’s novels are poignant and beautifully written, and this one contains fascinating characters as viewed through the eyes of a child. Hamilton herself lives on an apple orchard in the Midwest.