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At the Edge of the Orchard
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At the Edge of the Orchard
Unavailable
At the Edge of the Orchard
Audiobook9 hours

At the Edge of the Orchard

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

From internationally bestselling author Tracy Chevalier, a riveting drama of a pioneer family on the American frontier

1838: James and Sadie Goodenough have settled where their wagon got stuck - in the muddy, stagnant swamps of northwest Ohio. They and their five children work relentlessly to tame their patch of land, buying saplings from a local tree man known as John Appleseed so they can cultivate the fifty apple trees required to stake their claim on the property. But the orchard they plant sows the seeds of a long battle. James loves the apples, reminders of an easier life back in Connecticut; while Sadie prefers the applejack they make, an alcoholic refuge from brutal frontier life.

1853: Their youngest child Robert is wandering through Gold Rush California. Restless and haunted by the broken family he left behind, he has made his way alone across the country. In the redwood and giant sequoia groves he finds some solace, collecting seeds for a naturalist who sells plants from the new world to the gardeners of England. But you can run only so far, even in America, and when Robert's past makes an unexpected appearance he must decide whether to strike out again or stake his own claim to a home at last.

Chevalier tells a fierce, beautifully crafted story in At the Edge of the Orchard, her most graceful and richly imagined work yet.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateMar 15, 2016
ISBN9780698411104
Unavailable
At the Edge of the Orchard
Author

Tracy Chevalier

Tracy Chevalier is the author of the New York Times bestsellers At the Edge of the Orchard and Girl with a Pearl Earring, among others. She lives in London.  

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Reviews for At the Edge of the Orchard

Rating: 3.685873498141264 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

269 ratings18 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Department Q is getting darker. Carl Morck barely mentions his old girlfriends because he's so wrapped up in three terrible threads: his own ongoing case from years before, when he and two other police officers were shot - one died, one paralyzed, no arrests; a twenty year old hit-and-run accident left to him by a rural police officer who committed suicide; and the personnel issues in his own department. While investigating the accident involving a shaman from a commune, all three agree to be hypnotized, and Rose and Assad struggle to regain their footing afterwards. The denouement is fearsome and once again, Assad (whose true name is revealed to be Said, and he's got ties to Syria) gets the worst of it. As usual, the story is suspenseful, but the perpetrator is revealed a bit early and much of the humor is missing this time.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Another highly entertaining story from the files of the Department Q with an 'accident' from 20 years ago, a strange cult and its even stranger followers... Inspector Morck little team is better than ever.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Carl Morck, Assad and Rose investigate another old case.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Carl Morck, head of Department Q (a department that handles cold cases), receives a call from a colleague working on the Danish island of Borholm. Carl is dismissive when he realizes that a new case is being foisted on him, but a few hours later he receives some shocking news. Carl has no choice but to lead Department Q into the tragic cold case of a seventeen-year old girl who vanished from school only to be found hanging up in a tree. The investigation will take the team from the remote island of Bornholm to a strange sun worshiping cult, where they attempt to stop a string of new murders and a skilled manipulator who refuses to let anything or anyone get in the way.This is book six in the series and I went into it thinking I wasn't going to get the hand of the story but the book is so well written that it doesn't matter.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Wow!! This book immerses you into the dark damp swamp into the trails and tribulations of life on the land, life as a pioneer and at the time of the gold rush in California. This is such an evocative read and it makes you one of the characters as each page is crafted to add another dimension to your experience. These are people you'll care about and a stunning visual journey of agriculture, landscape and people's relationships to it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Carl Morck works in the Department Q of the Copenhagen Police Department. He comes off as unhappy and uncivil. Carl has two eccentric assistants to help dig into the cold cases, including Assad, whose background is a mystery itself, and Rose, who is intelligent but fights bouts of mental illness. The trio have grown over the years, and in the latest book they are working at their best to solve a case on the island of Bornholm. When they investigate the death of a 17-year-old girl who was found hanging high up in a tree, their digging leads them to a mysterious sun worshipping cult. Readers get to know the trio a little more, and see how Carl and Assad form a strong bond. The Hanging Girl is another entertaining, compelling story from Adler-Olsen.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    When Carl receives a phone call from a colleague he barely remembers and brusquely rebukes, I know I'm in for another fascinating police procedural with my favorite trio. After the call and it's shattering aftermath, it's off to the island of Bornholm and a cold case involving a hit and run almost two decades previous. In the usual style, we move back and forth in time as Dept Q investigates. Even as I kept thinking there was a bit too much detail about the cult-like Nature Absorption center, the parts detailing Carl, Assad and Rose's investigations were spot on. Adler-Olsen continues to give us peeks in to the personal lives of the main characters and the mystery of Assad's background continues to be slowly revealed. I sure hope they are translating as quickly as I read, I look forward to the next book in this fine crime series.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    On the one hand, I like the quirky composition of the Department Q team. We have the crusty leader, the young lady with a permanently bad-mood and smart mouth, the 'immigrant' investigator (Assad, or is it Said?) with apparently a few skeletons in his closet, and a new young guy who doesn't know much and is skinny as a rail. On the other hand, the interactions seem a little forced, the constant stream of malapropisms from our immigrant Assad were funny the first couple times but not so much after 50 of them, and as a group they just, well, don't seem very effective.

    The Hanging Girl is essentially a cold case the group pulls themselves into after a policeman from a remote town who had been investigating it commits suicide in a very public venue. They retrace his steps, while in parallel chapters a group of religious kooks with a couple members who have long-ago ties to the subject of the cold case go through their own intrigue. The case is eventually solved, not exactly as expected, but I guess that's how good mysteries are composed.

    This book was 500 pages long, but seemed a lot longer. The team's investigative methods were rather haphazard and that probably contributed to the perception of excess length, and the constant flashes over to the happenings with the religious group, which had some relevance to the plot but mostly existed to build a background for a couple characters, was the main culprit. The writing was decent and the translation seemed to be well done, but the dialogue wasn't consistently crisp and tended to be rather unprofessional at times. All-in-all, it was a decent 'whodunnit' that was much longer than necessary.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Department Q gets a tip about a cold case which leads Carl, Assad, and Rose (with some help from Gordon) to a sun worshipping cult on Bornholm. Another great installment in a series that I adore because of its extremely engaging characters. The mystery is (as usual) a bit extreme (although not as gory this time), but it does all add up in the end and the perp is unexpected. What this series is about, though, is the characters and our main group are in top form in this installment. And, we get another tiny hint of Assad's past, which makes him even more intriguing, of course; Adler-Olson had better reveal all before he finishes the last book about Department Q (this is book six of a planned ten).
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    I started this book when it came out and got to chapter 10. This is not really an accomplishment as the chapters are short. Ever since I put this book down I have had it sitting in front of me every time I sit at my computer. So I finally picked up this book again yet I found myself lacking any interest in the story or the characters. I read a few other reviews by readers who have followed this series from the beginning and even they did not feel that this book was as strong a showing. I just could not make myself continue reading this book for the full 432 pages. Which if the book does not draw me in the first few chapters then I can not stick with a book. There have been a few times where I have tried and my thoughts about the book did not change. There was too much talking.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A friend told me that this was his best read for 2015, and while it won't be my top read, it will certainly make it into my top 10 for the year. It took me quite a long time to readit, well over 10 days, which is long for me. I'm sure whether I had been hit by jet lag after my recent travels, or whether it was some how due to the translation and structure of the novel.As always, someone will ask, "should I read the Carl Morck series in order"? This is #6 in the series, and I have only read three others. So there in part is your answer I guess. But I've certainly benefitted from reading earlier titles. They have contributed to my understanding of the composition of Department Q and of the relationships between its members. I also have some understanding of what happened to Morck's friend and colleague Hardy.Carl Morck receives a phone call from a former colleague whose career has been blighted by his obsession with a murder that took place over three decades earlier. When Morck refuses to help by taking a look at the case, his former colleague commits suicide at his own retirement party, thus forcing Morck to at least visit Bornholm to look at the cause of the suicide. He takes Assad and Rose with him and between they decide that they need to look at the case that had so obsessed Christian Habersaat. In the long run, nothing is what it seems. The threads lead everywhere and finding continuous strings is hard.When Assad and Carl get close to identifying the person they think was the original murderer, their own lives are put into danger. And meanwhile the author is layering more and more information onto our plates, for us to sift and decide what to discard. This is certainly one of those novels where the reader gets a strong intimation of what is required of the detective.One of the things that struck me about this novel is a level of humour created by Assad's literal interpretation of idiomatic language. It wasn't an element that had struck me so much in earlier novels. And Morck begins to understand that he doesn't know everything to know about Assad.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a series I love. Not only are the cases interesting and full of their own quirks and twists, but so are the central characters. The cases assigned to Department Q are all cold cases, lying unsolved for years. The main team of characters are all broken in one way or another, with foibles and fears, secrets and sins, all wrapped up in many, many layers that Adler-Olsen carefully dissects away. And while some of the cases have the dark noir aspect of other Scandinavian writers, some are less vitriolic, but just as interesting to read. Sometimes you like a good mystery/detective novel that doesn't rip your guts out or give you nightmares. Jussi Adler-Olsen has proven to be able to craft a tale that grabs attention, and unfolds in a way that grabs interest, builds suspense, and defines characters beautifully. Tags: 2016-read, a-favorite-author, currently-reading, nordic-noir, thank-you-charleston-county-library, translated-mystery
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In the middle of his usual hard-won morning nap in the basement of police headquarters, Carl Mørck, head of Department Q, receives a call from a colleague working on the Danish island of Bornholm. Carl is dismissive when he realizes that a new case is being foisted on him, but a few hours later, he receives some shocking news that leaves his headstrong assistant Rose more furious than usual. Carl has no choice but to lead Department Q into the tragic cold case of a vivacious seventeen-year-old girl who vanished from school, only to be found dead hanging high up in a tree. The investigation will take them from the remote island of Bornholm to a strange sun worshipping cult, where Carl, Assad, Rose, and newcomer Gordon attempt to stop a string of new murders and a skilled manipulator who refuses to let anything—or anyone—get in the way.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The suicide of a frustrated Bornholm police office sends the Cold Case Squad to investigate the unsolved hit –and-run death of a teenage schoolgirl. The details of their investigation on the little island runs in tandem with the story of the cult-ish activity of members of the Nature Absorption Center. I have come to enjoy this ragtag crew of Department Q. Carl, Assad and Rose’s various foibles and interactions have gotten even more endearing. Particularly delicious is their encounters with crystals and hypnosis. A very satisfying read, with a particularly suspenseful ending.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The Hanging Girl by Jussi Adler-Olsen, William Frost (Translator)Carl Mørck, head of Department Q is called on to the cold case of a seventeen year old girl who disappeared from school, and found dead hanging in a tree. He goes to the small remote Island of Bornholm to investigate further. As he digs deeper he learns of a strange cult, as he tries to solve the crime and prevent more deaths.The story moves at a steady pace with alternating chapters from past to present. This helped in giving me a feel of what each person was going through. The story has some twist, turns and had me guessing until the end. Overall I enjoyed The Hanging Girl and intend to read more in this series.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Überragend wie Morck und Assad sich in diesen Fall hineinbeißen und minutiös das Rätsel lösen. Dieses doch so unterschiedliche Paar ist so mit das Beste, was einem Krimileser passieren konnte...
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Hanging Girl is the sixth novel in Jussi Adler-Olsen's Department Q series.I absolutely adore this series - and it's because of the recurring characters.Copenhagen Police Detective Carl Morck and his assistants Assad and Rose labour in the basement of Police HQ, taking on cold cases. Their success rate cannot be argued with. But their methods and idiosyncrasies do nothing but annoy those on the higher floors. (to Carl's great delight)I'm always a sucker for characters that are left of center. And this trio definitely are. While Adler-Olsen creates inventive plots for every book, it is the mystery of Assad (and to a lesser degree, Rose) that has me eagerly awaiting next entry in this series. Slowly but surely over the course of the previous five books, details about the enigmatic Assad have been slowly meted out. Carl's personal life and attitude are also immensely appealing. His inner commentary in response to Assad keeps me laughing. I'm looking forward to see if newcomer Gordon will stick around - I hope so.It's another 20 year old cold case for the team in The Hanging Girl. A seventeen year old girl on the island of Bornholm went missing on her way to school twenty years ago. She was later found dead - hanging high in the branches of a tree. Adler-Olsen takes the investigation to a unique place. The reader is privy to the goings of a nature worshiping commune. More specifically to the machinations of one of the leaders of the commune, who is determined to have things line up as she sees fit. What, if any, could be the connection between the two? Even with 'insider' knowledge, Adler-Olsen managed to surprise me at the end.I chose to listen to The Hanging Girl, as I saw the reader was Graeme Malcom, one of my favourites. He's done the previous Department Q books as well, so he has become the voice of Carl for me. His slightly gravelly tone and mild accent embody the mental image I've created for this character.Another great listen for this reader. And although the case is solved, there's some lovely little loose ends that promise another book - and perhaps more answers. If you've not read any of the Department Q novels, I encourage you to start from the beginning with the first book, The Keeper of Lost Causes. Listen to an excerpt of The Hanging Girl or read an excerpt."Jussi Adler-Olsen is Denmark’s #1 crime writer and a New York Times bestseller. His books routinely top the bestseller lists in Europe and have sold more than fifteen million copies around the world. His many prestigious Nordic crime-writing awards include the Glass Key Award, also won by Henning Mankell, Jo Nesbø, Stieg Larsson, and Peter Høeg."
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In The Hanging Girl, Carl Mørck and his gang in Department Q, investigate an exceptionally old case. Twenty years ago, Alberte, a beautiful young girl, was found dead, hanging in a tree. When the primary investigator kills himself after failing to get the crime solved, Rose hounds Carl into an investigation. In alternate chapters, we learn about a charismatic cult leader calling himself Atu Abanshamash Dumuzi, a messianic cult leader, who runs a school for the study of “nature absorption” on an island off the Swedish coast. When Assad and Carl get close to identifying the person they think was the original murderer, their own lives are put into danger. The story is told in alternating perspectives. In one, we have Carl, Assad, and Rose endeavoring to find out what happened to Alberte the day she died, and verify what they now believe was a murder rather than a traffic accident. In the second, we meet Pirjo, a ruthless woman, who worships and adores Atu. I found this to be a much more interesting story line. Of course, it's inevitable that both these plots will eventually merge.I am a huge fan of this series but the last couple have not lived up to the first books in the series. The book is very long and could easily have been shortened, which might have helped the story flow. I do like the way the characters interact and I love the bond that's developed over the years between Carl and Assad. It continues to strengthen in this book and there are some wonderful moments in the story when Carl realizes how much he's come to rely on Assad. I wouldn't mind losing Rose, though. She's become so unpleasant and whiny. While not my favorite, I'm still a fan and will be buying the next book in the series.