âOne in ten trees comes up sweetâŚâ
In the inhospitable Black Swamp of Ohio, the Goodenough family are barely scratching out a living. Life there is harsh, tempered only by the apples they grow for eating and for the cider that dulls their pain. Hot-headed Sadie and buttoned-up James are a poor match, and Robert and his sister Martha can only watch helplessly as their parents tear each other apart. One particularly vicious fight sends Robert out alone across America, far from his sister, to seek his fortune among the mighty redwoods and sequoias of Gold Rush California. But even across a continent, he can feel the pull of family loyaltiesâŚ
âA wonderful book; rich, evocative, original. I loved it.â JOANNE HARRIS
âRaw and sumptuous⌠a delight.â INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY
âA rollicking yarn of 19-century America.â THE TIMES
âA densely packed tale of fruit, roots, family and hardship.â FINANCIAL TIMES