Review: Yawatta Hosby's review on "Orphan of the Olive Tree"
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 3, 2012
***I received a free copy in exchange for a book review.***I enjoyed this 122 chapter book. Even though the chapters were very short, I would have never imagined reading a novel that was more than 70 chapters. Instead of using scene breaks, the author chose to rotate chapters between every character (around 10 characters).My favorite lines: 1) "Looks can deceive," said Cosma. "Often what gleams on the outside is rotten within. Peace is a state that must be guarded for it can easily be lost." 2) This woman whom he barely knew had through no deliberate act of her won, infiltrated his mind, his heart and soul. 3) The past is best left to rest. It is the future that carries hope.Enrico and Carlo were best friends. Enrico was married to Felicia while Carlo married Prudenza. Felicia had twin boys: Luca and Lorenzo. Prudenza had twin girls: Giustina with the mom giving up Olivia.Prudenza was a jealous hater, who could cast the evil eye. A horrible lie she spread came back to bite her in the butt after her children were born. To avoid scorn, she gave the oldest baby up.Even though Luca and Giustina were allegedly destined to marry, they didn't love each other. It boggled my mind that the parents were adamant that love wasn't part of the equation for marriage. I loved all the drama, tension, and conflict that ensued because of this. I wanted to give the kids a hug because of the pain they endured, trying to convince their parents to change their minds.My favorite scenes: 1) Cosma (a healer) and Vincenza were on a journey to start a new life when a horse causes something tragic for the both of them. My heart broke during that scene. 2) the scenes with the star-crossed lovers Lorenzo and Giustina/ Olivia and Luca. 3) the ending when karma finally catches up to Prudenza.Mirella Sichirollo Patzer had a great talent with dialogue. The conversations were realistic, yet full of passion from all sides. Especially when the fathers spoke; they were so stubborn. My favorite characters were the kids and Felicia. They could do no harm in my book, but I truly despised Prudenza. I loved that the author made all the characters three-dimensional, so I got a chance to get to know all of them. I cared or loathed them-it was never a situation where I thought `why is she spending so much time on this person that I don't care about?'I RECOMMEND this book to read.