The Excellent Lombards by Jane Hamilton

Not unlike many authors that I have come to read over the years, Ms. Hamilton's work became part of my repitoire as a recommended selection by Ophra. I did read one of her previous novels entitled A Map of the World.

It is always interesting to read a novel and come away from it having learned something new. The setting in this book is a family-owned apple orchard. The author explains many aspects of the workings of an apple farm within the context of the story. I appreciated the attention to detail and enjoyed learning about apple farming. The main character in the story is "Frankie". As the novel opens Frankie is a young child who has grown accustomed to the workings of the family orchard and revels in it. As time progresses, certain aspects of family life change and she begins to realize that although she longs for the routine she has become familiar with, she must also change.

This was an okay story. There was no great mystery embedded in it although I did learn some interesting facts which were presented in the context of a trvia "bee". Situations changed in the story and characters came and went. Relatively light reading and a change from suberfuge and espionage which seem to be so prevalent today.

Ladybookbug!