The Lemon Orchard: A Novel

Luanne Rice

Jul 2013 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

From bestselling author Luanne Rice—a captivating and sexy novel of love, both enduring and unexpected

Year after year, Luanne Rice’s fans eagerly await her next book. Their enthusiasm is soon to be rewarded with The Lemon Orchard, Rice’s romantic new love story between two people from seemingly different worlds.

In the five years since Julia last visited her aunt and uncle’s home in Malibu, her life has been turned upside down by her daughter’s death. She expects to find nothing more than peace and solitude as she house-sits with only her dog, Bonnie, for company. But she finds herself drawn to the handsome man who oversees the lemon orchard. Roberto expertly tends the trees, using the money to support his extended Mexican family. What connection could these two people share? The answer comes as Roberto reveals the heartbreaking story of his own loss—a pain Julia knows all too well, but for one striking difference: Roberto’s daughter was lost but never found. And despite the odds he cannot bear to give up hope.

Set in the sea and citrus-scented air of the breathtaking Santa Monica Mountains, The Lemon Orchard is an affirming story about the redemptive power of compassion and the kind of love that seems to find us when we need it most.

Ratings and reviews

In this haunting and beautiful novel, Luanne Rice explores love lost and found and learning to live again after the unspeakable tragedy of losing a child. On the surface, Julia had it all--stimulating study in her dream field of anthropology, a successful attorney for a husband, a close relationship with her intelligent and sensitive teenage daughter and a gorgeous New England home. But in the blink of an eye, Julia's world crashes down around her when her husband and daughter are killed in a car crash. Five years later, Julia still grieving, comes to Malibu to house-sit for her uncle. When she learns that Roberto, the orchard manager, lost his daughter Rosa when illegally crossing the desert to come to the US, she feels connected by their losses. Together, they plumb the depths of their loss and find their way forward, but can their lives merge, or are the paths they must walk meant to diverge? This inspiring novel puts a human face on an important social crisis, and will make you think about what it truly means to love and lose. This novel will fill your heart with hope, but your tissues ready for this one....

In depth bittersweet story of a families tragedy and a woman's new beginning five years later. She meets a man who has had a similar loss. They find comfort in each other but their worlds couldn't be further apart. The ending is bittersweet but satisfying in its conclusion.

Great, heartwarming story.

About the author

Luanne Rice is the author of thirty-one novels, twenty-two of which have been New York Times bestsellers. Her recent novels include The Lemon Orchard, Little Night, and The Silver Boat. A native of Connecticut, she currently resides in New York City.