The Berry Pickers
The Berry Pickers ~ Amanda Peters
In 1962, a Native family comes to Maine from Nova Scotia to pick blueberries, as they do every year. A few weeks in, the four year old daughter, Ruthie, disappears. The last person to see her before she vanishes is her 6 year old brother, Joe, who feels responsible for her loss.
Norma is a young girl growing up in Maine to an overprotective mother and a distant father. She has dreams that feel like memories, but they are elusive and unsubstantial.
This was a heartbreaking tale of a stolen child, and the repercussions on both the family that lost her and the family that raised her. I really enjoyed the glimpse into the First Nation characters and their relationships. Less enjoyable but certainly educational was the racism that they suffered at every step in their journey. Recommended.
What’s with all the book reviews? I’m participating in NaBloPoMo this month, writing a post a day. I decided that I would write about the books that I have read this year. For more NaBloPoMo participants, check out San’s list.
33 Comments
Kyria @ Travel Spot
I enjoyed this book! I had one friend who didn’t like it so I almost didn’t read it but I did in the end and I am glad that I did! I found it interesting and of course liked learning a bit more about the First Nations people.
J
I’m glad you liked it! I didn’t find it entirely gripping, but overall I liked it and was glad I read it.
Elisabeth
Obviously my eyes sparkled with the mention of Nova Scotia. I’ve never read this book, but I’ve heard great things about it.
J
I thought of you! Nova Scotia!
Elisabeth
The icing on the cake? She graduated from the same college I attended. I just happened to be reading my alumni magazine yesterday and her name and newfound fame as author of this book were mentioned!
J
LOCAL GIRL MAKES GOOD!
Lisa's Yarns
I also really liked ths book – I gave it 5 stars! It made me think of Elisabeth when I read it since much of it is set in Nova Scotia!
J
I’m glad you enjoyed it too!
nance
I was disappointed in this book. I always felt like I was being held at a distance from any emotions, and there should have been plenty that were deep and profound. It felt shallow and very matter of fact to me. I expected so much more.
J
I GOT A NANCE COMMENT ON A BOOK POST!!!! I don’t care that you didn’t like the book, I’m just excited. I know you don’t generally read a lot of book reviews because you don’t want to ruin them for yourself, I GET IT, but color me deligted to see a comment from you today. Also, bummer that the book didn’t connect with you, and yeah, it did feel a little colder to me than it could have been.
Jenny
THis is another book I’ve heard of but never read. It sounds fascinating!
J
I liked it! Not fun fun, but still a good read.
AC
I’ve been to Nova Scotia, and I can’t believe that abyhting bad would happen there. ?
J
To be fair, nothing bad happened in Nova Scotia. All of the bad was in Maine, which tracks.
AC
??
J
Just a joke, I’ve never been to Maine. Just dissing my country.
Birchie
Oooh! I meant to read this book when it came out but never got around to it. Thanks for the reminder! I just put it on hold.
J
I hope you like it!
Alexandra
Not a subject I’d want to read about, so maybe not something I’d look at in the library let alone buy.
J
I’m not sure it was a book I would buy (and yet, I want authors to make money…but I’d rather get books from the library mostly).
Margaret
I liked the book too and it was an excellent Book Club discussion. Like a prior commenter, I thought it was underwritten, but I think that was a good strategy. It could easily have been overwrought and too dramatic. The characters just kept on living their lives in spite of the drama.
J
That’s an interesting insight…I did find it kind of cold in temprement, but felt they were stoic rather than cold. Perhaps the author could have done a better job of making it feel profound without overwriting it.
Ernie
Oh, this sounds really good. Sad, and disturbing, but good. Like many of your suggestions, I’ve not heard of this one.
J
Thanks Ernie, I know I saw it on another blog, but I don’t remember whose. I am terrible about keeping track of that.
Tobia | craftaliciousme
Ohhhh interesting.
This could be a book to my liking. And on the TBR pile it goes as book 1233…
J
LOL, better stop sleeping if you have 1233 books on your TBR list.
iHanna
Tempted by your way of describing it, but also, what a stunning cover!
J
I’ll admit, the cover really drew me in. I lived in Alaska as a kid, and the blueberries were AMAZING.
Maya
This book keeps getting suggested to me, but the subject matter (child abduction/disappearance) is terrifying, so I keep giving it a pass… Glad to know it rates as “fine” not “great.”
Maya
Also, maybe you guys should go see a movie :)!
I’m all out of movie suggestions, and I enjoyed the last two you rec-ed.
J
LOL, we tried but there was nothing we wanted to see. Did you see ‘Thelma’? It’s on Hulu/Amazon and is delightful.
Meike
Since having kids I have a really hard time reading books involving missing children – maybe at one point in the distant future. But the cover is so pretty!
J
Yeah, that aspect was definitely HARD. And the cover really is lovely, right?