Setting: Idun’s Orchard, Door County, Wisconsin
Characters:
- Sanna Lund – fifth-generation orchardist. Daughter of Einars. Sister of Anders.
- Isaac Banks – single dad to Sebastian (Bass). California tech expert traveling with his son for the summer.
Plot: Another summer is beginning in Door County, but Sanna Lund isn’t looking forward to the influx of tourists. Though her struggling family business, Idun’s Orchard, would certainly benefit from more visitors, Sanna would much rather spend her days in the barn, conceptualizing and creating cider. She has a gift; a connection to her land, the trees, and especially the cider she creates. When her father surprises her with two new helping hands – Isaac and his son, Bass – early in the season, she’s less than pleased. But when an accident means Einars is rushed to the hospital, Sanna learns that she can’t do it all on her own, no matter how hard she tries. And, somewhere along the way, she taps into the magic inside and outside of herself.
Pacing: Smooth, steady, and enticing.
Predictability: Low
Wild Card: This story ticked all the boxes for me. Set in my home state, featuring strong, well-written, relatable characters, and just the smallest touch of magic realism. Not to mention an author who, like me, serves on her local library board! I’ve wanted to read Amy E. Reichert for a while, and other books on my list have, until now, come first. However, now that I’ve had the pleasure of reading her work, I need to catch up with her other stories and will be reserving a permanent top-of-the-to-be-read list spot for her future work.
About the Book
Fall in love with The Simplicity of Cider, the charming new novel about a prickly but gifted cider-maker whose quiet life is interrupted by the arrival of a handsome man and his young son at her family’s careworn orchard by the author of The Coincidence of Coconut Cake and Luck, Love & Lemon Pie.
Focused and unassuming fifth generation cider-maker Sanna Lund has one desire: to live a simple, quiet life on her family’s apple orchard in Door County, Wisconsin. Although her business is struggling, Sanna remains fiercely devoted to the orchard, despite her brother’s attempts to convince their aging father to sell the land.
Single dad Isaac Banks has spent years trying to shield his son Sebastian from his troubled mother. Fleeing heartbreak at home, Isaac packed up their lives and the two headed out on an adventure, driving across the country. Chance—or fate—led them straight to Sanna’s orchard.
Isaac’s helping hands are much appreciated at the apple farm, even more when Sanna’s father is injured in an accident. As Sanna’s formerly simple life becomes increasingly complicated, she finds solace in unexpected places—friendship with young Sebastian and something more deliciously complex with Isaac—until an outside threat infiltrates the farm.
From the warm and funny Amy E. Reichert, The Simplicity of Cider is a charming love story with a touch of magic, perfect for fans of Sarah Addison Allen and Gayle Forman.
About the Author
Amy Reichert earned her MA in Literature from Marquette University, and honed her writing and editing skills as a technical writer (which is exactly as exciting as it sounds). As a newly minted member of the local library board, she loves helping readers find new books to love. She’s a life-long Wisconsin resident with (allegedly) a very noticeable accent, a patient husband, and two too-smart-for-their-own-good kids. When time allows, she loves to read, collect more cookbooks than she could possibly use, and test the limits of her DVR.
The Girl with Book Lungs 