The Apple Orchard

Bella Vista, Book 1

By: Susan Wiggs

Narrated by: Christina Traister

Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

"Sometimes you stumble across a treasure when you’re looking for something else entirely."

Number-one New York Times best-selling author Susan Wiggs brings listeners to the lush abundance of Sonoma County in a novel of sisters, friendship, and how memories are woven like a spell around us.

Tess Delaney makes a living restoring stolen treasures to their rightful owners. People like Annelise Winther, who refuses to sell her long-gone mother’s beloved necklace - despite Tess’s advice. To Annelise, the jewel’s value is in its memories.

But Tess’s own history is filled with gaps: a father she never met, a mother who spent more time traveling than with her daughter. So Tess is shocked when she discovers the grandfather she never knew is in a coma. And that she has been named in his will to inherit half of Bella Vista, a 100-acre apple orchard in the magical Sonoma town called Archangel. The rest is willed to Isabel Johansen. A half-sister she’s never heard of.

Against the rich landscape of Bella Vista, Tess begins to discover a world filled with the simple pleasures of food and family, of the warm earth beneath her bare feet. A world where family comes first and the roots of history run deep. A place where falling in love is not only possible, but inevitable.

And in a season filled with new experiences, Tess begins to see the truth in something Annelise once told her: If you don’t believe memories are worth more than money, then perhaps you’ve not made the right kind of memories.

From one of America’s most beloved writers, The Apple Orchard is a story of family ties - both old and new - and of the moments that connect our hearts.

©2013 Susan Wiggs (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Wonderful Story of Past- Present- Future

Where does The Apple Orchard rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The Apple Orchard ranks high among the audiobooks I've listened to so far.

What did you like best about this story?

The thing that I liked best about this story was how the author was able to bring a story full circle from WWII to the present. The author weaved the decades back and forth through out the story. She was able to bring the story to a conclusion only by understanding how each character related to the other.

What does Christina Traister bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Christina Traister was an excellent narrator. She gave each character a personality. She was able to express the many emotions that the character's felt very well. The story flowed smoothly with her ability to transition in and out of the various voices without so much as an intake of air being heard. I felt that there could not have been a narrator more perfect for this book. She made the book a joy to listen to.

Who was the most memorable character of The Apple Orchard and why?

The most memorable character of The Apple Orchard was Annelise. She was a very pivotable character from the beginning of the book until its end. Annelise had just called and talked with Magnus Johansen before he sustained his injury. She had first met Magnus early in his life when he intercepted Annelise as she was running away from the Gestapo. Her mother was being taken into custody when she and Annelise returned from a walk. Her mother kept yelling at her to run. She slipped through one of the soldier's fingers as he attempted to grab her coat. Magnus saw this occurring and as she ran past, he stepped in her path and was able to guide her down the street after calming her down. He was the one who rowed her to her grandmother's home, thus saving her life. Magnus was fourteen at the time and Annelise was ten. Annelise and Magnus would go full circle from that first meeting until the conclusion of the story.

Any additional comments?

The book was well written. The character development was excellent. I would encourage my friend's to read this book. There was not any part of the book that I felt should have been left out. Susan Wiggs definitely knows how to write an enjoyable book. Yes, it was a love story that enveloped so many people from WWII to the present. It was a book about so many different kinds of love. Mother and daughter, sisters, grandfather, neighbors, children and even a couple's love. I am very glad that I purchased, The Apple Orchard.

A great listen...

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, it was a book I had to keep listening too. My iphone sat by the sewing machine, plugged into my car, and went wherever else I was so I could just keep listening.

Very heart warming story about family life.

Loved this book. The narrator was great. Some may not like the male voice it’s very monotone. But I found it very nice to listen to such a soft spoken man.

The Apple Orchard

This was a well written audiobook. I really liked all the twists and turns that the book took.

Good Story; Well Written

I liked the flashbacks. They helped grasp the various relationships before revealed by the story.

Good food, Good wine, Good story

Three generations of families intertwined in a most complex way are sorted out by this gifted story teller. Wiggs evokes the atmosphere of each place the story visits including Denmark during the Nazi occupation and present day San Francisco and Sonoma County California. I was roped in from the very beginning . The plot is complex but clearly unfolds and the mysteries keep unfolding until the very last chapter. I am so excited to have discovered this prolific author and am hopeful her other novels have the same tension, drama and interesting characters as The Apple Orchard. The Delicious sounding apple recipes that open each chapter remind me of the Nero Wolfe mysteries and his gourmet chef.

Lovely, Interesting Story

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Family secrets, history, mystery, and Love....all the characters were well written. The setting was beautiful. Things happen that bring all of them together. Loved Tess, loved her job, never thought about that type of sleuthing before, very interesting. The author did a great job of setting the scene and tying in all the characters in an interesting manner. She knows how to keep you involved. This is a book you could listen to more than once easily. Thoroughly engrossing. I appreciated the narration. She had a difficult job with the variety of accents but she did a good job.

Fascinating Historical Story

This is a story of love, loss, and family. It makes you think about the truly important things in life. That it's not the things you gain in life, but what you give to life and the love you allow to surround you.

A favorite

I listened to this book a few years ago but recently listened again. I liked it the first time but loved it the second time around. I like to think that is because I've developed a better appreciation for quality books. The novel is a multi-layered mystery/romance that made me feel and almost smell the lovely atmosphere of Bella Vista, an apple orchard in the small town of Archangel. The unraveling of her family mystery took our main character into the early lives of her unwed mother and a father she never knew, as well as the lives of unknown grandparents and their experiences in the WWII Danish resistance as little more than children. In the process of solving the mystery, she discovered more love than she had ever imagined, including love of the romantic variety. The voice of the narrator added to my enjoyment of the book, perfectly reflecting the atmosphere of the novel, as well as the sexiness of the man our girl came to love.

Great story

The narration was great. She was able to change her voice for the different characters. Loved the story line and the way it had twists and turns. I would think I had it figured out only to find a new twist.