The Lemon Orchard by Luanne Rice
The Lemon Orchard. Finished 9-15-14, rating 3.5/5, fiction, pub. 2013
Unabridged audio read by Blair Brown. Approximately 8.5 hours.
In the five years since Julia last visited her aunt and uncle’s home in Malibu, her life has been turned upside down by her daughter’s death. She expects to find nothing more than peace and solitude as she house-sits with only her dog, Bonnie, for company. But she finds herself drawn to the handsome man who oversees the lemon orchard. Roberto expertly tends the trees, using the money to support his extended Mexican family. What connection could these two people share? The answer comes as Roberto reveals the heartbreaking story of his own loss—a pain Julia knows all too well, but for one striking difference: Roberto’s daughter was lost but never found. And despite the odds he cannot bear to give up hope.
from Goodreads
Julia lost her daughter and her estranged husband in one instant and the grief is still fresh after five years. As she and her dog Bonnie start to heal in Malibu it is the lemon orchard’s manager that provide’s a connection to her daughter and the bond between Julia and Roberto is the heart of the story. As Julia tries to help Roberto find peace she also comes closer to peace herself.
I liked this gentle love story and the setting of Malibu, but I found the illegal/undocumented immigrant aspect to be somewhat overdone. Roberto’s story of crossing the border would have been enough to tell of the horror and heartbreak, but it seemed to go further than that at times. It also had a few extra perspectives in the story, family friend Lion the most prevalent and the most head-scratching. Julia and Roberto were the only stories I wanted even though Lion was a likeable enough guy. I still liked the novel and Julia and Roberto and I loved the end.
A must read for those who are interested in the border immigrant story.
I won this from Elyse at Pop Culture Nerd last year.
Share this:
7 Comments »
Leave a Reply
-
What Jane Austen heroine are you?
I’ve seen this book around but never really checked to see what it was about. After reading your review I’m adding it to my ever growing tbr list!
I listened to this and pretty much felt the same way.
This one sounds interesting, and like one I will have to give a try.
I just read this book and am set to review it later this week. I didn’t find the immigration aspect overdone because that was what I assumed this book was about– Julia’s story of loss, Roberto’s story of loss and how Julia wanted to help Roberto ease his suffering, since she knew hers was not something she could reverse.
I live in California and this story appealed to me because of that angle– I live near the town that blocked buses of immigrants who had to be “housed” somewhere while their fate was decided by protestors and the buses turned around and left..,a case of Not in my Backyard.
Thanks for an honest and differing opinion! 🙂
I read this one last year and had to look it up to see what I thought – 4 stars at Goodreads. I liked the Julia/Roberto story. Thinking back now I agree about the strong immigrant aspect. For something so emotional it must be difficult to temper a theme like that, I’m guessing.
Sounds like it was interesting. But sorry it wasn’t a little bit better for you.
Stacy, Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this novel.