Thursday 26 May 2016

Robertson, Adele Crockett "The Orchard"


Robertson, Adele Crockett "The Orchard: A Memoir" - 1995

One of the books I discovered in our local library. It sounded interesting, so I picked it up.

What a heartfelt memoir by a woman who was a good and kind person, who wanted the best for everybody. After her father died, she struggled to keep up his apple farm, more or less on her own. What a tough life, quite hard work, even for a man it would have been hard.

After she retired, Adele Crockett Robertson wrote down her story and her daughter saved and published it. I am glad she did. So nice to read about such a wonderful person. She had the same age as my grandmother who also grew up on a farm and I pictured her and her challenges during, between and after the wars. I would have liked to have known her then and this book made it almost possible. So, thanks to Betsy Robertson Cramer, we received a good insight into life at the beginning of the 20th century. And she also showed us that women can do anything.

From the back cover: "An exquisite, poignant memoir of a young woman's spirited struggle to save her New England apple farm in the depths of the Depression. The Orchard, recently discovered by the author's daughter, tells the story of Adele Kitty Robertson - young, unmarried, and unprepared by her Radcliffe education for the rigors of apple farming in those bitter times."

4 comments:

  1. My Mother grew up on a farm during the Depression and her stories were harrowing. She, her Dad and one of her brothers moved to California and tried to earn money for the family---think Grapes of Wrath. Such a hard life.

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    1. I think The Grapes of Wreath is a good comparison to this book, it shows the side of the people who stayed behind, trying to save their homes, who didn't want to give up hope that something might still come of it. Of course, this one did not receive any prize but I think it would be well worth one.

      My parents grew up during the war but often told us of the depression years from tales of their parents.

      Have a good weekend,
      Marianne

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  2. I love orchards but I am aware that they are lots of hard work, especially before all the mechanization we have now.

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    1. Oh, they are beautiful to visit but I have never been a keen gardener, even less farmer. I admire her for what she did and am thankful to have been born into a more modern world.

      This still was a great book.
      Thanks for stopping by,
      Marianne

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