The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
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Web ID: 17302253Beautiful!
This beautiful drama follows a Mi’kmaq family through their work as berry pickers in Maine and the disappearance of a 4 year old girl. Told from two points of view - the deathbed of the missing girl’s brother and Norma, who has her own tragic story to tell. The writing is stunning. The story will hit all of your emotions. Don’t miss this one!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
WARNING: You Will Feel Things
I’m writing this review the morning after I finished and it’s hard because my eyes are still puffy from all the ugly crying, I did last night. I’m glad I was alone because it was not pretty but at the same time, it made me want to hug all my loved ones. A book filled with an intense, quiet beauty.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Past & present draws us in
Told in two voices – Joe, a middle-aged man in bed dying of cancer and Nora a similarly aged woman who relate to the reader their past as well as the present. Joe and his indigenous family traveled from Nova Scotia to Maine every year as migrant worker pickers. Nora is an only child of a clinging mother and successful judge father. Wonderful plot and although I very frequently recommend audio over print, in this case, I found the woman’s voice to not be very engaging so read instead of listen to this one
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
“Hope is such a wonderful thing until it isn’t.”
“Some secrets are so dark it’s best they remain buried. Even people who exclude light and happiness have dark secrets. Sometimes, the lie becomes so entrenched it becomes the truth hidden away in the deep recesses of the mind until death erases it, leaving the world a little different. Secrets and lies can take on life of their own, they can be twisted and manipulated, or they can burst into the world from the mouth of someone just as they are starting to lose their mind.” “Time quickens the older you get as if the universe is trying to push you toward the finish line, to make room for the younger, the stronger, to mark your brief place in history and move on.” The author Amanda Peters in her debut novel reveals that this story was inspired by the many stories her father would tell her as a child. Seemingly, when her father was young, his family went to the fields in Maine each summer to pick berries. During that time, he would share some outlandish stories about ghosts, fights, and good times. When her father learned that Amanda was taking writing courses, he encouraged her to write about the Mi’kmaq berry pickers. The Berry Pickers is a narrative inspired by those stories. "The Berry Pickers,” is not meant to be a mystery. The strength of this novel lies in its understanding of how trauma spreads through a life and a family, and its depiction of the challenges facing Indigenous people. The story is told from two perspectives: Ruthie's six-year-old brother Joe, who was the last to see his sister and racked with guilt about it for years to come, and a young girl named Norma from Maine who's haunted by vivid memories that everyone tells her are dreams. The novel is stunning, beautifully written, and heartbreaking. I experienced so many emotions and was rooting for each family to discover the truth, to find closure and peace. I learned about the challenges in life and the split-second decisions that can change your life forever. I found the section dealing with Joe’s brother Charlie a bit too long and somewhat out of place which dragged the storyline for me. But overall a solid 4-star rating on her debut novel and I am looking forward to her next project!
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Fabulous story
Loved the way this was written. Shows what heartbreak there is when a child goes missing. Fabulous book; you won't be disappointed.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Excellent tale, fascinating.
I enjoyed this book and found myself involved with the characters. Although the end was predictable, I found myself emotionally entangled in the story.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
predictable
Well written. Enjoyable read but way too predictable. What I thought would happen, DID. The inside flap told the whole story.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Book Brandoned: The Berry Pickers
Our Discover Debut Book of the Year is not only a phenomenal book, but a true testament to how our stories and our histories are entwined. The Berry Pickers is sweet and sour, and lets the lingering points of the narrative give you pause and push you to read on. Lyrical and accessible is the best way to describe how easily you will fall into and in love with this novel. Amada Peters is a voice we cannot wait to hear from again. Follow me on my journey to read all the B&N Book Club and Discover picks for 2024 @BookBrandoned on X and our store's Allen Park location at @BNFairlane
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com