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There are currently 23 member reviews
for The Roots of the Olive Tree
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Marie C. (Wyoming, DE)
The art of aging
This book about 5 generations of women, all still living, and their secrets offers the reader wonderful insights into the art of aging. It made me want to celebrate those who grow old gracefully and feel tired for those who carry the weight of the world for so long. It was an easy read following the story of one of the women through the seasons of a year. I most enjoyed the story of Elizabeth. Her secrets and inner thoughts were not revealed until the end. Makes you wonder how you would feel faced with the prospect of immortality.
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Judy W. (Tucker, GA)
Roots of the Olive Tree
This novel was a good read, but nothing exceptional. It is an intriguing theory which is set forth by the author. Although the author sought to leave the reader with a surprise ending, I thought it was too far-fetched.
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Marion H. (Port Angeles, WA)
"Roots" for Some
If you like a charming multigenerational family story, "The Roots of the Olive Tree" is for you. But I expected more from this book when the theme of a life-prolonging gene mutation present in the five living generations of the female members of this family was introduced. After all, the title does include the word, "roots!" A confirmation of this theory was to be found in Australia, but the author never takes the reader there. So in the end, this book was a pleasant read with characters not particularly memorable, with relationships not particularly interesting and with a plot not particularly engaging. I do want to thank the author for naming her characters in alphabetical order according to their place in the family: Anna, Bets, Callie, Deb and Erin. This did help me to distinguish the characters' storyline one from the other.
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Debra L. (Deerfield, IL)
Boring!
I thought this book was boring. The characters were not well developed, and their stories were not fully developed either. I was not interested in the subplot about the doctor's research on aging. This added nothing to the overall story for me. I liked the setting on the olive orchard, but the rest of the book fell flat. I would not have finished it if it wasn't for me writing this review. An average book about a family of women. The author could have done so much more.
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Mary Ellen B. (Hebron, CT)
The Roots of the Olive Tree
This five generation story of women who have a family business growing grapes in California uncovers the source of their longevity. A geneticist becomes interested in how they live so long just as major changes occur in their lives. A heartfelt story of what it takes to live through difficulties and maintain a sense of family.
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Christine P. (San Francisco, CA)
The Roots of the Olive Tree?
Being from Northern California, I was very excited to read The Roots of the Olive Tree. I ended up being disappointed. I think there were too many characters and too many secrets to unravel and too many gaps in the story left blank. By the time I got to the end of the book, I had a hard time figuring out what the author was trying to tell me. Was this supposed to be a story about family, women, relationships, longevity, olive growing, prison reform, forgiveness, what? These all make for great elements in a story and when combined can become something special. But more often, it’s best to leave things in their purest form, like many good olive oils, and see what develops.
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Jinny K. (Fremont, CA)
Shallow and disappointing
Well, I hate to disparage a new novelist, but the best thing I can say about this book is that it's a pretty good first draft.
Generational sagas are one of my favorite genre, but this book was disappointing in more than one aspect.
The characters were one-dimensional and unsympathetic, not seeming connected to each other or to their own tedious endless lives.
Trying to avoid 'spoilers', there some story lines that were totally unresolved and the book seemed to end abruptly with no enlightenment or climax.
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