Review: The Promise of Pierson Orchard by Kate Brandes

The Promise of Person Orchard

by Kate Brandes

Publisher: Wyatt-MacKenzie

Pages: 286

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Long before fracking ever came to Minden, Pennsylvania, the fissures in the Pierson family were developing into major fault lines.

Green Energy arrives, offering the rural community of Minden the dream of making more money from their land by leasing natural gas rights for drilling. But orchardist, Jack Pierson, fears his brother, Wade, who now works for Green Energy, has returned to town after a twenty-year absence so desperate to be the hero that he'll blind their hometown to the potential dangers. Jack also worries his brother will try to rekindle his relationship with LeeAnn, Jack's wife, who's recently left him. To protect his hometown and to fulfill a promise to himself, Jack seeks out his mother and environmental lawyer, Stella Brantley, who abandoned Minden--and Jack and Wade--many, many years ago.

Kritters Thoughts:  A family drama, environmental lawsuit and a small town combine to make this quite the book to read!  Two brothers have been separated and will be reunited when one returns to town in hopes to get the neighbors to sell their land to the energy company he is working for in return for great dividends if oil is found on their land.  The brother who stayed in town is hesitant and sees the possible issues in this endeavor and must decide between brother loyalty or town loyalty.  Throw in a girl and a non existent mother and this was quite the drama.

I know in saying all of that in the previous paragraph this book seems like it is heavy on the drama, but it wasn't overtly dramatic.  I loved the combination of family drama with environmental, it completely worked in this book.  I loved that there was drama that run deep in this family and little by little the author unfolded all of the tragedy that this family is and has been dealing with.  

I was so excited to find out after reading that this was the author's debut and that she has had quite a few years of experience as an environmental scientist, hopefully this means more family/environmental drama in the future!


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.