Friday, August 31, 2012

Book Beginnings: The Roots of the Olive Tree


The Roots of the Olive Tree
Welcome to Book Beginnings on Friday, where participating bloggers share the openings of books they're reading. Today I'm featuring The Roots of the Olive Tree by Courtney Miller Santo. Here is the opening paragraph:  

"Anna Davison Keller wanted to be the oldest person in the world. She felt she was owed this distinction, due to the particular care she'd taken with the vessel God had given her. In her morning prayers, she made a show, in case God himself was watching, of getting out of bed and onto her knees. She spoke to God in his language--asking for a length of days to be added to the one hundred and twelve years she'd already lived and pleading for health in her navel and marrow in her bones. She didn't say outright that God ought to strike dead the jo-fired man in China who was keeping her from the title, but after all these years, surely, God knew her heart."

SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS: Set in a house on an olive grove in northern California, The Roots of the Olive Tree is a beautiful, touching story that brings to life five generations of women--including an unforgettable 112 year-old matriarch determined to break all Guinness longevity records--the secrets and lies that divide them and the love that ultimately ties them together.

Amazon Link

MY THOUGHTS: I have finished reading this book and I enjoyed it. It was well written and the women were interesting and believable, and each one had her own compelling story. But I'll admit that I kept getting the characters confused--who was whose grandmother? Only after I'd finished it did I discover there was a genealogy chart at the beginning.  
- Sandy Nachlinger


Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader (Gilion Dumas). Here are instructions for how to participate:
Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.

TWITTER: If you are on Twitter, please tweet a link to your post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. My Twitter handle is @GilionDumas.

19 comments:

  1. I read this one recently and loved it. The settings reminded me of when I lived in those parts.

    Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.

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  2. I've been interested in this since I first heard about it. I'll see if the library can get it. Thanks for the reminder.

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  3. This book sounds like a good read. Would probably make an intriguing movie.

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  4. Fantastic first paragraph! And 112...impressive. The book sounds interesting, I will keep an eye out for it ;)

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    1. The oldest woman in the story (Anne) was the most interesting character to me, and I liked her story best.

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  5. Hi Sandy,

    That first paragraph evoked several emotions as it was at the same time; sad, poignant and humorous. I also found myself feeling outright indignant that this obviously very strong woman, both mentally and physically, has the audacity to seemingly want to live forever!

    Make me want to read on ... you bet! This sounds like a real page-turner ... all those women together!!

    Thanks for the recommendation,

    Yvonne

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    1. The whole idea of five generations of women intrigued me, and that's what made me get the book in the first place. I won't say it was exactly a page-turner, but it was a good story.

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  6. "Only after I'd finished it did I discover there was a genealogy chart at the beginning."
    --haha, gotta love that. Very good beginning.

    Thanks for visiting my blog!

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    1. Well... the book was on my Kindle, so I just went to Chapter One and started reading. However, I don't think I would have enjoyed flipping back and forth to the genealogy chart while reading the book anyhow!

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  7. Sounds like a good read. Thanks for visiting my blog!

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  8. "She didn't say outright that God ought to strike dead the jo-fired man in China who was keeping her from the title, but after all these years, surely, God knew her heart." Gotta love that. She didn't say outright. :)

    Here's my Book Beginning:
    http://thereadingkorner.blogspot.com/2012/08/a-sneak-like-beginning-book-beginnings.html

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    1. I love that sentence too. That little old lady is quite a character.

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  9. I hope I can move that well at 112. Of course I don't expect to live that long.

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    1. I hope I can get around as well as that character when I'm in my 80s, but I don't aspire to reach 112. But ... who knows?

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  10. That sounds fantastic. I love stories like this.

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  11. Great beginning. I'll make sure to consult the genealogy chart if I read it. :-)

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  12. Stopping by to say Hi from the blog hop. Come visit sometime, tea is cold and no shoes are required. Kathy B. http://www.southernmadeintheshade.blogspot.com New follower from Austin TX

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  13. I just read a whole book about olive oil, so anything with an olive theme appeals to me right now.

    Thanks for posting on BBOF!

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