I loved this book and yet I hated it at the same time. I was going through and all was good when *wham* a huge plot twist happened that I did not at all expect. I actually threw the book across the room!! But I got up, picked the book up, and continued reading - to find that it was still a very excellent book.

Like all Sherri Tepper Novels, yes it does get preachy at times. But this book stays away from her feminist male bashing and doesn't preach too often. The story telling is strong and the format is unique and enjoyable.

An exciting and thought-provoking piece of "speculation fiction" about the relationship between humans and nature. I loved this book!

I'm a Tepper fan and a tree-hugger so this was great fun.

The Family Tree deals with all of the serious themes that Tepper is known for - ecology, overpopulation, etc... but does so in a very clever, funny way. The format is one of two seemingly unrelated, interleaved stories (one a contemporary drama, one an Arabian-Nights-flavored fairy tale) which merge about halfway through the book - some might find it a bit gimmicky, but I like it...
It's one of those books that it's hard to say much about without major spoilers, so I'll leave it at that!

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The premise of this book is a little weird and a lot of fun. The suddenly sentient trees taking over the land and pushing people around was scary and fascinating. Isn't it something we would all like to see? Something greater than ourselves who has the wisdom to force us to behave and be decent to our fellows and treat the Earth with respect? Plus the people of the future are a hoot. Tepper gives little clues about these people as you read the book, still, it was so cool when their true natures are revealed. This is a really good and charming story, and even though it is a pretty long book, almost 500 pages, it is never boring and always interesting. I very much enjoyed it.

i REALLY liked this book!
as all the books that i have read by her, it meanders here and there, but is quite enjoyable.
partway thru the book is a major surprising revelation (no spoiler here)
that absolutely surprised me!
and kept me thinking, for months and months to come even after i finished the book.
i like books that make me think!

Just like 'Karen R.' I loved and hated this book all at the same time.

As far as 'preachy'goes, I don't think so. She has a foundation that she builds her stories around... Just like Stephen King, Charlaine Harris, Johathon Kellerman, or Sue Grafton. The reader is either attracted to that foundation, or moves on.

I happened to like the base of her books, and read them all. I was reading the books by Joan Slonczewski at the same time. If you like Sheri Tepper, she's a natural addition to you reading list.

I find them strong writers and needed to 'listen', to pay attention to what they were writing. Definately not bubble gum, or day at the beach. Well worth the time.

The once-fertile earth of Dora Henry's childhood has been undervalued and overdeveloved. Now nature, apparently, has decided to fight back. Three geneticists have been murdered. Strange things have been occurring ever since. Weeds are becoming trees; trees are becoming forests. The strangest thing is that Dora can somehow communicate with the rampaging flora.

From back cover: "The once-fertile earth of Dora Henry's childhood has been undervalued and overdeveloped. Now nature has decided to fight back. Police officer Dora Henry is investigating the bizarre murders of three geneticists. Meanwhile, strange things are happening everywhere seh turns. Weeds are becoming trees, trees are becoming forests. Overnight, a city is being transformed into a wild and verdant place. Strangest of all, Dora can somehow communicate with the rampaging flora. A potential civilization-ending catastrophe is in the making. The nearer Dora gets to a murderer - and to the truth - the more seemingly disparate evetns beging to entwine. The answers she seeks today to the salvation of humankind may lie in a far distant future, one which is suddenly much closer than anyone imagines.

An exhilarating and enchanting novel that deftly combines fantastic invention with insight and a social conscience, from one of the most lyrical and important voices in comtemporary speculative fixtion...a perfectly marvelous book...."

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