Thursdays at Orange Blossom House

From the author of beloved Top Ten bestsellers The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club and The Shelly Bay Ladies Swimming Circle comes a delightful new novel about friendship, love and finding yourself.

Far North Queensland, 1993: At 74, former cane farmer Grace Maud is feeling her age, and her isolation, and thinks the best of life may be behind her. Elsewhere in town, high school teacher Patricia has given up on her dreams of travel and adventure and has moved back home to look after her ageing parents, while cafe owner Dorothy is struggling to accept that she may never have the baby she and her husband so desperately want. Each woman has an unspoken need: reconnection. And that's how they find themselves at Orange Blossom House, surrounded by perfumed rainforest, being cajoled and encouraged by their yoga teacher, the lively Sandrine. Together, they will find courage and strength - and discover that life has much more to offer than they ever expected.

Set amid the lush beauty of tropical Queensland, Thursdays at Orange Blossom House is a heartwarming story of friendship and family, of chances missed and taken, and the eternal power of love.

Praise for Sophie Green:
'Sophie Green has established herself as a leading writer of warm-hearted tales about female friendship and second chances' Canberra Weekly
'A tender, heartwarming read' New Idea
'An upbeat story about suburban life and female solidarity' Spectrum
'Reading this book was like snuggling beneath a warm beach towel after a bracing dip in the ocean' JOANNA NELL
'Heartwarming, fulfilling and Australian as a lamb roast and full-bodied shiraz' The Australian Women's Weekly

A Favorite

I loved everything about this audio book. I have recommended it to many friends and family. I have started taking yoga in hope of experiencing some of what the characters in this story experienced. I will definitely read more of this author's works.

A WONDERFUL STORY OF LOVE, FRIENDSHIP AND SELF-DISCOVERY…

This was my first book by Sophie Green, but it definitely won’t be my last! I can’t believe I got it on sale for less than $3.00 — worth four times that at least!

Set in beautiful Australia (the narrator was FANTASTIC!), this is a story that will resonate with all women, no matter your stage in life.

Three newly acquainted women meet at a random yoga class and become friends. Dorothy…a young woman who suffers multiple miscarriages and wonders if she and her husband will ever be parents, and the fears that comes along with having and caring for children.

Patricia is in her mid-40’s and is a high school English teacher who loves her job, but finds her home overwhelming. She lives with her aging parents so she can take care of them. Her mother has dementia and is becoming increasingly difficult to care for, and her dad has distanced himself from the fact that he’s losing his wife. Patricia’s two brothers and sister are too busy with their own lives to be of any help with the parental care or the mental stress that comes with the job. The chose to be on the periphery of what’s happening.

Grace Maude is in her late 70’s and is adjusting to living alone. All her life she’s been a sugar cane farmer, just like her parents and grandparents before her. She’s relinquishing the farm and the responsibility of running it to her only child, her son Tom. Grace Maude is finding life empty, whereas once it was very full.

The friendship between the women is a little unconventional, but they soon learn that as women, no matter their age or stage in life, they all struggle with the same types of problems. The three become a support system for each other and reminds each why girlfriends are so important in one’s life.

There is also Sandrine, their French yoga teacher, who seems to teach them each something new about themselves every week through yoga (the body is a reflection of what is happening in the mind).

One of the things I especially enjoyed about the book is that every few chapters, there was a list of things that happened both in Australia and in the U.S. that helps the reader understand the period of time in which the characters are living (for example, a song or movie that came out that year, the Prince of Wales admits to being unfaithful to Princess Diana).

The story isn’t especially fast paced, but I found myself excited to return to the book as often as I could.

I can’t wait to find my next read by this author.