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Book Review of The Rock Orchard

The Rock Orchard
The Rock Orchard
Author: Paula Wall
Genre: Literature & Fiction
Book Type: Hardcover
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Helpful Score: 1


The Rock Orchard is the debut novel by Paula Wall about five generations of the Belle family women in Leaper's Fork, Tennessee who are well-known for attracting men's attention like a magnet. Rarely is anything the Belle women doing unnoticed by most of the town residents.

A young, recently established doctor from up North opens a clinic and becomes quite smitten with the youngest Belle female, Angela, his neighbor, despite the pending arrival of his Boston-bred, snobbish fiancé, Lydia. Finding the lifestyle in Leaper's Fork uninspiring, both Adam and Lydia seek some excitement with the most colorful residents, Angela and the town's handyman, Boone.

As a first novel, there are a couple of obvious gaps in the plot and the ending doesn't seem to work as well as it should. There is still plenty to enjoy about Wall's humorous portrayal of life in Leaper's Fork and its residents.