Hard Cider

At age fifty-four, Abbie Rose decides its time to follow her long-held dream: to produce hard apple cider on the Leelanau Peninsula in Michigan where her family has vacationed for over twenty years.

Situated on Lake Michigan's sand dunes, the family cottage had been their escape from the high-pressure life of Ann Arbor, Michigan where Abbie taught and her husband Steve had a law practice. With a windfall of money, Abbie has purchased a farmhouse and outbuildings and is ready to learn the skills needed--business and professional--to create a quality product.

Abbie's dream is not Steve's dream. He not only has no interest in her plan, he thinks it is a bad decision. He likes Ann Arbor life.

Their marriage has been challenged before. First, battling infertility and through failed treatments and in-vitro fertilization and grappling with the decision of surrogacy vs. adoption. And secondly, when their house burned down right after Abbie finally gave birth to a son after adopting two other boys.

As Abbie forges ahead with her plans, living Up North while Steve days in the city, her attention is further divided by her boys' personal problems and challenges. Then a young woman, Julia, arrives in Northport whose secret will bring further turmoil and tension in Abbie's life and marriage.

Barbara Stark-Nemon's novel Hard Cider has a distinct Michigan flavor, reflecting her life in Ann Arbor and Northport.

Michigan ranks as the second or third state in apple production and has more farm and fruit stands than any other state.

And where there are apples, there is apple cider!

Hard Apple Cider is a leader in the craft brew industry, especially in Michigan. Michigan is already fifth in the nation for its number of breweries, microbreweries, and brewpubs.

So, Steve's objections aside, Abbie is onto something. And she needs the challenge and she needs to at least try and make her lifetime dream come true.

Readers who are not interested in Michigan and our apples will find their interest perk up when Julia comes on the scene. Abbie must juggle the needs of her sons and husband and the secret she discovers while holding fast to her dream.

Fans of women's fiction will enjoy Hard Cider.

Oh, and there is knitting.

I received a free ebook through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

*****
My one complaint is: Abbie, you must be CRAZY to love to walk along the Lake Michigan beach in WINTER. I did that for ten minutes ONCE in October and that was brutal! At least in winter, perhaps you don't get sand in your nose.

Winter in Pentwater is not for the faint-hearted. Which is why we only lasted one winter...

The bars were at least open.

We had to dig the mailbox out every day.

Perhaps Abbie benefited because Northport is on the 'sunrise side' of the Leelanau Peninsula...and protected from the Lake Michigan gales that assaulted our house.

So, I'll give Abbie the benefit of doubt regarding her sanity for leaving Ann Arbor to go Up North in winter.

Except.. the driving on the west side of Michigan downstate can also be brutal...

Great story.....HIGHLY RECOMMEND! I will be looking for more books from this author. I enjoyed the plot and the characters so very much.

Hard Cider is the first book I've read by Barbara Stark-Nemon, but it certainly won't be the last.
She has a wonderful way with words, especially descriptions of people and places. I really enjoyed learning about Michigan and the making of hard cider.

It's obvious a lot of research went into this novel, which always excites me because I love to learn about new things. I was quite interested in all that went into pruning the trees, making the cider and pretty much every part of it.

The characters were varied, some likable and some, like Steven, I didn't care for, but they all seemed real and that's always something I look for in books. The story behind the story, of Julia and her needing to make decisions about her life was just as good as the rest of the book. I wanted to sit down with her, her mother and Abbie, that's how much I related to them.

The main themes of this book are forgiveness, family closeness and bonds and staying true to what you want in life, even if no one else seems to think it's what you need. If you like women's fiction, books about families and books about starting anew, this is one for you.

I'm thrilled that I received an ARC from Netgalley!

Where some books almost feel difficult to read, Hard Cider is a joy. A book about a woman going through her mid-life change of direction (not a crisis at all.) Abbie Rose has made choices about the rest of her life that affect her husband and kids, but she makes no apologies for those choices. She is a woman who knows what she wants and is going to have it.

Set in northern Michigan, mostly, the story revolves around Abbie Rose’s purchase of an old farm where she intends to start a hard cider business. Abbie Rose was mesmerized by hard cider while living abroad. She now wants this to be her second career/existence and has gone to great lengths to facilitate it.

Abbie Rose’s husband is a busy lawyer in Ann Arbor, and her three children are grown and moved away. As in most families, there is always that one child who demands just a bit more attention and nurturing than the others, and this is found in Alex. Much of the story is about the children, as Abbie Rose struggled to have kids.

The other prominent characters in the book are her northern Michigan neighbors and friends. Abbie Rose is a knitter (something I was drawn to) and she meets up with Julia through the knitting shop. Julia is young and spending the winter housesitting for a family down the road from Abbie Rose’s own farmhouse. Julia becomes a central figure in the story with her mysterious ways.

The description of the scenery and life in northern Michigan was beautiful. While I’ve never visited that locale, Ms. Stark-Nemon makes it sound enchanting. The idea of building a cider business also sounds fairly fun, though a lot of work. I loved the way this story drew me in and made it difficult to put down. It’s a wonderful novel with themes of family and love and acceptance, all things that every family should strive for.

I enjoyed reading Hard Cider. The writing was beautiful and very descriptive and it made me want to go to the UP of Michigan and go cider tasting!

I liked the depth of some of the characters and the storyline, but I felt something was missing towards the end. There was so much in the beginning and when the story really got going all of sudden it was wrapping up. I just wish the end parts were as detailed as the beginning.

Will be checking out other books by this author too!

Thanks to NetGalley, She Writes Press, and Barbara Stark-Nemon for the free copy of Hard Cider in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. #netgalley #hardcider

Have you faithfully cared for your family, enjoyed a fulfilling career, and now your nest is empty? Is it finally time to focus on something for YOU? Is this the time to realize YOUR lifelong dream? To pursue YOUR goals?

Meet Abbie Rose Stone: a retired teacher; a creative, supportive, understanding, and seasoned mom; a loyal, attentive, and caring wife; a hard worker and an ambitious dreamer.

Is it possible for Abbie Rose who has enjoyed raising three children, trying her best to meet their unique challenges and understand their different needs and personalities, to follow her heart and establish her own hard cider business without her husband’s or children’s full support? Just as Abbie Rose finds the courage to make her decision, a stranger presents information that will affect her family’s future and complicate their lives.

When is it a good time for Abbie Rose to pursue her dreams?

Barbara Stark-Nemon creates the memorable character of Abbie Rose, provides an exquisite sense of place as readers can easily envision life along the northern shores of Lake Michigan, pulls us into complicated family dynamics, and describes what the production of hard cider involves.

Readers will appreciate strong and thoughtful themes including infertility, adoption, determination, persistence, compassion, parenting adult children, mature marriage, following a dream, and drawing a wider circle.

The story lines that most affected me include how a woman manages to follow her dream while continuing to creatively and thoughtfully handle complex family issues, how adoption affects children and families, and how compassion and acceptance allow us to draw a wider circle of inclusiveness. One story line I couldn’t relate to is the guidance that Abbie Rose seeks from the Tarot Card reader because I look to God for my spiritual guidance. However, this is a small aspect of the story.

Recommended for readers who are fans of beautifully written stories filled with family dynamics, for those who enjoy an inspirational and motivational story of a woman following her dreams while also caring for her family, for readers who are familiar with the northern shores of Lake Michigan, and for readers of women's contemporary fiction.

I liked the storyline and the characters very much. I love the state of Michigan and was very happy that it was the setting of the book. A little more information than I enjoyed reading about growing apples. But a good solid story that I would recommend!