Thank you, Netgalley for this title. I was unsure of what I would find going into this. A lot of times when I don't know an author, I will go by title and vague summaries alone to choose a book. I did so with this. Strengths: Characterization. I felt very invested in Emeline and Bill and where their story was going. I felt both characters had enough of character to be something relateable and interesting. I don't usually like the back and forth that many historical fiction novels tend to take on anymore, as not many authors can tie the two timelines together. However, Madeline was able to do this seamlessly, to the point where I could have seen old and new meeting and it making perfect sense. Both stories, though unknowingly in the earlier time were so tied to one another that the book read as if almost existed in one time alone. Overall, this was an interesting read. It didn't catch my attention the whole time, but enough where I enjoyed bits and pieces and kept reading.

A sweeping post WW1 Novel that leads the reader across multiple decades. Beautifully crafted and beautifully written.

For the young solicitor, Bill Perch, the task to find a long lost great-aunt for a wealthy family could mean that his boss finally will give him a more important role in the firm and he can just see his career growing. Once at the abandoned family home he finds Emeline Vale’s diary and after reading it he wants to find Emeline but not necessarily for the same reasons as the family.

In Emeline’s diary written in 1919, Bill finds that she was a young woman trying to do what was right for her young brother. They had lost their mother and the great war had taken many of their loved ones but Emeline was not about to be pushed into marriage and give up her family home so she runs away to France.

As Bill continues to read her diary he realizes he cares about finding what happened to Emeline but he’s not so sure on how he feels about reporting his findings to his employer. He feels like has to protect Emeline from her family.

The story is told from Emeline’s and Bill’s viewpoint. I enjoyed seeing Emeline fight for her independence and survival as she enters France and assumes a new identity. Of course Bill is learning about making his way in life and how sometimes you have to stand up for what you believe in.

This was a really sweet read and I enjoyed both timeframes and characters. It was a feel good story with just the right elements of romance, drama and even a bit of mystery and all set in the historical backdrops of 1919 and 1969.

3.5 It is 1919, the war over, but for young Emmaline Vane, her life will never be the same. She has lost much, her grief overwhelming, her Uncle and young brother the only two left. Her Uncle wants to sell the ancestral home, debts to settle, and money so they can start new lives. Worried about the mental state of Emmaline he makes a decision that will set Emmaline on a different path, one far away to the end of the world.

1960, a young solicitor is given the task of proving Emmaline dead. This charge will set him on s different path, one in which he surprises even himself. Two timelines, two very different people.

This is a very readable, tenderly written book. Very flavorful descriptives. The setting of part of this is France, the last town before Spain, a town rich in the bounty of the sea. Catalin cooking, it's decriptions and traditions, so mouthwatering, a place that becomes important in Emmalines life.

Would have rated this higher because I did enjoy it, but the characters past, especially the 1969 story. The back story of the young solicitor was not really presented enough for me to understand his motivations, Emmalines story was much more fleshed out. The ending of course ties the two threads together, and although one outcome was expected, there was still much to learn, not previously discovered.

ARC from Netgalley.

In Where the Wild Cherries Grow, author Laura Madeleine has intersected two different stories, set 50 years apart and very different in feel: a foreboding tale of 19-year-old Emmeline Vane, driven to the edge of literal madness by the deaths of all but one member of her immediate family in 1919, and the light-hearted tale of brand-new solicitor Bill Perch, who is tasked in tracking her down in the swinging 1960s. The different tones prove a bit jarring, and it proved really difficult for me to maintain focus on the novel.

Perhaps if it hadn’t taken so long for the stories to truly intersect? Alas, by the time they did, I no longer cared what became of Emmeline in that long ago and very little more about Bill Perch, either.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley, Thomas Dunne Books and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this story more than I did...but it just didn't come together for me. I was easily half-way through the book before I was engaged in the story...and even that was more out of sheer determination not to quit the book, than due to a need to find out what happened to Emeline Vane. The plot was so intriguing "it is 1919, and the end of the war has not brought peace for Emeline Vane. Lost in grief, she is suddenly alone at the heart of a depleted family. And just as everything seems to be slipping beyond her control, in a moment of desperation, she boards a train and runs away."

This book could've been so exciting and full of mystery and intrigue...instead, it felt like it was missing the key components to the back story that would have invested me in Emeline's story. We get snippets but it wasn't enough. On the flip side, the contemporary story could've been really interesting too, with the family members, etc...but again, the character of Bill Perch, the solicitor, was not great. There was a disjointed focus on his relationship with his girlfriend...and way too much discussion of how disheveled, hot and sweaty he always was. And I know his story is set in the late 60's but good lord there was an obsession with discussing hippies and drugs that just didn't connect to the story for me.

I did enjoy the near poetic descriptions of the food and the eventual description of Emeline's arrival in the French town at the end of the earth. I would've like the story to show us more of that. It honestly might have led me to feel differently when the ending was revealed.

This story had a lot of potential, but ended up just being ok to me. Worth a read, but just didn't get to that next level.

I received a copy of this title from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Can you ever go far enough to leave the past, or does it catch up with you? For Emeline Vane in 1919, grieving over the loss of her mother and brothers, she can never go far enough. For her uncle Andrew, who couldn't understand her grief, her mental state led him to believe she needed to be in a spa (better known has a mental facility) in Switzerland. But for Emeline, she was having none of this and managed to escape to the South of France, leaving her only living brother behind and England as well.

For Bill Perch in 1969 he is a solicitor's assistant, and as such was just given the opportunity to have his own case. Starting with a trip to Hallerton House, Emeline's home in England at the request of relatives who are anxious to sell it, he needs to prove that she is indeed dead. Stubborn and persistent in his quest for the truth, Bill follows the trail.

This story set in different decades, 50 years apart, it is more than interesting. Set in both England in 1969 and in the South of France, Cerbere in 1919, we see two different backdrops. We see the changes in both Bill in 1969 as the solicitor whose actions give him the backbone that was alluding him., as well as the changes in Emeline as she slowly loses her fear and her grief and as she does so, finds love. Both characters are pushing the limits not only in the times they live, but in their own personal lives.

I have to thank the author for her excellent research, and for her descriptions of the mouth watering food that makes me want to drop everything and fly to the South of France. The narration of two protagonists was also something I enjoyed, keeping the story interesting and flowing.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Where the Wild Cherries Grow by Laura Madeleine
Source: Netgalley and Audible purchase
My Rating: 5/5 stars

Yet again, Laura Madeleine has written a book that drew me in and didn’t let go until the very last page! Yeah, between Audible, insomnia, a damn good book, a serious disregard for adulting, I blazed through this book in a single sitting and regret nothing 😊

In 1919, Emeline Vane is in the midst of her own personal war. Though the Great War has ended, Emeline has lost most of her family and is on the verge of losing her family home. In a moment of panic, shear desperation really, Emeline abandons her remaining family member, a beloved younger brother, for the south of France and a life beyond her wildest imaginings. The train ride to what is commonly referred to as the end of the world, is both terrifying and liberating for Emeline. In fact, it is during that train ride Emeline meets a kind young man who reminds her, in her new life, she can be anyone she wants to be. With that, Emeline Vane disappears, and Emilie Fischer is born.

From the moment she arrives, Emilie is certain she has found her true home and, in her determination, will work hard, learn all she can from the kind woman who has taken her in, and become an accepted member of the small community she now calls her home. Emilie’s days are filled with hard yet satisfying work, an education beyond her social class, and acceptance she never had at home. She knows, with all confidence she will never return to her old life which means being accepted by the members of the small, tight-knit community. Through food, good food, Emilie is brought into the community, their families, and traditions. With every new experience, every new recipe, Emilie becomes more attached to her new home. That attachment is made all the more real by her growing feelings for a young fisherman, a man who brings more joy to Emilie’s life than she ever could have thought possible.

Fast forward fifty odd years . . . .

Bill Perch is an up and coming solicitor who has been asked to find Emeline Vane. Emeline’s extended family has an opportunity to sell off the old family estate, but before they can do that, they must prove Emeline is, in fact gone for good. What begins as a first case, great opportunity, quickly turns into an obsession that leads Bill, much like Emeline to hop on a train and solve the mystery of the missing woman. What Bill discovers is not just to fate of Emeline, but a life beyond what his family expects and far more exciting than he could have ever imagined.

The Bottom Line: I have always loved a past meets present book, and Where the Wild Cherries Grow absolutely delivers on that front! Emeline is a character you want to like, you want to succeed. From her introduction right on through to the epilogue, I was invested in Emeline’s story and couldn’t stop reading/listening to this book. While Bill’s story is all about revealing Emeline’s life, and is necessary to the overall plot, I found myself breezing through his chapters in order to get to more of Emeline’s story. Beyond the full-bodied characters, Where the Wild Cherries Grow has a rich setting, beautiful though not overwhelming descriptions, and a pacing that is perfectly to suited to the unfolding nature of the plot. There is just enough mystery, just enough romance, just enough of everything to make this a perfect read and certainly an early favorite for 2018!

Where the Wild Cherries Grow by Laura Madeleine is a sweeping historical novel that spans 1969 to 1919. In 1969 William Perch is a lawyers assistant. His clients Mrs. Mallory and her brother need the firm’s assistance in locating Emeline Vane. Emeline is one of the estate’s heirs, and she has been missing for fifty years. They are unable to sell the derelict manor house until they can prove that she is dead. It is up to Bill to locate Emeline or find proof of her death.
Bill travels to the estate in Norfolk where he discovers an old diary of Emeline’s along with other papers. Bill feels a connection. Bill knows that she disappeared at the train station in Paris and the journey to uncover Emeline’s whereabouts starts to take Bill on a surprising new life .

Where the Wild Cherries Grow is a timeline novel. The story is told from both Bill and Emeline’s lives . The author has a nicely crafted writing style to incorporate both into the story. The author's skilled descriptions of France just brought the book alive to me. The food depictions are divine. Emeline and Bill are both interesting characters. Readers will appreciate how the author so honestly described how life was very difficult and restricting for women in 1919. Where the Wild Cherries Grow is a fun historical story that is highly entertaining to the end.
Thank you for the ARC which does not influence my review.

Where the Wild Cherries Grow is an engaging read, telling the story of Emeline Vane in 1919 and the young solicitor Bill Perch who is trying to follow her trail some fifty years later.

Emeline Vane lost so much in the war and just when she thinks she can't handle any more, her uncle is trying to force a husband upon her and remove her from her family estate Hallerton House, the only home she has ever known. Emeline escapes and travels to the south of France where she finds life anew, but is this new future that she dares to imagine for herself too good to be true. Will her uncle track her down and make her return? Will some other fate befall her?

Young solicitor Bill Perch is eager for his first real assignment to unearth some evidence that Emeline Vane should be declared dead so that her niece and nephew can move forward with a planned development on the family estate. When Bill discovers Emeline's diary, he feels drawn to her plight and becomes conflicted about whether to complete his assignment or continue to search for Emeline.

Where the Wild Cherries Grow was a solid four star read for me. I was drawn into both character's stories and found them both equally compelling. My only disappointment was in the ending of the story. Without giving away any spoilers, a detail was revealed about the character's lives that was unexpected to me and I would have much liked to explore that area of time in more detail. My hope is that the author will use that to develop another novel and to continue the families stories. I appreciated the commentary and questions at the end of the novel and feel those would enhance any reading or book club discussion.

I received this book courtesy of St. Martin's Press Thomas Dunne Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn’t terribly keen on this book from the beginning, but as I stuck with it I became more and more pleased with the writing. At first the split between the time 1919 and fifty years later to 1969 was a bit aggravating but as I became more immersed in the story I found I had trouble putting this book down.

It wasn’t until I was finished did this line make sense to me “I closed my eyes as I tried to pick apart every flavour, because nothing had ever tasted so good before. It was like tasting for the first time. Like discovering colour . . .”

Emeline Vane came from wealth, from Norfolk, England - she had lost her mother, her brothers and now it was only her, her young brother Timothy and her uncle. She is haunted by memories of those she lost and suffers bouts of melancholy, so much so that her uncle is taking her to a convalescent home to recover. However, during their stop in France, Emeline, having been given drugs to keep her calm regained enough of her mindset that she decided to run away - recklessly boarding a train to run from her uncle and the nurse who was her jailer.

Her journey led her to a tiny seaside village in the South of France. A kindly cafe owner, Maman, takes her in and Emeline discovers a world completely new to her: of oranges, olives and wild herbs, the raw, rich tastes of the land and using your own hands to care for yourself.

Soon a love affair develops with Maman’s son as passionate as the flavours of the village. Fifty years later, a young solicitor on his first case finds Emeline's diary, and begins to trace a story of betrayal, love and bittersweet secrets that will send him on a journey to discover the truth before greedy relatives steal her inheritance away.

I really liked this story. The writing was superb and the descriptions of the food and flavors made my mouth water. So very sweet with a surprise ending I didn’t expect.

Marilyn Rondeau

Where the Wild Cherries Grow is an absolutely stunning tale. Two points of view separated by fifty years guide us through this story of friendship, love, and determination. Bill Perch is tasked with finding out what happened to a lost family member of a client so they can sell land to a developer. He travels to the childhood home of Emeline Vane where he finds her diary. He becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to her when she disappeared in 1919 and saving her home.

In addition to Bill's journey of self-discovery and Emeline's fierce struggle to survive, the writing is melodic and beautiful. The author writes with such enthusiasm for Catalan food that I can't help but seriously dream of a trip to the south of France. The way she ties together the ocean, the land, and the seasons together to make beautiful dishes is unlike anything I've ever read before. This one is definitely going on my list of favorite books for 2018.

Good historical fiction with two timelines (1919 and 1969) and a mystery involving a missing person. The 1919 timeline is far more compelling; the characters are engaging, the settings more vivid and the stakes higher. The 1969 timeline feels almost comedic in comparison; the characters are sillier and some are only missing mustaches to twirl to indicate their villainous impulses. Nonetheless, the story is delicious, never more so than in its depiction of southern French cooking. This is a tale that is hard to put down as the search for the missing sister continues over fifty years. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Loved this dual timeline story ( although I enjoyed the 1919 part more than the 1969). The characters, beautiful descriptions of the countryside and the food had me totally wrapped up! Highly recommend!

Where the Wild Cherries Grow by Laura Madeleine is a historical novel that takes readers from 1969 to 1919. In 1969 William “Bill” Perch is a solicitor’s assistant at Hillbrand and Moffat Solicitors. Mrs. Mallory and her brother need the firm’s assistance in locating Emeline Vane. Emeline is one of the estate’s heirs, and she has been missing for fifty years. They are unable to sell the derelict manor house until they can prove that she is dead. It is up to Bill to locate Emeline or proof of her death. Bill travels to the family estate in Norfolk where he discovers an old diary of Emeline’s along with other papers. Through Emeline’s words, Bill feels a connection with this woman from the past. Bill knows that she disappeared at the train station in Paris and this is where he begins. The journey to uncover Emeline’s whereabouts starts Bill on a new path and a chance for rich, full life.

Where the Wild Cherries Grow is a dual timeline novel. The story is told from Bill and Emeline’s point-of-views in alternating chapters. Ms. Madeleine has a nice descriptive writing style. The pace is a little slower than I normally like, but it does go with the story. The author provides vivid descriptions that allow the reader to visualize the scenes (brings the scenery of France alive). The food depictions will have your mouth watering. Emeline and Bill are well-developed characters. I found them to be real and fit into their time periods. I found the slang from 1969 to be entertaining (made me chuckle). Readers experience Emeline’s journey and I can certainly understand why she took off. Life was very different for women in 1919 especially if they were under the age of majority. Where the Wild Cherries Grow is a unique tale that will keep you reading to find out what happened to Emeline.

I have mixed feelings about Where the Wild Cherries Grow. The story is told in two parts, one in 1969 and one taking place in the past. I absolutely loved the parts of the book that took place in the past, whereas the I didn’t like the 1969 storyline as well.

The story begins with Emeline in 1919 running along a cliff with a man. He is guiding her to his secret spot, a lovely wild cherry tree. Then the story jumps forward to 1969 and we meet Bill Perch. Bill is a solicitor’s assistant and he is given his first big assignment. There is an old estate that some family members would like to sell, however they need proof that Emeline Vane is dead. She has been missing for 50 years. With that, he sets off to France to see what he can find.

We then jump back and forth between Emeline in 1919 and Bill in 1969.

Emeline has run away and finds herself at the very edge of France. In a town where she knows no one. She is taken in by a cafe owner, Maman and her deaf son. Emeline immerses herself in the country, the foods, the flavors, the life. The descriptions of the cooking are the stuff dreams are made of. It’s all very idyllic and charming. I could read this part of the story forever and ever.

The storyline with Bill doesn’t flow with the same ease. I can see the parallels between him and Emeline, but I loved the parts with Emiline so much, I think I just read through Bill quickly to get back to more Emiline.

Beautiful writing. I loved the food descriptions as much as I loved them in her other novel, The Confectioner’s Tale.

I received an ARC of the book.

Having read The Confectioner’s Tale and loving it, there was no way I could miss this title – and what a complex yet lovely story it was. Dual narrators separated by fifty years bring us a story of finding who you are and just where you are meant to be. In 1969 London, Bill Perch is working toward becoming a solicitor, and his boss presents him with the lead on an investigation. Prove the death of Emeline Vane, who disappeared in 1919, in order to sell the family estate to a developer. To this end, Bill is sent on his first ever business trip (first out of London as well) to a small village in order to search the family papers to find his proof. He finds more – including a diary belonging to Emeline, and starts to believe, as her ailing brother does, that she is alive and didn’t simply wander off to die somewhere close.

Emeline Vane was the only daughter, with two elder and one younger brother – she was always imaginative and curious, and prone to her own flights of imagination. Now with the death of her mother from the Spanish Flu, and her older brothers at war, she’s the only person in the family home, Hallerton House, in Norfolk. In need of repairs, maintenance and money, there isn’t enough to go around and Emeline’s uncle is negotiating the sale. She’s still grieving and lonely, and her family believes she is not ‘all there”. A dinner party goes awry, and arrangements are made for her to be committed to a sanitorium in Switzerland, leaving her uncle in charge of her youngest brother, her life and her future. Emeline has consistently been plagued by her memories – using her mother’s remaining morphine to escape, and drugged by her uncle as she travels with him to Paris, awaiting a transfer to Switzerland, she jumps off the train and is rescued by a young man, loaded onto a freight train to ride the rails south.

Poor Bill, truly a fish out of water and far more conservative than the times and most of his friends, his first trip out of London faced with travel delays and hiccups and a decrepit house full of memories and strange noises, he’s befriended a distant relation of his boss – a “hippie’ who is both intriguing and scaring him. Piles of disorganized papers, holes and crows nesting and a strange sense that someone is watching have him all unsettled, and then he discovers Emeline’s diary – and starts to feel that she may actually have left for good reasons. When he returns to London, diary and photo in hand – and then leaves to meet the ailing brother that believes Emeline is alive – he’s off again – this time to Paris to track down her trail. Armed only with a letter and an address, he meets Puce, the man who rescued Emeline years ago – and is sent on a journey of discovery. From trains south to meeting a group of students intent on entering Spain via a little-known and less guarded crossing at the south of France – his story is one of a journey to being a ‘really good or horridly bad’ solicitor.

But, throughout Bill’s travels and travails, we learn of Emeline: her discovery of Cerbère in the south of France, and the woman Clëmence, her deaf son Aaró, and her new name, Emilie. Rich in history and tradition, Emilie takes her place in the family: learning to cook and feel again, falling in love with Aaró, and making a place for herself in this strange place: influenced by tradition, family, Catalan history and plenty of community. Another place at “the end of the world”, Emilie is making a new life with new hope, even as her old worries never quite leave her. From her arrival to the end of her story, she’s adjusting, growing and finding a path that is more than waiting about – forget waiting for her family to find her.

Lushly evocative with wonderful moments of food, description and traditions, the story does take a bit of time to acclimate to: as we meet Emeline first and her narratives are very detailed yet dreamy – almost as if she is setting a screenplay. Bill is intriguing for his flexibility and willingness to step out of his comfort zone: enjoying the adventure and difference even as he can’t explain why he needs so badly to find Emeline. Then the magic of the region, the traditions and the voices take over as each character comes alive and shares moments, giving a sense of who they were, who they are, and just who they are meant to be. Another slow to develop but poignantly rich tale that will keep readers happy in their own little mystery escape.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=”https://wp.me/p3OmRo-9wD/”> <a> I am, Indeed </a>

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres. A well written one can transport you to a long ago time and place, making you feel as though you knew how the people lived. Where The Wild Cherries Grow, by Laura Medeleine, not only accomplishes that, it's lush descriptions will have you racing for a Catalan cookbook in order to eat as wonderfully as the characters do!

What I Liked:

Dual Stories:
I loved the alternating chapters with the dual stories. In 1919, young Emeline is battling depression and nearly winds up in a Swiss asylum (the standard way of dealing with women back in the day). Instead, she escapes and discovers a new way to live. Fifty years later in 1969, William, a young solicitor's clerk, is tasked with trying to find Emeline. He too learns there is a wider world, as he meets an array of people in his quest to find out what happened to Emeline.

Characters:

Both Emeline and William start out as characters who are a product of their environments. After she becomes an orphan after the devastating Spanish Flu epidemic of 1919, Emeline begins to be pressured into complying with the expectations of her uncle. In other words, shut up and find a husband quickly. The men in her life don't seem to care that she is still mourning the loss of her mother and two of her brothers. William has been set on a path to become a solicitor. When he is meeting his family's and his employer's needs, everything is fine. But he begins to question the boring trajectory his life is taking, and suddenly he is an outcast.

Setting:

If I didn't want to go before, I certainly now NEED to travel to the Catalan region of southern France and Spain. The author weaves such vivid descriptions of the scenery and the food, that I would certainly want to make an extended stay there to discover the region for myself.

But the physical setting alone is not the only attraction. I adored the sense of community in Cerbere, France that this book portrayed. The seasons, the festivals and celebrations, and even the weather, played important parts in the life of the village.

I also love the English setting in 1969. When we first see the stately manor of Hallerton in 1919, it is cold, vast and utterly heartless. Over the decades the house is abandoned, and when William finds it in 1969, it has nearly been reclaimed by the elements. But in this process, we see the startling beauty of the British countryside. William wanders among this bucolic setting and it dawns on him that he doesn't have to live a boring, predictable life.

Food:

What can I say. The moment I finished this book I ran out and bought a book on Catalan cooking! The book makes a stark contrast between the overly complicated cuisine of the upper crust British of long ago, and the straight forward approach of Mediterranean cooking, using the best seasonal ingredients. You can tell which style will result in the healthier life for Emeline!

I also loved the concept of cooking just the right dish for what the town needed. Clemence, who takes Emeline in, runs the village cafe. She takes into account not just the weather when deciding what to cook, but the mood of the people in the town. This almost reminded me of the book, Like Water For Chocolate, by Laura Esquivel (But this story remains solidly in the realm of realism).

This book was truly satisfying.

I must admit that I was a bit concerned because the cover of this book is not that great, but...Ms. Madeleine pulled me into this journey of Emmaline and Bill right away with her evocative writing. She does a really impressive job with her descriptions of Hallerton, the characters, settings and most of all, the food. You can practically taste it!
I was right there with Bill as he went on his journey to find Emmaline. As for Emmaline, I felt her pain and joy, frustrations and fear. I didn't want her story to end. A most enjoyable read and I would certainly read more by this author.

**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest review.**

This a very different genre from what I normally read but this book turned out to be one I enjoyed a lot. From the cover to the story itself, the writing and the characters, the elements of mystery and secrets that I love from the thrillers I love reading, everything added for a good reading experience.