The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin

Normally when I finish a book, I'm anxious to blog about it.  I either love it and can't wait to proclaim my love or I don't care for the book and want you to know why.  But I was all over the place on this one.  At times I was enthralled and other times very impatient for it to move along.  The setting and the characters are incredibly defined.  You really do know Talmadge, the kind gentle lonely man who owns an orchard in Washington State.  When two young pregnant girls arrive on his property, they become part of his life.  While the book is well written, it is sometimes hard to follow.  There isn't much dialogue, and what there is, isn't punctuated.  No quotation marks.  So I often wondered if the character actually said the words or just thought about saying them.  And I never felt I knew the motivation behind some of the things the characters did - especially Talmadge.  Did he try to save Della because his sister ran away when they were children?  Really?  Or was there another reason I missed?  And the other women in his life.... And so the question...... would I recommend it?  With reservations.  And yet why can't I stop thinking about it. - June