The Orchard by Theresa Weir
Grand Central • $24.99 • published September 21, 2011
Ever since reading the first paragraph of Kelly Blewett’s review of The Orchard, I have wanted to read this memoir. Here’s the part that caught my eye:
Theresa Weir, better known as prolific suspense writer Anne Frasier, admits she received a lukewarm reception when she approached her publishing contacts about her latest book idea. “They wanted thrillers, Anne Frasier books,” she explains in the acknowledgements. Instead, Weir offers readers a heartfelt story about her own life. In fact, though the book is categorized as a memoir, the recognizably gothic feel of the descriptions and the suspense-filled plot, as well as the extensive disclaimer in the opening pages, make it clear this finely wrought story portrays a particular, and partly fictionalized, perspective.
The story is about what happens when Weir falls in love with Adrian Curtis, moves to his family’s orchard and discovers the tragic consequences of pesticide use. This is a sad and remarkable journey that’s also a page-turner. Here’s an excerpt from the beginning, soon after Weir meets Curtis:
“Come live with me.”
Had I heard right? I had a buzz going, and maybe the roar in my head had distorted his words.
“There’s a house on the farm that’s supposed to be for me.” He took a drag from his cigarette. The tip glowed, and I could briefly see his face, his eyes squinted against the smoke. “It’s tiny. Originally built for apple pickers.”
Everything shifted.
What I had known as my life changed in a matter of seconds. Like finding out you’d put a puzzle together all wrong. I dumped the pieces and began reconstructing, creating a completely new picture.
Did he mean what he was saying, or was it something he wouldn’t give any thought to, come morning?
I didn’t want him to think this was what I’d been angling for, because it wasn’t. “Move in together . . . Wow. I don’t know . . .” My response was cautious with a touch of disinterest.
“Not move in together. Get married. We’d have to get married.”
If we hadn’t been the only two people there, I would have looked over my shoulder to see if he was talking to someone else. Married. We’d barely just met. “You’re drunk.” I held my breath.
“Not that drunk.”
Do you want to read The Orchard? What are you reading today?
The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
Jagger: Rebel, Rock Star, Rambler, Rogue by Mark Spitz
Ape House by Sara Gruen, The Grief of Others by Leah Hager Cohen
Just finished THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS – loved it!
Just started WHEN SHE WOKE – so far, so good!
Caleb’s Crossing, Geraldine Brooks.
I am reading the late E Lynn Harris and RM Johnson No One In The World. I just finished reading Night Vision by Randy Wayne White. Very good read.
‘The Orchard’ sounds like something I would like. Right now I’m reading ‘Bannon Brothers:Trust’ by Janet Dailey and listening to ‘The White Queen’ by Philippa Gregory.
Yes, I would be interested in reading the Orchard.
Currently I’m reading ‘Only Time Will Tell’ by Jeffrey Archer
I would add The Orchard to my reading list, sounds interesting. I am currently reading Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens. I loved Still Missing and started this book thinking “oh my” and almost put it down due to subject matter. But here I am hurdling forward in suspense.
I am almost finished with the first in a trilogy by Jennifer Donnelly entitled “Tea Rose: A Novel”. Set in England in the late 1800′s this historical fiction is very good. I am looking forward to the remaining two novels in this series.
‘Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure’ by Matthew Algeo, highly recommended!
Just finished reading Hand of Evil by J.A. Jance and about to start Half-Past Dawn by Richard Doetsch.
Just finished The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken, a book I missed in childhood. I’m going to start The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray & finish the Gemma Doyle Trilogy. The Orchard sounds like something I would enjoy—-so here’s hoping…….
I am reading a book that was just published yesterday. WHOLESALE HUSBAND by Lilly Gayle, an American historical.
Here’s the Blurb:
She needs his name. He needs her money. But can a rich New York socialite and a poor Irish immigrant find true love in the gilded age?
Betrayed by her fiancé and heart sick over her father’s death, Clarissa Burdick is further devastated when she learns she can’t inherit her father’s company—the company she loves—until she’s twenty-five or married. And Clarissa is neither. So she sets out to find a husband strong enough to protect her from her uncle’s thugs, too uneducated to run the company himself, and poor enough to marry a woman in name only. But Irish immigrant Devin Flannery is smarter than he seems and more educated than Clarissa expects. Her Wholesale Husband soon proves a greater risk to her heart than her company.
As far as I have read. I am already hooked!