The Eve Tree by Rachel Devenish Ford is a interesting glimpse into the life of a ranch in California that had been passed down from generation to generation. In the novel, the ranch is threatened with wildfire and Molly, the current owner of the ranch, must come to terms with the potential of losing everything her family had built two generations before her. This book is well paced and not only moves with the plot of the threat of fire, but also takes it time in examining each part of the family that contributed to building the ranch. Molly's story is the most intriguing, though it takes nearly the whole book to finally realize what Molly is going through during this tumultuous time. The only part of this book that bothered me a little what that each chapter switched points of view from Molly, Jack and Catherine. Sometimes it threw me off and I had to pay careful attention to who the chapter's viewpoint was from. Overall, though, this is a good read for anyone that likes a good family story. *Reviewer received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads When I describe this book to people, I tell them that it’s about family, mothers and daughters, the land and belonging to it, mental illness, love and fires. It also has trees. And a donkey. And some goats. I also tell them that it was written by a hippy mother of four children who lives 6 months of the year in a community in rural India. Rachel blogs at Journey Mama, I’ve been reading there a while now, living vicariously through her a tiny bit. Mostly for the beautiful beautiful places they stay. Right now, near a lake close to the foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal. Absolutely stunning.Anyway, the book. A simple story, about a family on a ranch that is threatened by a forest fire. This event is a catalyst for the coming together of the Molly’s family – her mother, children and husband to join together to save their property. As the pressure and stress of this event build, long time issues, past regrets and brokenness spills out of the cracks.The strength of this book is the way the author writes about relationships…their complexities, and the baggage that we bring to them, how messy they can be, and how generational they actually are, but running beneath it all in this story is the strength of love. That love doesn’t always come easy, never comes cheap, but brings healing and reconciliation. It wasn’t syrupy or tidy. This book is very real, but graced with redemption and hope.
What do You think about The Eve Tree: A Novel (2000)?
Okay. Reminder that we are not always in control. Things happen and we must adjust.
—Jorupacs
Sme effective setting description; characters seem flat, just finished to finish
—myra
