The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a compelling book in so many ways, and it also left me hanging in so many ways. Talmadge was such a likeable guy, if he had just had a backbone and would have talked to all the women that we had in his life and then lost, his sister, Jane and then Della. Anyway, after making to the Washington mountains with Talmadge's mom and sister after his dad died in mining accident and starting the orchard, the mom dies of lung disease and then years later the sister goes for a walk and never comes home. Then when Talmadge is 40 years old Jane and Della show up pregnant, after escaping from Michelson's brothel. They are as wild as feral cats and barely ever come inside. Jane's child lives and Della's twins die in child birth. Then Michelson shows up at the orchard, both girls hang themselves from a tree, Della lives, along with Jane's child, Angelene. Della becomes a wild thing and leaves the orchard, years later he admits to a murder that she did not do, to be thrown in jail because she sees Michelson in jail. Talmadge discovers her and starts to visit, after a failed attempt to get Della out of jail, Talmadge and Della are thrown in jail. Talmadge gets out, but not Della. Della dies in a construction accident in jail, Talmadge dies an old man, Angelene sells the orchard. Talmadge left so much unsaid and unasked with all these women ......

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The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was one great read ..... Tom returns from WWI, with some scars, becomes a light house keeper, ends up on the most remote light house island that there is in Australia. He meets Isabel on a shore leave, they fall in love and get married. They return to the island and in the course of a few hear Isabel has three miscarriages. And then the boat show up with a dead guy and a baby. Isabel convinces Tom to keep the baby. They discover where baby Lucy came from on a shore leave, and Tom can not stand it, over the next couple of years he leaves a couple of clues for the real mother that the baby is ok. They are discovered and have to give the baby back. Its a heart wrenching time for all. Tom is in jail and taking the whole fall for Isabel, Isabel is so mad at Tom she will not come to his aid. Finally she does, and the baby's real mother pleads for leniency. Tom goes to jail for six months and Isabel needs up in an asylum, but are reunited, and live a comfortable life. Isabel dies of cancer just before Lucy-Grace finally returns with her own son to see them. Great Great Book.

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The Yard by Alex Grecian
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3 stars because of the gratuitous violence, it mostly has to do with the forensic kind, the Doctor doing things to the bodies once they made it to his lab for study. The tailor gets caught, the kid goes back to his parents. Some very likeable characters.

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