Summary:
Bill Perch wants to be a solicitor- that’s what he went to school for, what his family expects and what Stephanie wants. When the chance of his first case comes up, he’s trilled. It seems pretty cut and dry. He must go out and find proof that a woman that has been missing for fifty years is, in fact, dead so that certain assets can be released. If she hasn’t been found in that long, what else can it be? As he dives into Emeline’s past, though, things don’t add up as they should and he soon finds that he needs answers more than a pay check.
The war and illness has taken nearly everything from Emeline Vane. Her parents, her beloved older brothers… gone. Her home a shambles, no help, no money. It is whispered that she herself isn’t right in the head… that grief has made her mad. Uncle Anthony is willing to help her youngest brother Timothy, and her in a way; but it comes with a price. Sell her home. Timothy’s birthright and where her memories all lie. One night it all becomes too much and in one accidental moment everything changes. Ushered to a Train to take her away, Anthony says it is for a short stay. To get better. But why is he signing so many papers? And why does she have to be accompanied by a nurse?
An instant decision changes her world. jumping from one train to another. Escape. Adventure. The chance to leave Emeline behind. Far south, she finds a tiny town, a tiny kitchen, where Maman and her 19 year old son bring her back to life.
My Thoughts:
I just finished the last page of this book and, my God, it was glorious. There is such beauty and attention to detail in this writing, flowing smoothly through voices and decades. The characters are strong, well developed and touching. I first fell in love with this author reading The Confectioner’s Tale , so when I found another of her books I had to have it. She has a way of wringing every emotion out of you, and making you beg for more. I felt so sad, reading about Emeline’s loss, but at the same time there were pockets of hope, discovery, and pure joy. The descriptions of the food too, as with the last book, made me wish to taste these things.
But let’s get back to this book. Bill takes up half the narrative and, at first, he’s a hard sale. There’s not much to him- he wants to do well but hasn’t much money. Goes on about his one suit, odd shoes. You see some excitement in him on his way to the old house, but he is still far to interested in the image he projects. It’s only after he starts really learning about Emeline that he himself starts to shine. The hunt for information makes him more human, more intense and interesting. He goes back to London, thinking he’s ready to do what’s right in the eyes of work and family. What’s expedient. All signs point to her not being in her right mind at the time of disappearance and that may be enough…. but he can’t do it. Thus begins his own adventure and the point where I feel he became the hero of his own half the story. Emeline, on the other hand, you love from the moment you meet her. She seems so young and shell shocked to be trying to hold everything together and your heart aches with every memory shared of her obviously beloved older brothers. She tries to stay strong for Timothy, her youngest and last remaining brother. It’s a lot for an eighteen year old to handle even in those days. Her determination, and strength of spirit warmed me. She is the reason I could not put this book down. Needless to say, I will probably be buying this book in paper form because it is definitely a to share book. I will also be buying The Secrets Between us, which seems to be the last of this author’s books I haven’t read yet. Obviously Laura Madeleine has become an author whose books I will buy on name alone. Five stars!
On the adult content scale, there’s some language, light drug use, and some light sexual content. Nothing over the top. While this isn’t written with young adults in mind I can see it being a book my niece and many of her friends would enjoy and I would have no problem giving it to them. I give it a three.
I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review. My thanks!

A beautifully written tale about a man who is determined to find the truth no matter what it takes.

Bill Perch is given the job of finding evidence about Emeline Vane’s death so her brother’s children can sell the family estate, Hallerton House. But what Bill discovers leads him to believe Emeline may still be alive. He becomes obsessed with the case and puts his personal life on the line to seek out the truth.

This book had me totally captivated. It is written in both Bill and Emeline’s points of view and takes place during two different time periods. At first I had a little trouble keeping them separate, but it didn’t take long for me to get the hang of the author’s writing style. I almost wish the book was longer because I was so into it and had a hard time letting go of the story when it was over. I was also surprised as it didn’t end the way I predicted. The ending was the perfect for this story.

The cover art captivated by attention....however, the story captured my heart...from page one. Loved it. So will you

I was so engaged in this book that I could not put it down! Laura is one of my favorite authors and her books keep getting better and better and this one is sheer amazing. Her writing is fluid and she does a marvelous job of setting a scene and character building. The descriptions in this book are so well written that you will be salivating at the food and longing to journey to the places she writes in her scenes!

3.75 stars. If you're a foodie, you will love this novel. I could almost smell the sautéed onions, taste the warm bread, feel the juice from the sweet cherries running down my chin... you get the idea. If nothing else, this novel will make you hungry. But there's also a good story to go along with all that food. Sometimes alternate voices and time periods can be distracting or confusing, but it worked this time. Emeline and Bill are both stuck in their respective lives, they both need a change, something to spur them into action. And even though their circumstances are separated by fifty years, I enjoyed how the author showed their connection to one another. It's never too late to change our path!

1919, Emeline is in a small village in the South of France. She enjoys oranges, olives, and herbs. Secrets. Fifty years later, Bill finds Emeline's diary and follows her story. What really happened?

I received an ARC of "Where The Wild Cherries Grow" from NetGalley for an honest review. I wish to thank NetGalley, Black Swan, and Laura Madeleine for the opportunity to read this book.

For some reason, it took me a bit to get hooked on this book. It was slow-going for a bit and then BAM! I loved the two time periods of the book - 1919/1969. They were perfect juxtapositions of after WWI and the height of the Vietnam war.

The title has food in it and food played a large role in this book. The food descriptions were amazing and were beautifully written as if the meals could jump right off of the book!! Definitely makes me want to research recipes for some of the cooking!

I thoroughly enjoyed the character and how they were fleshed-out. This writer knew her characters, time period, and story-line well. This was a lovely novel.

Definite recommend!!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

After losing two brothers in World War I and her mother to the 1918 flu epidemic, Emiline Vane heart is shattered one final time when her uncle tells her they will have to sell her family home, Hallerton House. After Emiline hurts herself, her uncle contrives to have her sent to a mental health facility in Switzerland to recover. However, Emiline escapes at the last minute, taking a train south from Paris to the border town of Cerbère. Fifty years later, Emiline's niece and nephew want to have her declared dead so that they can sell Hallerton. William Perch, training to be a solicitor, is sent to Hallerton to collect evidence to have Emiline declared dead; instead, he becomes enthralled by her story.

I usually love books with dual timelines, where the younger person is trying to figure out what happened in the older person's life, but this story fell flat for me. I didn't understand why Bill felt so compelled to continue tracking down Emiline with virtually all evidence pointing in another direction, even to the point of likely losing his job and girlfriend. Looking at the other reviews, I see that I am a minority, so if the plot sounds intriguing to you, give it a try.

WHERE THE WILD CHERRIES GROW by Laura Madeleine is worth the read. The story is told from Emeline Vane's point of view in 1919 after her brothers die in WWI and her mother passes away shortly thereafter. Emeline is left on her own with her younger brother, Timothy, until their uncle arrives and feels she needs to be institutionalized. From there, events are set into motion that takes Emeline away from everything familiar and give her a chance to find out who she is on her own. The second timeline is 1969 when her brother Timothy has suffered a stroke and his children are looking for proof that Emeline has died so they can sell the family land. Bill Perch is chosen for the case and is sent to hunt down that information as his first real case. He is about the same age that Emeline was when she disappeared and he seems emotionally linked to the case. The writing style is great in this book and the sounds and smells of the various locations is perfectly done. Rotating the genders with the different eras also makes it easy to follow along and get completely absorbed in the story. This is an author and a novel worth checking out.

I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Madeleine did a much better job of balancing timelines in this book than she did in The Confectioner's Tale, a definite improvement. Again, her characters were relatable and the food descriptions mouthwatering. This was especially interesting for books of this women's fiction parallel narrative type in that the "modern day" (1969) story followed a young man rather than another woman. I did like Bill quite a lot, except I do wonder what happened to him after the book ends, considering all the poor life choices he makes in abandoning reason to find out what happened to Emeline. It's always nice to read a book about France that is not set during WWII and not about Paris. You get a real sense for village life in the South and how it revolves around nature's bounty, as well as a feel for the emptiness that comes from a generation of missing men after WWI. This is a "quiet" book, but a lovely one.

A lovely read. So lovely that it's one I would read again, and it is going on my "Favorites" shelf for 2018. The book is written in dual time narratives that take place in 1919 with Emeline Vance and 1969 with Bill Perch. I loved both narratives and felt they flowed beautifully.

Emeline is heartbroken over losing two brothers in the war and then losing her mother as well. She dislikes her uncle's decision to commit her to a hospital to help her deal with her mental anguish and decides it is not the best option for her. She runs away, leaving a younger brother Timothy behind in the care of said uncle, and ends up in Cerbere, a small seaside town in the South of France where she's taken in by cafe owner Clemence and her son Aaro. The descriptions of the landscape and the food prepared by Clemence are wonderful! I loved the relationship that developed between Clemence, Aaro and Emeline.

Bill Perch is a solicitor hired by Timothy's children to find evidence that will prove Emeline has passed away. He returns to the house where Emeline last lived with her family and while there going through boxes of documents, he finds Emeline's diary. Reading her entries, and with this being his first case, he is very determined to find out what indeed happened to Emeline. Did she pass years ago or is it possible she is still alive? I loved Bill and his determination to continue on in this journey.

This is such an exquisitely written book with an ending that I thought that was fabulous. I was quite sorry to see it end. I also enjoyed reading the Q&A with Laura Madeleine at the end. AND...there's also a recipe included for Wild Cherry Cake. A real bonus!!

I highly recommend Where the Wild Cherries Grow. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It is a dual timeline narrative and beautifully written. Takes you back and forth between 1919 and 1969.

Emmeline is broken after losing both of her brothers to war and her Mother in a short amount of time. She runs away to “the end of the world” from her uncle leaving behind her little brother as she can’t go on living in her family home and the expectations of her from society. She ends up somewhere she find the desire to go on again through cooking and the freedom to be herself. Bill Perch is assigned to find out what happened to Emmeline 50 years ago. He also finds himself at a cross-road and we get to see similarities between the two.

The descriptions are so vibrant that it feels as if you are there. I also felt I could taste and smell the foods mentioned. The characters are likable and memorable. A touching story of lost and learning to go on. A great book to add to your TBR pile.

This is a wonderful dual time-line story set in 1919 and 1969. In 1919, Emmeline Vale has lost brothers to war and her mother as well. Drifting and lost, then faced with an untenable future as presented by her uncle, she escapes, takes a train to France, and tries to begin a new life. 50 years later, brand new solicitor Bill Perch is tasked with proving her death so family descendants can sell her family home. After finding her diary, he instead makes a run for France and attempts to find her. Alternate chapters detail their adventures and discoveries as Bill discovers what really happened to Emmaline. While not perfect, not always completely believable, this book has a very original, very interesting storyline, and I very much enjoyed this story. Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC! Great read!

I loved this story! In 1919 Emeline Vane runs away from a dysfunctional family. She finds a new world in the South of France, and also discovers romance. 50 years later, Bill Perch, a new solicitor, gets involved in an investigation to find out what happened to Emeline. After finding her diary, he becomes obsessed with Emeline and discovering the truth.
As well as being a wonderful story, the writing is magnificient. I really liked the descriptions of all the food and the setting of this story. I would be happy to read more by this author. Highly recommended!

3.5-4

Where the Wild Cherries Grow is dual-time storyline that will have your mouth watering with the food descriptions and will transport you to another place with the visual imagery! I was also able to read this book in one day (thanks to a low key holiday)!

I enjoyed following the characters in both time periods—they were believable and invoked sympathy. Emeline and Bill both had a lot of heart which showed in their actions. Overall didn’t have trouble following the narrator switch (as long as I looked at the dates at each chapter head). Also, since one was a woman and one a man that helped me to keep things clear. The plot threads dropped a little at times, but maybe it was intentional to let you use your own mind to decide what happened. Food was big in the book, and reminded me how food ties my own extended family together. I liked how things ended and tied the two time periods together. I would recommend this book, especially to historical fiction fans and those who like dual timeline books.

**Thanks to NetGalley, Laura Madeleine, and St Martin’s Press-Thomas Dunne Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review**

I received an ARC copy from netgalley for my honest review,  so thank you netgalley and publishers for offering me this book! ! ♡
A wonderful novel that switched between 1969 and 1919. In 1969, A British lawyer is tasked with proving the death of Emiline in 1919 so that he descendents can sell an old family estate. Then we follow Bill and learn from Emiline what she was doing during that time.
This was my first book by this author,  I did enjoy it. It was fast paced and just alltogether an easy read. ♡ I give this book a 3.5 star rating!

A beautifully written novel, alternating between Bill Perch, a solicitor in England of 1969,and Emeline, a young woman feeling lost. Emeline’s two brothers are killed in WWI, and her Mom dies shortly afterwards. Feeling depressed, with only her brother Tim alive, Emeline’s depression leads to her Uncle trying to have her committed. Emeline runs away and ends up in Cerbere, a town at the border of France and Spain, where she finds a home. Bill was hired to prove Emeline committed suicide, but after finding her diary, he sets out to find the truth, leaving everything behind and embarking on a journey to find the truth. Descriptions of the locations, the food, are amazingly appealing and add to the beauty of the novel. Highly recommend.

A quick paced novel that switched between 1969 and 1919. In 1969, a young British lawyer is tasked with proving the death of Emiline in 1919 so that he descendents can sell the old family estate. We follow Bill as he goes on his quest and we learn from Emiline what she was doing during that time. It's a book rich in imagery, especially the cooking of the Catalan region on the border of France and Spain. Left me hungry! An entertaining read.

This is closer to a 4.5 Stars for me. I had a little difficulty switching between 1919 and 1969 with each chapter and at one point I thought it was a little slow. The more I got into the story more I became invested in it. The storyline was different than anything I have read. The main male character was deaf. The main female character had family issues. When I got further along in the story, the more those “handicaps “ made sense in the story. I will definitely recommend this book to family and friends and I will read others by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.

Not really my type of book. As much as I wanted to get into this book it was just not for me.