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    The Roots of the Olive Tree: A Novel
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    The Roots of the Olive Tree: A Novel
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    The Roots of the Olive Tree: A Novel
    Ebook377 pages6 hours

    The Roots of the Olive Tree: A Novel

    By Courtney Miller Santo

    3.5/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    An extraordinary new voice in contemporary woman’s fiction, Courtney Miller Santo makes her magnificent debut with The Roots of the Olive Tree, a novel that will delight fans of Sarah Blake’s The Postmistress, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, and the works of Kristin Hannah.

    Set in a house on an olive grove in northern California, The Roots of the Olive Tree is a beautiful, touching story that brings to life five generations of women—including an unforgettable 112-year-old matriarch determined to break all Guinness longevity records—the secrets and lies that divide them and the love that ultimately ties them together.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateAug 7, 2012
    ISBN9780062130532
    Unavailable
    The Roots of the Olive Tree: A Novel
    Author

    Courtney Miller Santo

    Courtney Miller Santo teaches creative writing to college students and lives in Memphis with her husband, two children, and retired racing greyhound.

    Read more from Courtney Miller Santo

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    Reviews for The Roots of the Olive Tree

    3.5/5

    17 ratings24 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This is a story of family, resentments, age and secrets. It shows how resentments affect generation after generation and in this family there are 5 generations of first born women with a 6th generation on the way, the oldest being Anna who is 112 and strives to become the oldest living human being, especially since she still has her mind and her body is still pretty spry too. Then there is Dr. Amrit who is on a mission to find out more about super-agers and thinks he has hit pay dirt with the The Keller women but with his research secrets are uncovered that the women would all rather stayed buried.I really liked this story even though the ending was a bit rushed and not as satisfying as I had hoped. The Keller women are not always likable but you still can’t help falling in love with them, flaws and all. Every mother and daughter has had their share of troubles some more than others, however they all still live in the same house which has become tense as these women move about their days without ever really connecting with each other. But with the youngest coming back home with problems of her own and Dr. Amrit’s research dislodging lost (or best forgotten) memories these women are all doing some soul searching.Karen White’s narration was fantastic all her different voices and accents were spot on; you always knew exactly who was talking. Her voice took on so many different characteristics of each of the women as they told their story and her delivery held my interest all the way through.I thought this was a great first novel it is set in California but has a southern fiction feel to it so I think if you are a fan of Southern Fiction I would suggest giving this one a try.4 stars
    • 3/5
      The Roots of the Olive Tree is about 5 generations of women in the Keller family. Anna the matriarch of the family wants to be the oldest person in the world. At 112 years old she is still able to walk without assistance, pick olives in the olive grove and her eyesight and hearing are still very good. She lives in the family home named "Hill House", built by her father. Her daughter Elizabeth "Bets", granddaughter Callie, great granddaughter Deb, and great great granddaughter Erin all live at Hill House too. The fact that 5 generations of women are all alive and still doing well health wise becomes of interest to a renowned geneticist and he asks to study their DNA. As the lives of each woman comes to light and the scientific study goes on in the background, the reader is drawn into the lives, hopes, dreams and disappointments of each woman. While the writing was good, I found it hard to keep track of who was who. I found the only person I kept track of all the way to the last 1/4th of the book was Anna. The other 3/4's I was constantly going back to the family tree at the beginning of the book to see who fell where. There were parts of the book that kept me transfixed while others fell flat or seemed to flow very slowly. I thought the aging information was very interesting but some "went on" a bit to long. In the end I was disappointed that more was not said about the Australia trip. It was mentioned and then seemed to be dropped. I am not sure if a sequel was planned by the author and that was the reason or not. The author closed up some story lines or at least summed them up and others were left open ended. While I can definitely not say I hated it, I can't say I fully loved it either. For these reasons I am giving it 3 stars.I was given a copy of this book for the purposes of review.
    • 3/5
      The Roots of the Olive Tree is about the five generations of the Keller women. Eldest is Anna who is 112, along with Bets, Callie, Deb, and Erin. Their family is being studied to possibly discover the reason for their unusual longevity. Living together isn't always easy and each has their own fears, aspirations, and secrets. The story is rather slow, but I found it interesting. Many issues are not resolved and some do not get resolved. I really thought I would love this book, but I was disappointed with the ending.
    • 5/5
      Olives, Olive Oil, longevity.....sounds like it could be true to me. The Keller women had worked in the olive orchards for generations, and Anna, who was 112, claimed the longevity was because of the family's "love" of the olives....this book is filled with generations of women and family life. What a magnificent book with a powerful, thoughtful ending. A lot of life's lessons were taught under and in the olive trees. Anna told her great, great grandchild, Erin, that "roots" are important whether they belonged to a tree or to a family. The olive garden was everything to Anna, and she wanted her family to know how important it actually had been. You will meet five generations of Keller women with the sixth on the way. Each woman was remarkable. Anna was the oldest at 112, Elizabeth was 90, Callie was in her sixties, Deb was in prison for murder, and Erin in her late 20's shows up pregnant at the family home of Hill House.You will become attached to these women, specifically Anna who began it all and held it all together. The other women take care of Anna, not that she needs any care, and they take care of each other. They are proud of their longevity and, of course, their olive orchards. The book was very well written and made me think about the power if you can call it that of olive oil....could that tiny fruit be the answer to living a long, healthy life or is it simply one's genes? Besides enjoying the female characters, you will enjoy Dr. Hashmi who was doing research on the Keller family to see what the secret of their longevity was. Each woman had a wonderful story with Anna of course being the reason they all were there and the reason they were the person they had become. Anna was my favorite....she had a great story from her childhood that was retoldfrom generation to generation. You will follow each character and her place in the circle of life. You will not be bored with their stories. The author takes you deep into each woman's life with wonderful descriptions and flashbacks along with tears and hugs. You will find out if their longevity really is from olive oil or from something that has been kept secret for over 100 years. What a beautiful story....a splendid family saga that is uniquely told.
    • 4/5
      It could be that because I have a large family myself, although more sons than daughters, I could really relate to this story. I most identified with Anna, who was the oldest, she was a crusty, self=determined character that attempted to keep the peace between all living in her house. I was also intrigued about the anti-aging research and enjoyed learning about the olive groves and the transplanting of the trees. {acing was somewhat slow in the beginning and the constant shifts of focus kept the reader from knowing any of the characters thoroughly, but I believe we learn enough to get the general idea of their personalities. This is a good solid, interesting story, one I did enjoy.
    • 4/5
      The Roots of the Olive Tree is the story of five generations of mothers and daughters, the things that bring them together, and the things that pull them apart. This was an okay read for me. I enjoyed reading the parts about studying their longevity and about olive farming especially and appreciated that the author gave the women names in alphabetical order so I could keep them straight. I think the number of main characters and the multiple story lines made it difficult to feel connected to the women, I felt like I never knew them deeply. I also felt there were loose ends that could have been tied up. Overall, I would say this is a book worth reading.
    • 3/5
      Anna Keller at 112 years old is determined to survive and be the oldest living person on record. She is the matriarch of five generations of women living at Hill House, an olive plantation in Northern California. Erin, the youngest of the Hill House women, returns from overseas with a geneticist in tow to discover the secret behind the longevity of the family. Of course, when anyone starts to probe into the workings of a family whose members not only live incredibly long lives but have also have history as rich as Anna’s, well – things long buried tend to rise to the surface. Anna’s family is no exception and soon enough long forgotten (and thought buried) secrets do begin to get uncovered.

      This book brought to mind books such as The Thornbirds and The Postmistress. Ms. Santo has written a tender and beautiful book filled with family ties, love, arguments and even secrets, all woven together among the gnarled branches of their beloved olive trees.
    • 5/5
      Roots of The Olive Tree by Courtney Miller SantoI was first attracted to this book because of the name, olive tree in the title. Coming from a family of nurserymen this would be right up my alley.Love the proverbs and how they are useful to the olive pickers.This is a story about 5 generations of women and there is a geneticist coming to find out why they live so long. He hopes to find out all their secrets.Love hearing about the olive trees, nursery/grafting and why their products are so useful.Picking olives sounds to me like what knitting does for me, very calming.Such great treasures in the attic. One of the best books out of hundreds I've read this year. So fascinating to learn all about the DNA, the mutations andwhat they can attribute it to. Love hearing about the location of where the book takes place as it's new to me.Like how each of the 5 sisters got a large devoted part in this book. At the end it just all the mysteries come together and there are no longer any secrets to uncover.For a book to be worthwhile to me it has to do two things: 1. take me away to a new place, describe it so well that i can feel myself there. This book has done that to thepoint where I can reach up and feel the olives as they ripen, walking the rows of trees.and 2. learn something new. This book has done that as well. Techniques of grafting the tree branches and the treasures they find in the attic.One of the top 2 books out of hundreds I've read since Jan.
    • 3/5
      I received The Roots of the Olive Tree as a LTER. 5 Generations of women - secrets, loves, losses....small townisms. What is not to love? I was very excited when I won this book but after reading it have to admit disappointment. I found myself skimming Amrit Hashmi's reports. The character development in the book was flat. I never felt connected with any of them. There did not seem to be any story resolution. The parts that I found myself reading with interest ended without clarification. What happened when Anna went back to Australia? Frank and Callie's river scene - left you hanging. It may appeal to folks, unfortunately not to me.
    • 4/5
      The Roots of the Olive Tree’ by Courtney Miller Santo is a fictional story of five generations set in the Sacramento Valley of California. The inspiration for the story came from the author’s family. Her great grandmother will be 104 soon and her family has roots in the same area that the story is set. The author’s family’s knowledge of growing and tending of the olive trees is reflected in her. So this story sprang from the author’s affection for her family and unique setting.I enjoyed this story very much. There were four women with very different personalities and many secrets. I also loved learning about the care of the olive trees, the many different flavors of them and the olive oils depending on the age and where the trees were growing. I was surprises to learn that Olive trees are hardy and are invigorated by grafting. I had no idea of the many ways to serve them!Anna is the matriarch of the family, at 112 years; she was strong and had no huge medical problems. She wanted to be the oldest living person in the world. That is what attracted me to this book from the beginning. I remember as a child telling my grandmother that I wanted to live to be at least 100. My grandmother said “Whatever for?”! I still do. So I had to read this book. It is no wonder that I identify with Anna the most.So you follow the lives of Anna, Bet (Elizabeth) Callie, Deborah and Erin. Each woman is the mother of the next one in the string of generations. All are keeping secrets from the rest of the women. There is a page in the front to help the reader keep the names straight, it did help. I did not get lost in the story and enjoyed the unfolding of their lives. I think of this book as a gentle book instead of an earthshaking one. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to reads about different generations and pick some information about growing olive trees at the time.I received this book as a part of the Amazon Vine Program and that in no way influenced my review.
    • 4/5
      This book about five generations of female family members who share a common trait- extraordinary health and longevity. They also share a complicated history and a host of secrets, and not all are delighted that a scientific researcher wants to learn more about them.I found this book slow going in the beginning, and certainly the family relationships are complicated. However, once I got far enough into the narrative, I was carried along by the story and the quality writing. In the end, this was a wonderful family narrative, though the whole longevity thing seems in the end to be unnecessary.
    • 3/5
      The Roots of the Olive Tree takes place in Northern California as a geneticist decides to visit a family of long lived women. I thought it would be more Anna’s story, with more historical information about the family and how they came to be. At base, it is, but the immigrant story and birth of the town of Kidron soon gives way to stories, secrets and tragedies of the other generations. I loved the wonderful descriptions of the olive trees and most of the interactions between the women, but sometimes I got lost in the many threads of stories weaving in and out of each section. The mystery of the oldest olive trees, and the oil Anna has hand pressed over the years has the illusion of being the reason for their vitality. Reminiscent of the magical realism running through a Sarah Addison Allen story, but not quite as successful.
    • 2/5
      This is the story of 5 generations of women and the challenges that make up their lives. It is an interesting story, but gets rather draggy in spots. A lot of the story is repetitive and this tends to lose the readers interest. I'm glad that I read it, but wouldn't recommend it.
    • 3/5
      Definitely needs work, with a bit of tweaking this could have been a very good novel. The Roots of the Olive Tree follow a family of 5 generations who live on an olive grove that their ancestors began from roots of trees in Australia. As the tale unfolds, each family member's history and secrets are revealed. Unfortunately the story drags and drags. When the secrets are finally revealed there is o surprise; they have been hinted at throughout the book. I was hoping for better because the book held some promise.
    • 3/5
      I read this book for my book club selection this month, and it was interesting. I think it was somewhat hard to keep track of all the women, their husbands, their children, and their secrets. I guess I felt it could have been thrashed out with more character and story development, and although the aging research parts were interesting, it still needed more story development. If I were editing this book, I would send it back to the author and ask her to further develop the stories of the women and how those experiences impacted their growth as individuals.
    • 4/5
      The Roots of the Olive Tree alternates between the viewpoints of all five women. In doing so, I felt like I got just a taste of each woman's life and a few hints at why each had the personality that she had. I would have liked to know even more about each woman's past life. This book was more a slice of all of their present lives. Of course, it did venture into the past to reveal the secrets that some of the women were harboring. While I found the secrets interesting, I didn't find them to be "explosive" as the blurb indicates. And all of these women were so tough and even-keeled most of the time that they didn't seem to be phased much when they found out the secrets either - they definitely didn't seem to be shaken to their roots.I enjoyed reading this book but I felt like it had unrealized potential. There were some loose ends that could have been developed and I think would have added more dimension. Without spoiling anything, I think Deb and Erin's relationship could have been explored more and I also would have liked to know what happened with the trip the ladies were planning. I also didn't fully understand the symbolism of the tortoise in the story (you'll know what I mean if you read it) but grasping that sort of thing is not always easy for me. If you have thoughts about the tortoise, please share!Even though I found the story to be somewhat different from what the book jacket promised, I still found this book to be a pleasant and quick read. There is a short e-book prequel (that I have not read) called Under the Olive Tree that is free in the Kindle store as of this writing.
    • 3/5
      A debut novel from an author originally from Oregon about five generations of women, set on their old family olive orchard in central California. The matriarch is 112-year-old Anna, who is determined to become the oldest living person. Is it the olive oil from the heritage groves she still maintains (with the help of hired pickers) that keep her and her female descendants so healthy? Geneticist Amrit Hashmi would like to know, and his visits frame the novel while the gradually revealed tensions, secrets and relationships between the women form the content; the narrator moves from one character to the next in varying chapters. A little bumpy in spots, but a promising debut and the setting is evocative. I'd recommend to readers of intergenerational fiction featuring women like Anne Rivers Siddons and the like.
    • 4/5
      This was an enjoyable read about 5 generations of women living on the family's olive grove. The story begins with the appearance of a scientist who wishes to study the longevity of the family's women, the matriarch of whom, Anna, is over 100, and has her eye on becoming the world's oldest living person.Despite the cozy setting and the gentle humor, a family tragedy has reverberated in the lives of these women over the years. The aftermath of this comes to the forefront against the backdrop of the scientist's arrival and the homecoming of the youngest generation, Erin, who arrives with a secret.What results is a slowly simmering story that is well-paced, with multi-faceted, endearing characters and a setting that comes to life. The story is told from the alternating perspectives of the women, affording the reader an opportunity to view this family saga from multiple angles. A very well-written and well-paced story.
    • 4/5
      This was a very good story about 5 generations of women all living together on an olive grove in California. The oldest is Anna who is 112.At first it was a little bit confusing to keep all the names straight and who was whose grandmother, mother, daughter,etc.Each woman has an interesting background story. One of the most interesting to me was Deb, who is in prison for shooting her husband. A geneticist comes to study the women's unusual longevity. But his arrival also brings forward buried secrets kept quiet throughout the years.When I first read the description of the book, I did not think I would enjoy it as much as I did. It is very well written and I like that sometimes different chapters focus on one of the different women. Here we learn a bit more about who they are and what they feel. Great storyline and recommended. I won this book as part of the Librarything Early Reviewers program.
    • 4/5
      I really got into this book very easily and the plot kept pace until the very end, slowed quite a bit, but that's ok because by then there was no way you would skip knowing how everything came out. The writing was very good, the characters more then nicely developed, and the information on aging was so interesting, not boring at all… I'm not sure how much of this is fictional but didn't take away from the story. Once again a story not told over and over again and a good book to read and learn from!
    • 4/5
      The Roots of the Olive Tree: A Novel was quite a story! Imagine 5 generations of women living together in one home. the oldest woman, Anna is well over one hundred years old, but is strong and well in mind and body. The same can be said of Anna's daughter, her granddaughter, and so on. They lived together on land that provided their family with livelihood and shelter for generations.Despite their physical proximity, this family of women had their secrets, not to mention sorrows. One of their number had been in prison for years, for murdering her husband. The daughter she left behind was raised and loved by the others. But the love of a mother is like the love of no other, and that child, now grown wanted to see Deb, her mother, set free. She had forgotten that all actions have an equal and opposite reaction.The manner in which their secrets were revealed was unusual, to say the least. It took someone from outside the family to set them free. The journey here is one that is well worth taking, the women both irritating and delightful. I like a story that includes good, strong women...I liked this story. I hope you do too.
    • 1/5
      I never cared about any of the characters in this book. Characters were one dimensional and the problem child was just whiny.
    • 2/5
      I wanted to like this book but I had the worst time getting through it. A book of this type and size shouldn't haven taken me more than a few days to get through at the outside, but it took weeks, It didn't grab me. Given that there are five main female characters, I thought I would enjoy one or more of them, but didn't like them or their story lines. I'm giving two stars because the author can actually write, I just don't like what she wrote about.
    • 3/5
      Anna is 112 years old. her daughter Bets is 90 and her daughter Callie is 65. They live in N. California on an olive grove. These women are meant to be extraordinary but they did not stir me up. The novel is not especially well written. The genetics side of the novel in the form of a dr who is researching 'super agers", also is mildly interesting. Overall just an okay book.