In the five years since Julia last visited her aunt and uncle’s home in Malibu, her life has been turned upside down by her daughter’s death. She expects to find nothing more than peace and solitude as she house-sits with only her dog, Bonnie, for company. But she finds herself drawn to the handsome man who oversees the lemon orchard. Roberto expertly tends the trees, using the money to support his extended Mexican family. What connection could these two people share? The answer comes as Roberto reveals the heartbreaking story of his own loss—a pain Julia knows all too well, but for one striking difference: Roberto’s daughter was lost but never found. And despite the odds he cannot bear to give up hope.
Set in the sea and citrus-scented air of the breathtaking Santa Monica Mountains, The Lemon Orchard is an affirming story about the redemptive power of compassion and the kind of love that seems to find us when we need it most.
My thoughts: In The Lemon Orchard, Luanne Rice tackles some tough subjects. Immigration from Mexico, which she compares to the migration of Irish during the potato famine, and a romance between two people of different cultures. Each of them had lost a daughter in different circumstances, but each felt a burden of guilt. With a backdrop of the Pacific Ocean and lemon orchards the writing provokes all the reader's senses.
I'll be looking out for more of Ms. Rice's novels. She is a gifted and entertaining writer.
