A review by kimcheel
The Apple Orchard by Susan Wiggs

3.0

I think this book has heaps of potential, but was never quite realized. It is, at its heart, a relational story, with promises of character development. I never quite got that, and I wasn't sold on the development. I didn't understand why Tess had that panic attack in the elevator at the beginning of the story, and all of a sudden she has a condition? Why was this not fleshed out before? Why couldn't she have recounted past instances so it wasn't dropped on the reader like we're supposed to run with that. And she just quits smoking, and isn't dealing with that? The homegrown food and air miraculously clears her nicotine habit? I don't want to tear down this book, because like I said, it has potential, but so many things just didn't make sense. Both Tess and her mother were pretty unlikeable. I couldn't relate to them at all. Isabel's perfection grated. For a while, I felt there was going to be some rivalry for Dominic. Why else would Isabel protest just as strongly as Tess that Dominic wasn't Tess' boyfriend? I didn't buy Tess' decision at the end, either. It was unmotivated and unbelievable, and I felt was chosen just to follow a tired formula. Finally, things were mentioned once, and then forgotten. If you mention something, there has to be a reason. Don't jerk around the readers just to fake a mystery. Let the story speak for itself and the mystery to come out of natural circumstances. I'm not entirely pleased on the mystery of the egg played out, as once again, things were hinted at which then dissolved. I see there will probably be a second and maybe third in this series so perhaps questions will be answered, but they're not the kind of burning questions that will take me to the second book.