The Paradise Tree: A Novel - Softcover

Vidal, Elena Maria

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1502448130 ISBN 13: 9781502448132

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014

Synopsis

The year is 1886 in Leeds County, Ontario. The O'Connor clan is gathering to mourn the loss of its patriarch Daniel O'Connor, an Irish immigrant. The story of Daniel and his wife Brigit is one of great hardships, including illness, ill-starred romances, war and political upheavals, as well as undying love and persevering faith. As Daniel is laid to rest, his grandson Fergus receives a piercing insight into what his own calling in life will be.

"The Paradise Tree makes 'the past and present mingle and become one' for the reader's great delight." ~Stephanie A. Mann, author of Supremacy and Survival: How Catholics Endured the English Reformation

"Beautifully written with great attention to historical, geographical and religious accuracy, this fascinating and moving family saga is a treasure that I highly recommend!" ~Ellen Gable Hrkach, award-winning Canadian author of In Name Only and four other novels

"An Irish immigrant builds a new life in Canada, the decades marked by marriage, children and the odd otherworldly encounter. Vidal (Madame Royale, 2010, etc.) successfully transforms family stories into a historical novel that chronicles the life of her great-great-great-grandfather, Daniel O'Connor, who established a homestead in Ontario in the 19th century. O'Connor, a blacksmith living in County Cork, Ireland, is frustrated in his desire to train as a doctor because of English laws restricting Catholics' religious freedom and economic chances. When the political activities of his wild younger brother Owen cast suspicion on O'Connor, he flees Ireland, carrying just two mementos of his homeland--a white rosebush uprooted by his mother and a "paradise tree," a wooden crucifix so called because it represents a ladder of suffering to climb to heaven. Nine years later he has carved Long Point farm out of the wilderness, creating a home despite the new continent's own anti-Catholic prejudice. He marries Brigit, a girl 18 years younger than he is, then almost loses her to Owen, who arrives at the farm after his own midnight departure from Eire. But when a vision of his mother appears to him, hands on hips, he finds the will to throw his brother out of the house and confront his bride. She sobs and swears she will die of shame, insisting, " 'Oh, yes, I will die. I will,' she choked. 'But fret not....I'll be getting over it.' " And she does, bearing 11 children. The novel follows them as they grow to adulthood, marry and have children of their own, with each section of the book told through the eyes of a different character. Though the story unwinds slowly, it never drags.

An imaginative, meticulously told history that will especially appeal to those with Irish roots." ~Kirkus Reviews

About this title

From the Author:

The Paradise Tree is a novel of beginnings and endings; it invokes the memory of Eden while simultaneously conjuring up the Apocalypse. This is because in most lives there is an era of innocence as well as moments in which death and judgment are encountered. I have taken the lives of one man and one woman, my great-great-great-grandparents, and looked at such eras and moments in the context of their experience as Irish immigrants in the harshness and beauty of 19th century Canada. I wanted to look at what elements, amid so many difficulties, built a strong marriage and a cohesive family unit. And what elements threatened to destroy them.

The Paradise Tree is a novel in which the characters are constantly faced with the mysteries of life, death, love, redemption and eternity. Eternity was something that Daniel O'Connor kept ever before him, as was typical of the old Irish. For my extended family, Long Point has had an aura of mystery for generations. I hope through this novel to create a living portrait of the old homestead and of those who dwelt there.

From the Back Cover:

"This is a beautiful book. It follows Daniel O'Connor as he grows up in Ireland, moves to Canada to pursue fortune and freedom, starts a family, and grows old surrounded by those who love him.

Taking place in the nineteenth century, the story covers a period of political and religious unrest in Ireland, creating very exciting early chapters. There is a lot of tension, as the main characters must hide their traditions while still facing systemic prejudice for their beliefs. Vidal firmly establishes Daniel's love for his family and makes his family feel warm and welcoming. This makes the scene where Daniel decides to leave extremely painful, even as the political history justifies his decision. The entire book is full of these moments, where you sympathize with the characters while wishing they could act differently. It makes for a very human story.

What takes The Paradise Tree to another level, however, is the way that Vidal brings the settings to life. I can so vividly picture the O'Connor Christmas celebration in their small cabin in the Canadian forest that it feels like I was in the room with them. Vidal has a way of describing only the most important aspects of a scene but of describing them in such a way that the whole thing comes to life. It is fascinating.

This precision of focus works for the overarching story as well. Parts of Daniel's life are glossed over entirely while others are narrated in rich detail. The parts that Vidal focuses on, however, are the exact parts that are most important. Learning how to be a doctor must have been interesting, but it isn't nearly as important as meeting your wife. Vidal emphasizes the moments of connection, of family, and, in so doing, creates a very personal story. It feels like we know the characters as friends rather than acquaintances. This is a stunningly lovely book, the perfect thing to get lost in for an afternoon." ~from the San Francisco Book Review (starred review)

"The Paradise Tree does what good novels should. It tells us a story, it shows us what it means to be human--replete with the triumphs, sadness, and conflicts entailed in being human--while whisking us away to another world that is not our own." ~The Portland Book Review

About this edition

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1502448130
• ISBN 13: 9781502448132
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 252