Find out what Mumsnetters thought of At the Edge of the Orchard by Tracy Chevalier

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From the bestselling author of The Girl with a Pearl Earring, comes a compelling tale of secrets and survival.

Set in 1830s midwestern America, Tracy Chevalier's new novel follows a pioneer family torn apart in their struggle to live off the land. We've got 50 copies of At the Edge of the Orchard to give away so apply for yours now.

We ask all winners to share their thoughts about the book on this discussion thread. You don't have to win a free copy to take part in the discussion - anyone who has read At the Edge of the Orchard can post their feedback (and you can buy a copy now)

Everyone who posts feedback about the book on this discussion by 22 November will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 Love2shop voucher.

This giveaway is sponsored by HarperCollins

a rare chance to read, I enjoyed it. it wasn't an easy read, but I did eventually get into it

I'm really struggling with this book - I keep picking it up, reading a paragraph or so, and putting it down again. I'm not finding any of the characters intriguing enough to want to find out what happens, although I am really interested in the period and setting, I've read quite a lot about families/individuals in fairly remote settings recently, but somehow i can't get into this.

I will make a concerted effort this weekend (I've got as far as the letters section), but so far, the writing style is good, the setting is well described, but I can't feel anything for the individual characters.

The best read of the year for me. Brilliantly written and it really draws you in with its various twists and turns. I would love to see this dramatized as a film or perhaps a TV mini series. The Edge of the Orchard gets a 10/10 from me.

I love books with historical themes so was looking forward to reading this and it didn't disappoint.

Great story, loved the character building and the general feel of the writing, despite being quite draining emotionally.

I would definitely read again and recommend.

I am currently reading it and am enjoying it very much

I like Tracy Chevalier as a writer. The book has a good balance skipping back and forth in time and a good pace in revealing important bits of information like Robert's mistake and what actually happened in the orchard. I would recommend

I liked the book but I found it a very dark read at times, I always struggle to read about struggle!

Thank you for my copy of the book.

I read a huge amount and hate giving up on anything. I usually love Tracy Chevalier's work, but I cannot get on with this book - I am about 3/4 of the way through and it's been a real struggle to get to this point. Something that we often discuss in book group meetings is whether you have to like the characters to enjoy a book - and the consensus seems to always be that there has to be at least one that you care about - in this story, I don't care enough about any of them to want to know about their fate, which is why I think I am struggling to get to the end.

The book is beautifully researched and I have learnt a huge amount about apple growing, despite having been brought up in the West Country with an orchard in the garden and cider on tap! The period detail is rich and immersive, but the first half of the book is too slow for me. I will do my best to finish it, but if I was reviewing on Amazon for example, I'd probably only give it 2.5 stars as a review.

I haven't read the book but sounds very interesting. I like things from years gone by.

This isn't an easy read. It's slow to get going and can feel like hard work. I also found it difficult emotionally. However, I persisted and I'm glad I did. It's a well written book and not the kind I'd normally chose, but it felt good to read something out of my comfort zone.

an easy way to learn history

Hoping to read this sounds like a gripping read

Agree with other posters that it took a while to get going. The evocation of the lonely hardscrabble life in the black swamp was very effective, as was the depiction of angry drunken Sadie, particularly the sections in her voice.

But I found it pretty uneven as a whole. The use of the apples as a metaphor rather heavy-handed and dull, and the ending was just ridiculous. None of the characters quite came alive for me and it was a bit too grim without any narrative compensations.

I actually enjoyed reading this - i agree it was slow to start with but it had a good story line.

I was so pleased to get a copy of Tracy Chevalier's latest book as I'd just heard her talking about it at the Cheltenham Literature Festival. Her historical research is so thorough and in all her books she writes very evocatively about the period. This book has some interesting characters some of whom are hard to like but there is always a poignant side to the story line often revealed in a shocking way. I don't want to spoil the plot but The Edge of the Orchard will have you taking a second glance at trees and a lingering bite over the next apple you eat!

very gripping book

I have not read this book but it sounds like a story I would enjoy so would love a copy

I am struggling to get into this book. I am about half way through and just find it a bit depressing with unsympathetic characters. Whilst it is well written I prefer books that don't depict such unrelenting misery. Whilst hopefully it may cheer up towards the end it isn't making me want to read more by her at the moment.

I struggled to get into this book. It was really slow at the start, and it just failed to get my attention.

The author depicts this disfunctional family very well and their setting in Ohio. It proved a difficult book to read.

this sounds like a book i must read

This author is meticulous in her research, not only into the lives of those who lived in the swamps of Ohio during that period of time and the California Gold Rush, but also the growing and nurturing of trees, which I found to be very interesting. This is a very good story about an unforgiving land and those who tried to endure it

I haven't read it yet but sounds an interesting read.

This was a difficult read at first, hard to get into and the characters are mostly hard to warm to. But as I got into it, I was able to empathise with them and the detailed descriptions of life at the time made me realise that the difficult life circumstances made them be that way.

I found this very moving and hard to put down. A really good read I recommend to anyone.