What do You think about The Courage Tree (2002)?
Giving this book Five Stars! This read was amazingly intriguing that grips you from beginning to end. Janine wants to give her 8 year old daughter Sophie a normal life to live as she suffers from a rare disease and needs constant care. The nightmare begins when Janine allows Sophie to go on a camping trip and she doesn't return from it. Each day Sophie is out there missing is another day a danger for her health. This is where the suspense starts...it left me surprised with it's twists and turns. This book takes on two stories which are cleverly merged together. All the characters were engaging and grew as the story continued, they just seemed so real especially Janine's character, which was well-written. I loved her strength and dedication in finding her daughter, it was heartbreaking as well as inspiring. I honestly found this book very hard to put down as it was EXCELLENT! Something else i loved about it was the sweet little story behind the title of the book, The Courage Tree. For me this read was emotional, moving, satisfying and gripping. Diane Chamberlain is a true storyteller. I end this by saying there is nothing better than a good book when you need one and one this absorbing, it makes the hours spent reading totally worth it.
—Gurdeep Assi
The Courage Tree is the story of two mothers, each trying in their own ways to protect their daughters, and realising that the protection they're trying to give maybe not what is needed. Diane Chamberlain intertwines two main stories, with lots of sub-plots that are all neatly tied together at the end.It was okay.Don't get me wrong - this isn't a BAD book. It's relatively well constructed, and the characters are likeable and (mostly) believable. There's a certain amount of suspense, particularly through the beginning half of the book, and it was compelling enough for me to keep reading.It was all a bit... too neat, though. Everything tied together so perfectly at the end that it feels uncomfortable. Too unlikely (the epilogue too saccharine for words.) I couldn't quite believe it all.It's along the same sort of lines as Jodi Picoult - that almost seems to be a genre/style in its own right these days. Diane Chamberlain is one of those authors that people say: "if you like Jodi Picoult, you'll like her." And I get that, I do. But, actually, this book seemed like a sub-standard version of a Jodi Picoult book. Maybe it would be better without the comparison?A fine read - but nothing really special, overly melodramatic.
—E
Wow, another fantastic novel by Diane Chamberlain - this book was particularly masterful at creating suspense, hope and belief around every corner. I felt such hatred toward Janine's mother throughout most of the book, and almost as much for her father...I was up and down about how I felt about Joe, Janine's ex-husband, but mostly I understood him, even when I was upset by his actions or words, I understood where he was coming from....I was able to feel his pain and his love and his anger....and Joe always redeemed himself, able to be reasonable which was much more than I could say for Janine's parents. And Janine - wow, such love, such hope, such belief. And Sophie - ahhh, I was so in love with sweet little Sophie....and Lucas! - I think there was more suspense around Lucas than around finding the missing Sophie. I never wanted to believe in someone so much as I wanted to believe in Lucas...I really liked him and wanted everyone to be wrong about him. I've said before with Ms. Chamberlain's books, that she is genius at creating characters with depth...and she is ! and whether the reader likes the characters or not seems irrelevant because the reader will FEEL something about or for the characters....she connects the characters to the reader in a way not many authors that I have read have accomplished with such strength. Definitely one of my favourites - and one I would read again !
—TamElaine
