Family tree : a novel

Format:

Book (large print)

Title:

Family tree : a novel

Author:

Wiggs, Susan author

ISBN:

9780062466365

Edition:

First HarperLuxe edition.

Publication:

New York, NY : HarperLuxe, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2016]

Physical Description:

530 pages (large print) ; 23 cm

Summary:

Annie Harlow knows how lucky she is. The producer of a popular television cooking show, she loves her handsome husband and the beautiful Manhattan home they share. And now, she's pregnant with their first child. But in an instant, her life is shattered. And when Annie awakes from a year-long coma, she discovers that time isn't the only thing she's lost. Grieving and wounded, Annie retreats to her old family home in Switchback, Vermont, a maple farm generations old. There, surrounded by her free-spirited brother, their divorced mother, and four young nieces and nephews, Annie slowly emerges into a world she left behind years ago: the town where she grew up, the people she knew before, the high-school boyfriend turned ex-cop. And with the discovery of a cookbook her grandmother wrote in the distant past, Annie unearths an age-old mystery that might prove the salvation of the family farm.

Subject(s):

Families -- Death -- Fiction.

Miscarriage -- Fiction.

Coma -- Patients -- Fiction.

Homecoming -- Fiction.

Family secrets -- Fiction.

Grief in women -- Fiction.

Family farms -- Fiction.

Cookbooks -- Fiction.

Life change events -- Fiction.

Man-woman relationships -- Fiction.

Farms -- Fiction.

City and town life -- Fiction.

Mothers and daughters -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

Genre:

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Monmouth Public Library	LP Fic Wiggs, S. 2016	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Silver Falls Library	LP FIC WIGGS	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author comes a powerful, emotionally complex story of love, loss, the pain of the past--and the promise of the future.

Sometimes the greatest dream starts with the smallest element. A single cell, joining with another. And then dividing. And just like that, the world changes. Annie Harlow knows how lucky she is. The producer of a popular television cooking show, she loves her handsome husband and the beautiful Los Angeles home they share. And now, she's pregnant with their first child. But in an instant, her life is shattered. And when Annie awakes from a yearlong coma, she discovers that time isn't the only thing she's lost.

Grieving and wounded, Annie retreats to her old family home in Switchback, Vermont, a maple farm generations old. There, surrounded by her free-spirited brother, their divorced mother, and four young nieces and nephews, Annie slowly emerges into a world she left behind years ago: the town where she grew up, the people she knew before, the high-school boyfriend turned judge. And with the discovery of a cookbook her grandmother wrote in the distant past, Annie unearths an age-old mystery that might prove the salvation of the family farm.

Family Tree is the story of one woman's triumph over betrayal, and how she eventually comes to terms with her past. It is the story of joys unrealized and opportunities regained. Complex, clear-eyed and big-hearted, funny, sad, and wise, it is a novel to cherish and to remember.

Author Notes

After graduating from Harvard University, Susan Wiggs became a math teacher. While working, she started writing her first novel which was published in 1987. She has written numerous romance novels since then including Home Before Dark, A Summer Affair, The Charm School and Candlelight Christmas. She has won three RITA awards for Lakeside Cottage, Lord of the Night and The Mistress. She has written a number of notable series, including; Lakeshore Chronicles and Bella Vista Chronicles. Susan's title, Family Tree, is a New York Times, USA Today, Toronto Globe and Mail, and Publisher Weekly bestseller.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (3)

Kirkus Review

After a year in a coma, Annie Rush wakes up to a world without her husband, the TV she developed, and a wealth of memories that put her life into context, but as her body and mind heal, she puts her faith in second chances.As a successful cooking-show producer whos married to the gorgeous star, Annie knows shes lucky, so she overlooks the occasional arguments and her husbands penchant for eclipsing her. Shes especially excited the day she finds out shes pregnant and, ignoring her typical steadfast schedule, rushes to the set to tell him. And discovers him making love to his onscreen assistant. Stunned, Annie leaves, trying to figure out her next move, and is struck on the head by falling on-set machinery. She wakes a year later in her Vermont hometown, as weak as a kitten and suffering from amnesia. As the days pass, however, she finds clues and markers regarding her life, and many of her memories begin to fill in. She remembers Fletcher, the first boy she loved, and how their timing was always off. She wanted to leave her familys maple farm behind and explore the worldespecially once her cooking-themed film school project was discovered and she was enfolded into the LA world of a successful food show. Fletcher intended to follow her, until life created big roadblocks for their relationship that they could never manage to overcome. Now, however, Annies husband has divorced her while Fletcher has settled in Switchback, and just as things look like they may finally click for Fletcher and Annie, her pre-accident life comes calling again. Wiggs (Starlight on Willow Lake, 2015, etc.) examines one womans journey into losing everything and then winning it all back through rediscovering her passions and being true to herself, tackling a complicated dual storyline with her typical blend of authenticity and sensitivity. A compelling exploration of self, family, love, and the power of new beginnings. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

*Starred Review* Don't mess with success. That is what Annie Rush tells herself. The Key Ingredient, the cooking show she created, which stars her husband, Martin Harlow, is wildly successful. So does it really matter if Martin occasionally strays from the show's original vision? Although Annie would like to have been in front of the camera, she must admit that viewers love Martin's perky cohost, Melissa Barrett. Then Annie arrives on the set of the show with wonderful news to share with Martin and discovers him in a private meeting with Melissa. Annie walks away, then suffers a tragic accident. Now, one year later, she is back home in Switchback, Vermont, wondering if she can reassemble the pieces of her life. Best-selling Wiggs (Starlight on Willow Lake, 2015) writes with a seemingly effortless sense of grace about what breaks families apart as well as what brings them back together. Add this to her gift for crafting exquisitely nuanced characters as well as her flair for perfectly capturing the rhythm of life in a small town, and you have a soul-satisfying story, like those by Robyn Carr and Debbie Macomber, that will delight both romance readers and fans of women's fiction.--Charles, John Copyright 2016 Booklist

Library Journal Review

Annie Rush knows two things-she's got big dreams and she wants to be with Fletcher Wyndham forever. Growing up in rural Vermont on her family's maple syrup farm, she fantasizes about college, travel, and a long happy life with Fletcher. He was the town bad boy-tough, mysterious, hard-working, and completely devoted to Annie. But when a tragedy forces Fletcher to stay in Vermont while Annie pursues college and a career, they grow apart. Years later, Annie suffers a terrible accident and wakes from a yearlong coma to find herself back home. Fletcher, a divorced father of one, still lives there, now as a judge. Annie has an incredible amount of healing to do-not just her body but her heart after her failed relationship with Fletcher. They have a chance to rekindle their old flame, but only if they both avoid past mistakes and learn to forgive. Verdict This sweet yet dramatic and winding love story demonstrates the realities and complexities of love. Recommended for fans of realistic, heartwarming romances full of second chances. [See Prepub Alert, 2/21/16.]-J. Harris, New Hampshire © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.