Awards
Suspense Magazine, Best of 2012
Synopses & Reviews
Review
"The author...manages to make us care about this family. All of the Grecos...are entertaining and their quirks are endearing. OLIVE BRANCHES DON'T GROW ON TREES is a very real drama that gets to the heart of the conflict within the Greco family." Indie Reader Reviews
Review
"The sequences of Silvia's recollections into the past with her strong willed, born ahead of her time grandmother, the jobs she has held, and lost as it were, are nothing short of brilliant." Chapters and Chats Book Reviews
Review
"The author weaves a tale that is a moving and realistic portrayal of a dysfunctional family with enough drama and humorous family situations that will keep the reader engaged and entertained, while providing a witty sense of humor and subtle messages of life lessons to extend the olive branch and learn to live, love and forgive." Jersey Girl Book Reviews
Description
Silvia Greco has been moving from place to place, working dead-end jobs since graduating from art school 2 years ago. She's broke, unemployed and living with her crazy father when she is drafted into helping her mother organize a family gathering to commemorate her younger brother's high school graduation. Her family is anything but peaceful and have not been gathered together in over 6 years. But she's strong-willed and feisty and welcomes the challenge. In her journey to make peace in her family, she learns that peace isn't something that is freely existing but something that needs to be cultivated. She also learns that the disharmonious state of her family has contributed to her own restlessness and that peace is essential for her own happiness.
Although this realistic fiction novel addresses such serious issues as dysfunctional family relations and alcoholism, it's filled with humor. The matriarch, Donna gets sexually harassed by The Three Little Pigs in Disney World; the youngest child, Vince thinks the recent preponderance of war stories is a government conspiracy. Laugh while gaining insights on subjects like forgiveness and happiness. As one reviewer wrote, "the author weaves a tale that is a moving and realistic portrayal of a dysfunctional family with enough drama and humorous family situations that will keep the reader engaged and entertained, while providing...messages of life lessons to extend the olive branch and learn to live, love and forgive."