Far from the Tree

By: Robin Benway

Narrated by: Julia Whelan

Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

National Book Award Winner and New York Times best seller!

Perfect for fans of NBC's This Is Us, Robin Benway’s beautiful interweaving story of three very different teenagers connected by blood explores the meaning of family in all its forms - how to find it, how to keep it, and how to love it.

Being the middle child has its ups and downs.

But for Grace, an only child who was adopted at birth, discovering that she is a middle child is a different ride altogether. After putting her own baby up for adoption, she goes looking for her biological family, including:

Maya, her loudmouthed younger bio sister, who has a lot to say about their newfound family ties. Having grown up the snarky brunette in a house full of chipper redheads, she’s quick to search for traces of herself among these not-quite-strangers. And when her adopted family’s long-buried problems begin to explode to the surface, Maya can’t help but wonder where exactly it is that she belongs.

And Joaquin, their stoic older bio brother, who has no interest in bonding over their shared biological mother. After 17 years in the foster care system, he’s learned that there are no heroes, and secrets and fears are best kept close to the vest, where they can’t hurt anyone but him.

Don't miss this moving novel that addresses such important topics as adoption, teen pregnancy, and foster care.

©2017 Robin Benway (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Great adoption story

I enjoyed this book very much. Although it is geared for teens, I was able to enjoy it as well. I am an adoptive parent and I live to hear stories and different perspectives. I think this book is a good listen for anyone involved with adoption.

The power of others.....

Great performance by Julia Whelan. The story intertwines three teenager struggling with the effect of the loss of their biological mother. Each affected... in very different ways. They find strength and power in each other.

Good story bring tissues.

The narration made all characters believable.
it starts slow but it is well worth the wait.

love!

I couldnt stop listening! It is worth the read or listen! it is well written and has so much depth.

Loved it

This book ruined me emotionally. Not everything was plausible, BUT the characters were so well written it didn’t even matter.

Great story

The story was engaging and I really enjoy listening to this narrator. I actually found myself crying at a couple points during the book.

Great perspective

As a woman dreaming to adopt a child one day, this book is a great perspective of multiple scenarios involving fostering and adoption. I am a sucker for happy endings too, which helps me love this book more. Thank you for creating this book and opening eyes and hearts with this message.

great story about accepting the love in your life

What made the experience of listening to Far from the Tree the most enjoyable?

parents learning how to love and accept that their teens will, and already do, inhabit worlds of their own. Teens learning to accept trust the love that is already in their lives..

Easy listening

This story pulls you right into the lives of these three teens. Narration was very good. Loved this book!

Good story, literary candy, made me cry. A lot.

I appreciated and enjoyed this story immensely. Once I started the book, I was hooked. It made me cry about a dozen times. There were heavier issues such as adoption from the perspective of the parent giving up their child, children adopted, children in the foster care system, and the effects of race and gender on adoption. In the end, the story wrapped up nice and clean (almost too clean- the end of the story was my biggest issue with the entire book but maybe I just didn't want it to end).