Member Reviews
Simply put, this is a novel about family - about its complexities and all its complications.
When her father's death brings her back to her childhood hometown, Nona "Peaches" Davenport has to deal with the family she left behind 15 years ago, she particularly has to deal with her sister Julia. The sisters need to handle the family secrets and lies as well as misinformation and unresolved trauma.
This novel is beautifully written. There are so many lush lines in this novel, especially in the first few chapters. my favourite line is from Chapter Two: "Storytelling is how history was created."
Usually, miscommunication and misunderstandings are frustrating for me to read about BUT this is a novel where the misunderstandings do have a purpose. The characters purposefully lie and deceive each other and the consequences last for a long time.
Overall, it's a lovely and emotional novel where family and history are at the very core of the plot.
Grab your tissues with this one. I couldn't put this book down. Family secrets, drama, love lost, loss of connection to family,and finally forgiveness. Because in the end you only get one family. I loved the book great writing. The story kept me intrigued all the way to end. Thank you netgalley for the ARC for and am honest review
This was the first book I have read by Cade Bentley and really enjoyed it. The story takes place in Natchez, Mississippi where sisters Nona and Julia have not spoken to each other for 20 years because of so much misinformation, secrets, and failure to communicate on both parts . Nona left for Chicago thinking she had been betrayed by her family and had no contact with here sister, her father, and previous boyfriend. When their father dies Nona goes home to pay her final respects to her father and discovers that things didn’t necessarily happen the way she thought, and Julia also is faced with the reality as to how things really happened. The family has so many secrets, lies, and so much misinformation that not only affects their family and friends, but also how it influences our American history pertaining to civil rights.
Thank you to Lake Union Publishing, Cade Bentley, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book which will be published August 30, 2022.
This is an interesting story. It is about two sisters mostly but really about their entire family and friends in Natchez, . Miss. The sisters are Julia and Nona. Natchez is a quaint old southern town. There’s a lot of history there. Julia stayed in Mississippi even after she was grown. Her father still lived there and so did her grandmother. Nona left and went to Chicago. Their mother also left and moved north. Nona had a doctorate degree and had no plans to go back to quaint little Natchez. But then their father dies. These characters are real their story is real. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.
In a deeply emotional novel of family, cultural heritage, and forgiveness, estranged sisters wrestle with the choices they’ve made and confront circumstances beyond their control. This was a compelling and thoroughly enjoyable read from start to finish with a great storyline, interesting cast of characters and all capped off by skilful writing.
This is my first book by this author, and she did not disappoint! I started this one late in the evening expecting to put it down after an hour or so. Not so much!! The story picked up so fast and grabbed hold, I could not put it down. The character development was rich and storied, I could picture each one as though I'd known them forever.
This is a story about the importance of history, both familial and national; How it's made and the influence of misinformation. The truths we believe and hold fast to and the ability to finally unravel and reweave them together. I really enjoyed this one and I would highly recommend it.
I enjoyed Where the Wild Peaches Grow, although I did find it frustrating at times because of all the miscommunication. It's beautifully written, though, and the ending was satisfying.
This was an immersive read from the very beginning.
Complicated family problems and unresolved trauma. It was honest and beautiful and I loved every page.
Nona’s emotions are swirling as she returns for her father’s funeral and knowing that it will be impossible not to see Marcus, the man she loved and broke her heart on the night they were to elope. Everyone knew her as Peaches before she left Natchez, Mississippi 15 years ago. Well, Peaches left for Chicago without Marcus and is now Dr. Nona Davenport, professor of African American studies and Eli is the man in her life now.
Nona begins her visit to see her grandmother, Opal Davenport (lovingly called Mamaw) and is instantly enveloped by the sights of peach and magnolia trees, the fragrances of lilacs, the sound of the porch wind chimes, and nosy neighbor Miss Gus is sitting on her porch as though she’s never moved. There are other reunions yet to take place and the funeral.
Long held secrets of the past reveal not only the pain of the past but how they are affecting the present and the path of the future for Nona, sister Julia and nephew Jayden, and Marcus. Through Nona’s friendship with Sanganette and her brother Ruby history of the area and stories passed down through generations unfolds as well as the reason and meaning behind the nickname of Peaches.
As I read the novel I found this passage to be most meaningful and evocative … “The world’s history shouldn’t be taken away or added to at the whims of others who want to tell a different story. Tell the story like it happened. And how do we do that?”
This is a compelling story of the relationships within a family, of family history, of southern history, of cultural heritage. It is also a revealing example showing how individuals react differently to the same situations, how reactions are misunderstood and judged unfairly not only by friends but family too. Resonant passages give light to the understanding that we could receive from history if only we shed light on the truth and not the truth some want it to have been.
My sincere thanks to Cade Bentley, and Lake Union Publishing for my complimentary digital copy of this title, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.
#WhereWildPeachesGrow #NetGalley
Where Wild Peaches Grow is full of family lies and deceit, twists and turns, and chapter endings that leave enough questions that you can't put the book down. However, as you delve deeper into the story plot the misunderstandings between characters and family do not seem significant enough to drive a twenty year wedge between them.
This heart warming story of sisters. Who just trying to live with their choices. Such a good read. I hope to read more from this author soon.
My thanks to net galley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read Cade Bentley's Where the Wild Peaches Grow. I Ioved it, and I think it has some important lessons. The lessons are woven in with some lovely storytelling, and some strong, well-developed characters.
This book was well written with a powerful story line, the characters were well developed with emotional topics handled in a sensitive and touching way. Two estranged sisters who had not seen each other for many years forced to come together, confronting each with their pain and anger towards one another. Not necessarily an easy read, but gives the reader pause to think (perhaps more than you wish). My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is the story of the people who leave and the people who stay behind.
After the death of their father, Nona and Julia are left to face the consequences of their choices and those of the people around them. Nona returns to Natchez, a place she fled for Chicago, where she became a professor of African American studies. Julia never left, and has stewed in resentment about her abandonment. They both think they understand their own histories, but neither of them do.
The story unfolds methodically. Though it is a little confusing in the beginning—Natchez is the sort of place where lots of people get involved—each piece of the puzzle takes its place. As Julia notes, “All families had secrets, and most times they were best if they stayed buried.” And this family has a lot of secrets. For every new truth revealed, the relationships between the characters coil and unfurl, causing hurt and healing in equal measure.
Everyone in this book is connected. There are the sisters, Julia and Nona, their father, their mother, their grandmother. Old boyfriends, neighbours, childhood friends. And the disconnections - like Nona’s boyfriend Eli from the rest of her family - are deliberate and telling.
The depth of the characters is wonderful, with each portrait viewed from a thousand angles, each relationship explained from so many perspectives, so we see what the characters think of themselves and also how they are viewed by others. Sometimes the characters recognise this discord and it inspires an emotional revelation. One character who sees nothing is Sanganette. She is, simply, a piece of work, a white teacher who wants children to learn that the Civil War happened over “states rights.” Throughout the story she centres herself at every opportunity, including when Julia is crying about the death of her father, and she seems to take Nona’s PhD in African American History rather personally. Bentley’s skill is evident here.
My only gripe with this story, and it’s a small one, is that we don’t get the full story of Nona’s nickname, and why her father planted peach trees for her, never letting anyone pick the fruit. I suspect this was a deliberate choice on the part of the author, because there are enough clue to piece together a reasonable guess, but I would have loved to have the full story told.
This is not a book for people who are frustrated by miscommunication. But the miscommunication that drives this story is not a simple plot device, but the complicated reality that people withhold information and tell lies for a multitude of reasons, many of them deeply flawed but also deeply human. Sometimes a hug and an apology is enough to make up for it, and sometimes people are never held accountable for their choices.
A beautiful novel that addresses the importance of truth in History….both our personal and our country’s. A truly American family with sisters who both love each other and harbor anger towards each other. A family who “let lies and hurts separate them over the years and across the miles.” When the family comes together in Natchez, they are forced to confront each other. I found the shift from past to present to be a little confusing at times, but it didn’t distract from the strength of the story.
I really enjoyed this book it was well written with a compelling storyline and well developed characters and handles some emotive topics in a sympathetic and empathetic way. I couldn't put this book down and read it really quickly and after finishing I just had to sit and think for a whie.
If you like books that are full of rich imagery and descriptions written so vividly you feelk like you could jump between the pages then this is a book for you.
I'm about 3 chapters in and I'm so lost already, definitely confusing to keep up with unfortunately. Maybe I haven't given it enough chance but I can't carry it on unfortunately.
Behind a story of family estrangement and sisterly love lies the deeper subject of misinformation and how history is made. The topics of slavery and civil war is masterfully woven in between the exploration of our character's relationship's dynamics.
I was really touched by this book, it's gripping, full of feelings but never corny. I came to love the character of Nona in particular and I so wanted for her story to end well, I read all 300+ pages in one sitting just to know what would happen. The descriptions are so vivid too. I could taste the corn bread, hear the twangy accents and feel the heat from the sun on my skin. In spite of all the hardships the characters must face, this book felt so warm to me. It's full of love and optimism, it encourages everyone to act not only for what they think is right but for what is true.
This was so, so good!