Sadly these nightmare building collapses do happen from time to time, usually while they are under construction and loads are not yet balanced correctly. There was a case a year ago in New Orleans that killed three construction workers. It took ten months to find the last body. As an architect I really wanted to see that tree house!
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I often discuss the book we are currently reading with my friends who are avid readers. When I tried to summarize this one the reaction was we were reading a Hallmark story. I had to laugh. I found it enjoyable enough to read but I knew basically how it would go from the beginning. I usually like a little more mystery.
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I forgot that today was Discussion Day! I also meant to reread the book but never actually got around to it.
I liked the book, it was a fun read with slight touches of fantastical thinking. I liked the realistic characters and the detailed effort that was put into developing each one. Wolf is a perfect description of how an older sibling can be a bully and yet be protective of younger siblings (ask me how I know). Except for Oriana, who seemed too fey to be realistic.
The plot devices were unrealistic: Too many coincidences to be believable, and the symmetry of the two stories and how they dovetailed in the end was too perfect.
I thought that this book was quite sensitively written for a man — is that even an acceptable thing to say in these times?
I caught an error or two which mildly annoyed me but that’s just the nit-picker in
me. But we were looking for a joyride, a light and feel-good read and this fit perfectly in that slot. I’m glad I read the book and perhaps would read other books by him as well.
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@Singersmom07 (did I succeed in @-ing you? hope so!) I came here to say how the book could be adapted into a Hallmark movie, and bingo, there you were!
I had mixed feelings about this one. I got caught up in the story, so much that I stayed up till 4 one morning listening to the audiobook. But even while reading it, I felt I was overdosing on Christmas bonbons. It was too … sweetly predictable, even tho I felt the author reaching hard for originality.
The crusty/vulnerable/wise librarian smokes a Meerschaum pipe. OF COURSE she does. It is so quirky cute it just had to be so. I felt like the author was plotting this all out for maximum adorability, and sometimes I couldn’t stand it! And yet I couldn’t stop reading/listening, either.
Maybe this is a long-way-around way of saying it was a guilty pleasure. Right now I’m in the middle of The Plague, which is so much more “my kind of book.”
(Tried three ways to make italics on The Plague! Hints, anyone?)
Me too, @mathmom! And Amanda and Oriana’s house as well.
And as a landscape architect who spent quite some time learning about vegetation, horticulture and urban forestry, I was really captivated by the description of the trees in that forest.
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@jollymama
The Plague
I just used the italics icon at the top of my typing box and put the title between the asterisks and looking at the right side box, it seems to have worked.
And apparently not in the final version. Ok, over to the more savvy users of this site.
“The call of a tree and the childhood beckoning of a treehouse—that’s interesting to me,” Cohen says. “Everybody’s got a special tree, whether currently as an adult, or a tree from childhood.” He goes on to describe a mulberry tree at the end of his boyhood street that was overgrown with honeysuckle and made for a great nest.
Okay … I played with the quote again and this is how I got it to do what I wanted: < blockquote > Without spaces < / blockquote >. I’m sure there’s an easier way but I don’t know what it is.
`
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I read this as an ebook a couple of weeks ago and meant to reread it in hard copy. I only started again yesterday so my thoughts are from memory.
I did enjoy reading the book. Nonetheless, starting off with two deaths was a bit off putting, but of course they were the impetus for the intersecting plots. It really felt like a fairy tale set in the real world and there were far too many “coincidences“ for me to be able to take it otherwise. Taking it as fantasy made it easier to accept what otherwise might be outrageous.
The discussion questions didn’t address libraries per se. I loved Olive Perkins; libraries have meant so much to me in my life. It’s where my mother told me to learn the name of an author of a book I liked so I could read more by him (Edgar Eager, Half Moon). It’s where my son showed the elderly librarian that he could read at age 3 1/2 (Leo the Lion Paints it Red). Olive was one of my favorite characters - wish I could find the quote I loved about the importance of libraries.
Although I haven’t gotten very far in my rereading, it was interesting that many of the major motifs got casually introduced in the first pages: unstuck in time, dog tied to tree in front yard, red dress, and gold mini Snickers bars.
It will be interesting to continue reading with everyone’s insights.
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Amanda’s character seemed to be written by a male (and was). Too much male oriented view of her relationship with Cliff. It appeared straight out of a guy’s mind. Really needed some romance there.
That said, I loved the book and liked the escapism it provided. Easy read.
I too would like to see the tree house.
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@rockymtnhigh2, I easily visualized “ kick ass “ Amanda , as the lead character in the Scandinavian TV Rita.
Rita is a tough, down the to earth, teacher and very unconventional in all ways. But, she is nurturing and truly cares about her students
Amanda was Rita, if anyone has seen that show, even the physical description,
So Amanda worked for me.
The character who didn’t work at all, was Wolf, so contrived, He the major flaw for me in this story.
Was his suicide attempt real, or was he testing his brother?
And, the ending driving away with Brutus. What ! I truly disliked that ending.
And, do they really remove the voice box of dogs . Awful
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I had a hard time believing that Wolf would seriously commit suicide, though in the spur of the moment he might have gone overboard. I actually liked that he stole the dog. Wolf needs love and I think doggy love might do the trick.
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Yes. I felt the same. The book was its own fairy tale…including its own Big Bad Wolf. A little forced, but I was okay with it. I liked the book it was a perfect book for the 8th month of a pandemic.
Quotes - I highlighted Mary13’s sentence and was given the choice of making a quote. I hit quote and a reply page opened up. It looks like replies may post under the person you are responding to as well as to the general thread? I’ll guess I’ll find out when I post.
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I just plain enjoyed this book. It was nice to read something that was fun during these last few weeks. @jerseysouthmomchess- Yes, unfortunately they still do debark dogs. I heard a very sad sounding dog the other day on my walk. It made me sad. Anyhow, I, too, want that treehouse. And thank you, Mary for picking this one!
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I am enjoying reading everyone’s wonderful comments!
“There’s not a single thing in there that can’t happen,” Cohen observes. “The world is imbued with a little magic. But I made darn sure that there were real-world explanations for what seem like magical events.”
I recognize and appreciate that Cohen tried to “ground” us in that way, but still, I agree with @Singersmom07 and @jollymama that it was like a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie. In fact, I thought it read like a screenplay and am surprised the rights haven’t been snatched up. (Or have they?) It’s a very visual book – easy and enjoyable to picture the places Cohen describes.
That’s part of what made it so magical, I guess! But I winced at the fact that Beth’s last name was Crane and she was killed by a crane.
How did Dean manage to get a cast iron pot belly stove into it?
Here are some fun designs — maybe Amanda’s treehouse was something like #8? https://www.boredpanda.com/amazing-treehouses/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic
@jollymama, I just finished The Plague. Wonderful book. However, I admit I needed the happily-ever-after magic of Harry’s Trees afterward — yes, a guilty pleasure. 
I kept wondering, “Is Amanda the only woman in town?” It was rather amusing how every man was fixated on her. I felt bad for Cliff in terms of what the author did to him — filming Amanda in bed is beyond creepy. It’s criminal. Such behavior just doesn’t fit with Cliff’s personality as described in the rest of the book.
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^ The two links I included in my post above don’t seem to work. Any ideas on how to make that happen? I tried using the hyperlink icon and also typing in the url, but the links don’t seem to go “live” no matter what I do.
At least you can cut and paste to get to see them.
I was trying to figure out the link - no luck.
I just finished rereading this book.
When I read it the first time, I really disliked it, considerably. I am not a fan of fantasy, and the fact that the Grum book was a centerpiece irritated me, as did the fact of Oriana believing in angels and feathers and so forth. I could barely get through the book and thought that I might not come here to post.
I just finished the reread, and I enjoyed it more. I appreciated Harry’s foibles and insecurities. I also enjoyed learning how Wolf basically abused Harry when they were boys, whispering to Harry as they were falling asleep. The fact that their father just drove off made them rather tragic. But this isn’t a book I’ll be recommending, or that I’ll even remember in a week or two.
Not unpleasant, but not at all remarkable.
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Loved those treehouses (sorry, can’t link or @ yet).
I went down a rabbit hold with the names. Oriana meaning “light.” Amanda meaning “worthy of being loved.”
A short of Amanda is Amy. And of course Harry’s wife is Beth … shades of Little Women.
Harry = army ruler
Dean = god is my judge (from Daniel)
Wolf (not going to bother)
Oh look, I did an emoji! Maybe I’ll get a badge!
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But no emojis show up - here or on other threads. I only realized that fact after someone else pointed it out. 
See or rather you can’t see it: I added a crazy face emoji after the above sentence. It shows on the preview but then disappears.
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