The Last of the Apple Blossom
Mary-Lou Stephens
Reviewed by Helen
This is a beautiful story of friendship, secrets, heartbreak and hope, beautifully written, we get to meet two women Catherine and Annie and journey with them and their families through years of change, I do hope that you will pick this one up and come along for the journey I am sure you will love it as I have.
Catherine Turner grew up on an apple orchard in the Huon Valley in Tasmania, these days she is teaching at a small school in Hobart it is February 1967 and a lot of the state is burning in the worst ever bushfires. Catherine after making sure her pupils are safe makes a dash for home only to find that the orchard and house are destroyed and her young brother lost to the fires. Catherine vows to get the orchard back up and running even if her father says it will never be run by a female.
Annie Pearson, neighbour and best friend to Catherine is married to Dave and they run a successful apple orchard that has been in the family for generations they are parents to five boys and now the parents of a beautiful wanted and loved daughter. There is a lot of work to be done to repair the damage done by the fires and Dave’s best friend and his young son Charlie are helping with it all. Mark has moved his family to get a break from life but his wife vanishes and Mark and Charlie stay on.
It is not long before Catherine and Charlie are making friends, after spending time in the packing sheds at apple season this means that Mark and Catherine are spending a lot of time together as well and they are becoming friends but that will bring only scandal as Mark is married even if his wife cannot be found. Annie is not happy that Mark and Charlie are still living at the orchard either, she is keeping a secret that she wants no one to know.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story from page one, I loved getting to know Catherine and Annie both such strong women who fought for what they wanted, this really is an emotional story that had me cheering for their strength and courage. This story looks at the collapse of the apple industry in Tasmania and the changes in the area around these times with the hippies moving in. But is a story that takes in tragedy, heartbreak, loss, secrets and the hope that life will go on, that changes need to be made and that love will be there. There were tears from me happy and sad as I was pulled into their journey, I highly recommend this debut story it is a must read that I loved from start to finish.
My thanks to the publisher Harlequin AU and Netgalley for my copy to read and review
Catherine Turner grew up on an apple orchard in the Huon Valley in Tasmania, these days she is teaching at a small school in Hobart it is February 1967 and a lot of the state is burning in the worst ever bushfires. Catherine after making sure her pupils are safe makes a dash for home only to find that the orchard and house are destroyed and her young brother lost to the fires. Catherine vows to get the orchard back up and running even if her father says it will never be run by a female.
Annie Pearson, neighbour and best friend to Catherine is married to Dave and they run a successful apple orchard that has been in the family for generations they are parents to five boys and now the parents of a beautiful wanted and loved daughter. There is a lot of work to be done to repair the damage done by the fires and Dave’s best friend and his young son Charlie are helping with it all. Mark has moved his family to get a break from life but his wife vanishes and Mark and Charlie stay on.
It is not long before Catherine and Charlie are making friends, after spending time in the packing sheds at apple season this means that Mark and Catherine are spending a lot of time together as well and they are becoming friends but that will bring only scandal as Mark is married even if his wife cannot be found. Annie is not happy that Mark and Charlie are still living at the orchard either, she is keeping a secret that she wants no one to know.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story from page one, I loved getting to know Catherine and Annie both such strong women who fought for what they wanted, this really is an emotional story that had me cheering for their strength and courage. This story looks at the collapse of the apple industry in Tasmania and the changes in the area around these times with the hippies moving in. But is a story that takes in tragedy, heartbreak, loss, secrets and the hope that life will go on, that changes need to be made and that love will be there. There were tears from me happy and sad as I was pulled into their journey, I highly recommend this debut story it is a must read that I loved from start to finish.
My thanks to the publisher Harlequin AU and Netgalley for my copy to read and review
5 stars
Expected publication: July 28th 2021 by HQ Fiction
