3 out of 4 stars
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Honey Tree Farm is a fictional novel that addresses the values of family, love, and growing up. Written by Brenda Spalding and published in June of 2016. The story takes place in the present tense, with reflections dating back to over 50 years ago. The title refers to the name of the farm where a large portion of the story takes place.
Maggie and Josh have been working hard for far too long and are in dire need of a vacation. They end up deciding to leave their town of Atlanta to visit Josh’s parents in Florida. Their trip starts off as a peaceful journey to unwind, but while heading out to an antique shop, they are forced into the ditch by a lone cow. Maggie and Josh decide to walk a bit and find a farm house to call a tow truck. The farm house that the couple wanders up to belongs to an elderly woman named Katy. Always up for company, Katy invites the two in to use the telephone and call for help, and of course, a glass of her famous sweet honey tea. Informed that the tow truck could be a while, the young couple stirs up a conversation with Katy about how she ended up on Honey Tree Farm. What follows are the memories from Katy’s childhood, leading up to her young adult life.
When I first began reading Honey Tree Farm, my expectations were not very high. I struggled with getting into the beginning of the book about Maggie and Josh, and their conversation towards each other seemed too forced for my liking. However, once the novel introduced Katy and she started reminiscing on her past, I was completely hooked. The author writes in a very natural and flowing manner, especially when writing in form of Katy. I have always enjoyed reading about small town lives, and especially when the story takes place in the “good old days.”
Aside from addressing the values of family, love, and growing up, this story also touches on some more complicated and painful values like overcoming fear, revenge, and losing people close to you. As a reader discretion warning, there is some vulgar language used, as well as some sexual references that would not be appropriate for younger readers. I also feel the need to show some appreciation for the budding romance that is described in the book, which is one that I thought felt very similar to Allie and Noah in The Notebook. Their innocence and humble beginning is so sacred and feels completely real.
There were a few minor editing issues with the book, although I feel that with one more round of editing, those would be easily eliminated. There were a few misspellings, mainly towards the end of the novel, along with some missing words that were necessary.
I give this book a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. Overall, I really enjoyed the story, and only found a few, very minor errors. The characters were memorable, and I definitely shed a few tears with the ending. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy love stories with an in-depth and memorable feeling.
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Honey tree Farm
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