One more book that I read on my own. I wanted an audiobook for traveling to and fro in my car. At The Edge of the Orchard is in the "historical fiction" genre, and the reason I chose it is because it deals with the drive westward in the early to mid 1800s by white immigrants. I wanted to see how the author would deal with the topic of indigenous populations. Though there were minimal references to "Indians" in this book, there was one significant instance where an indigenous woman was portrayed in a human, respectful manner -- which I appreciated.
I give this book a thumb's up for the quality of writing, and it held my interest. I felt invested in the characters and the story.
Topics include early immigration and what "pioneers" dealt with. There's even a mention of a man I learned about in elementary school - Johnny Appleseed. In 1838 in Ohio, pioneers were required to plant 50 apple trees, which exhibited their intention to stay put on the land on which they claimed.
There was a lot about family (some good, some really bad), what constitutes family, and what we do for family. There were characters I loved, and characters I hated (the kind of hate that a good writer wants you to feel). I laughed many times, and other parts, I felt the sadness of this story of one family in mid-1800s America. This was an all around good read. Five stars! (5/5)
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