Synopses & Reviews
"Sometimes you stumble across a treasure when you're looking for something else entirely."#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs brings readers to the lush abundance of Sonoma County in a novel of sisters, friendship and how memories are woven like a spell around us.
Tess Delaney makes a living restoring stolen treasures to their rightful owners. People like Annelise Winther, who refuses to sell her long-gone mother's beloved necklacedespite Tess's advice. To Annelise, the jewel's value is in its memories.
But Tess's own history is filled with gaps: a father she never met, a mother who spent more time traveling than with her daughter. So Tess is shocked when she discovers the grandfather she never knew is in a coma. And that she has been named in his will to inherit half of Bella Vista, a hundred-acre apple orchard in the magical Sonoma town called Archangel.
The rest is willed to Isabel Johansen. A half sister she's never heard of.
Against the rich landscape of Bella Vista, Tess begins to discover a world filled with the simple pleasures of food and family, of the warm earth beneath her bare feet. A world where family comes first and the roots of history run deep. A place where falling in love is not only possible, but inevitable.
And in a season filled with new experiences, Tess begins to see the truth in something Annelise once told her: if you don't believe memories are worth more than money, then perhaps you've not made the right kind of memories.
From one of America's most beloved writers, The Apple Orchard is a story of family tiesboth old and newand of the moments that connect our hearts.
Review
"Susan Wiggs paints the details of human relationships with the finesse of a master."
-Jodi Picoult
Review
"Wiggs, a consummate storyteller, has few equals when it comes to evoking deep emotion in readers. Richly detailed and textured, the characters are superb. But it's her observations about our modern lives and times that really stand out."
-RT Book Reviews on Lakeside Cottage
Review
"Wiggs is one of our best observers of stories of the heart. She knows how to capture emotion on virtually every page of every book."
-Salem Statesman-Journal
Review
"Rich with life lessons, nod-along moments and characters with whom readers can easily relate. Delightful and wise, Wiggs's latest shines."
-Publishers Weekly on Dockside
Review
"With the ease of a master, Wiggs introduces complicated, flesh-and-blood characters into her idyllic but identifiable small-town setting...."
-Publishers Weekly, starred review, on The Winter Lodge
Review
"Wiggs explores many aspects of grief, from guilt to anger to regret, imbuing her book with the classic would've/could've/should've emotions...another excellent title to her already-outstanding body of work."
-Booklist, starred review, on Table for Five
Review
"The most storied of fruits is done incredible justice here...Susan Wiggs's novel, The Apple Orchard, is sweet, crisp and juicy." – Elin Hilderbrand, author of Beautiful Day
Review
"Wiggs tells a layered, powerful story of love, loss, hope and redemption." -Kirkus, Starred Review
Review
"This brilliant and epic family drama...fills the senses...courtesy of Wiggs' amazing narrative and supreme skill as a writer." -RT Book Reviews, Top Pick!
Review
"Wiggs, who is known for
her insightful, emotion-filled women's fiction, has again written a tale with universal appeal. The background story of the Danish resistance as well as recipes from that part of the world are a nice touch, and add depth and atmosphere to Tess' story." -Booklist, on The Apple Orchard
Review
"This is classic Wiggs, with its emphasis on the strength of family and friends, and a landscape integral to the plot."
–Publishers Weekly on The Apple Orchard
Synopsis
A NEW ORIGINAL HALLMARK MOVIE: THE SECRETS OF BELLA VISTA
From #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Susan Wiggs
"...sweet, crisp and juicy."--Elin Hilderbrand
"A powerful story of love, loss, hope and redemption."--Kirkus, Starred Review
Tess Delaney makes a living restoring stolen treasures to their owners. People like Annelise Winther, who has just been reunited with her mother's long gone necklace, worth a sum that could change her life. To Annelise, whose family was torn apart during WWII, the necklace represents her history, and the value is in its memories.
But Tess's own history is filled with gaps: a father she never met, a mother who spent more time traveling than with her daughter. Then the enigmatic Dominic Rossi arrives on her San Francisco doorstep with the news that the grandfather she never knew is in a coma and that she's destined to inherit half of his apple orchard estate called Bella Vista. The rest is willed to Isabel Johansen, the half-sister she didn't know she had.
With Dominic and Isabel by her side, Tess discovers world where family comes first and the roots of history run deep. A place where falling in love is not only possible, but inevitable. And in a season filled with new experiences, Tess begins to see the truth in something Annelise once told her: if you don't believe memories are worth more than money, then perhaps you've not made the right kind of memories.
Wiggs deftly weaves a narrative that takes the reader from present day California to Denmark during WWII to tell a story of family ties both old and new--and the moments that connect our hearts.
Read The Bella Vista Chronicles by Susan Wiggs:
Book One: The Apple Orchard
Book Two: The Beekeeper's Ball
About the Author
Susan Wiggs is the author of many beloved bestsellers, including the popular Lakeshore Chronicles series. She has won many awards for her work, including a RITA from Romance Writers of America. Visit her website at www.SusanWiggs.com.