Harry's Trees

By: Jon Cohen

Narrated by: Josh Bloomberg

Length: 15 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's Summary

A grieving widower, a determined girl, a courageous librarian, and a mysterious book come together in an uplifting tale of love, loss, friendship, and redemption.

Thirty-four-year-old Harry Crane works as an analyst for the US Forest Service. When his wife dies suddenly, Harry, despairing, retreats north to lose himself in the remote woods of the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania. But fate intervenes in the form of a fiercely determined young girl named Oriana. She and her mother, Amanda, are struggling to pick up the pieces from their own tragic loss of Oriana’s father. Discovering Harry while roaming the forest, Oriana believes that he holds the key to righting her world.

Harry reluctantly agrees to help Oriana carry out an astonishing scheme inspired by a book given to her by the town librarian, Olive Perkins. Together, Harry and Oriana embark on a golden adventure that will fulfill Oriana’s wild dream - and ultimately open Harry’s heart to new life. 

©2018 Jon Cohen (P)2018 Harlequin Enterprises, Limited

Critic Reviews

"Josh Bloomberg narrates this charming story with a balance of heart, humor, and hope.... Bloomberg energetically portrays the large cast of eccentric characters." (AudioFile)

An excellent surprise

I googled "books that are optimistic" and this appeared on a few lists so I took a chance. This was just the antidote for these times. It was optimistic without being sugary and full of heart without being sappy. The characters felt genuine and provided ballast for the more fanciful story elements. The narrator was excellent and deftly brought the characters to life.

A Wonderful Audiobook (and a GREAT read)

I loved this audiobook and as I had the story in book form, loved reading it as well. The story involves the unexpected deaths of spouses, grief, guilt, redemption, magic, and trees, magnificent trees. The characters are very well developed and the setting magnificent. The listener or reader is transported to the world of a forest which includes a many windowed treehouse. I stopped in the middle of listening to call my daughter and text my brother to get both the book and audio version! The narrator does a superb job of reading. I am left with the wish that I, too, an old lady like Olive, could sit at her feet and listen to HER read.....

Fabulous performance!

Narrator did a wonderfully convincing job of many different characters and accents —everything from an old lady to a middle aged rural guy to a 10 year old girl. He made the story come alive and kept me interested in what was going to happen next. Because the voices were so real it was like watching a movie since I could imagine the characters in my head. Makes all the difference . Story had some nice messages for all age readers as well.

Whimsical

It felt as if I were a child (I'm 70) being read a bedtime story of fantasy before falling asleep. Delightful! I wouldn't have wanted to miss this one!

A good story with lots of elements!

I listened to this story as one of our selections in my book club! I enjoyed it, but there were a few slow parts where I had a hard time continuing. Even though this happened, I was able to get into it and really enjoyed the rest of the book.

It had many different elements of fiction! There was some magic, some sadness, some love, and so much more. I really enjoyed the characters - some more than others! I hope you enjoy the book too!

Slog

The plot was weak, the characters were one-dimensional, and the writing meandered. Also, I felt like the main female character was poorly crafted and I was annoyed that the author chose to spend so much effort having that character focus on the attractiveness or sex appeal of the male characters. I don't know if the author was trying to demonstrate the different manifestations of grief, but making the female widow a sex-starved cougar, and the male widow a chaste monk felt a little misogynistic.

Weekday a delightful book!

This truly is a fairy tale for adults. I loved everything about it. I'm so glad I came across it.

American magical realism

I chose this book because it takes place in the area where I grew up, northern Pennsylvania, and the location is a major part of the story. Distressed after a tragedy, Harry comes to the woods to kill himself. But he finds himself involved in an ongoing fairy tale involving a precocious girl, her mother, and various quirky locals. Some of the story was predictable, but it was fun getting there, and there were a few unexpected turns.

This story should be in the Young Adult category

I wish the reviews would have warned that this book is really written & told for a pre-teen audience.
I am sure there are readers who will enjoy this, but it was not for me.

it's wonderful!

Loved it, I also loved the man in the window by Jon Cohen. the naration was excellent as well.