The Berry Pickers: A Novel
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
2023 Barnes & Noble Discover Prize Winner
Winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction
A four-year-old Mi’kmaq girl goes missing from the blueberry fields of Maine, sparking a mystery that will haunt the survivors, unravel a family, and remain unsolved for nearly fifty years
“A stunning debut about love, race, brutality, and the balm of forgiveness.” —People, A Best New Book
July 1962. Following in the tradition of Indigenous workers from Nova Scotia, a Mi’kmaq family arrives in Maine to pick blueberries for the summer. Weeks later, four-year-old Ruthie, the family’s youngest child, vanishes. She is last seen by her six-year-old brother, Joe, sitting on a favorite rock at the edge of a berry field. Joe will remain distraught by his sister’s disappearance for years to come.
In Maine, a young girl named Norma grows up as the only child of an affluent family. Her father is emotionally distant, her mother frustratingly overprotective. Norma is often troubled by recurring dreams and visions that seem more like memories than imagination. As she grows older, Norma slowly comes to realize there is something her parents aren’t telling her. Unwilling to abandon her intuition, she will spend decades trying to uncover this family secret.
“An unforgettable exploration of grief, love, and kin,” (The Boston Globe), this show stopping debut by a vibrant new voice in fiction is a riveting novel about the search for truth, the shadow of trauma, and the persistence of love across time.
From the Publisher
Publisher : Catapult
Publication date : October 29, 2024
Language : English
Print length : 320 pages
ISBN-10 : 1646222385
ISBN-13 : 978-1646222384
Item Weight : 11.2 ounces
Dimensions : 5.44 x 0.84 x 8.22 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #2,550 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #1 in Indigenous Fiction #25 in Coming of Age Fiction (Books) #197 in American Literature (Books)
Customer Reviews: 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (48,931) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
Original price was: $17.95.$10.46Current price is: $10.46.
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
2023 Barnes & Noble Discover Prize Winner
Winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction
A four-year-old Mi’kmaq girl goes missing from the blueberry fields of Maine, sparking a mystery that will haunt the survivors, unravel a family, and remain unsolved for nearly fifty years
“A stunning debut about love, race, brutality, and the balm of forgiveness.” —People, A Best New Book
July 1962. Following in the tradition of Indigenous workers from Nova Scotia, a Mi’kmaq family arrives in Maine to pick blueberries for the summer. Weeks later, four-year-old Ruthie, the family’s youngest child, vanishes. She is last seen by her six-year-old brother, Joe, sitting on a favorite rock at the edge of a berry field. Joe will remain distraught by his sister’s disappearance for years to come.
In Maine, a young girl named Norma grows up as the only child of an affluent family. Her father is emotionally distant, her mother frustratingly overprotective. Norma is often troubled by recurring dreams and visions that seem more like memories than imagination. As she grows older, Norma slowly comes to realize there is something her parents aren’t telling her. Unwilling to abandon her intuition, she will spend decades trying to uncover this family secret.
“An unforgettable exploration of grief, love, and kin,” (The Boston Globe), this show stopping debut by a vibrant new voice in fiction is a riveting novel about the search for truth, the shadow of trauma, and the persistence of love across time.
From the Publisher
Publisher : Catapult
Publication date : October 29, 2024
Language : English
Print length : 320 pages
ISBN-10 : 1646222385
ISBN-13 : 978-1646222384
Item Weight : 11.2 ounces
Dimensions : 5.44 x 0.84 x 8.22 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #2,550 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #1 in Indigenous Fiction #25 in Coming of Age Fiction (Books) #197 in American Literature (Books)
Customer Reviews: 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (48,931) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
13 reviews for The Berry Pickers: A Novel
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Original price was: $17.95.$10.46Current price is: $10.46.
Annie S. –
A beautifully written, compelling book that grabs you from the start
This book was a gem. I eyed it for weeks before starting it, but once began I couldn’t put it down. It’s hard to discuss the plot without bringing massive spoilers, so suffice it to say that the character development was wonderful, I feel like there were no real plot holes, and the author really took us on a journey where she was leading us rather than telling us. The sensory descriptions were wonderful and put you right in the scene.It’s written in dual POV and that’s done really well. I read this for Book Club, and one of the members read that the author wrote the one set of chapters from one perspective, then wrote the other, and you can really tell because of the completely unique voices of the characters, but it also really tied everything together well at the end.My heart and mind were filled with the family while I was reading this book, and their beautiful and heartbreaking and redemptive journey, and it really helped to broaden in my horizon of this world we live in.
Annie –
Great Read for lovers of Historical Fiction
The Berry Pickers is a quiet, reflective novel with lyrical writing and emotional depth, and while I did enjoy reading it, I found myself a bit underwhelmed compared to the buzz surrounding it.The story itself is compelling and heartfelt, and Amanda Peters does a lovely job weaving themes of identity, loss, and family throughout. That said, I never felt as fully engaged as I hoped to be. The pacing was slower than expected, and although the emotional beats are there, they didn’t always hit as hard for me personally.I also figured out the “big twist” very early on in the book, which took away some of the tension and emotional payoff. It’s not necessarily a deal-breaker, but it did make the second half of the story feel a bit more predictable than I wanted.Still, I appreciated the perspective this book offers and the thoughtful way the story unfolds. It’s worth reading for the writing alone, especially if you enjoy literary fiction with a focus on character and family dynamics.Not quite a five-star read for me, but still a solid and meaningful debut that I’d recommend, just maybe with slightly adjusted expectations.
Mom2AC –
beautifully written, heart wrenching
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Such a beautiful and heartbreaking story of 2 families- one filled with love, trauma and loss, the other with secrets and unknowns. Told in 2 POVs (Joe and Norma). Joe recounts his life story as he is on his deathbed. Growing up, his family of Mi’kmaq descent travel from their home in Nova Scotia to Maine every summer to work on a blueberry field. When he was 6, his 4 year old sister goes missing. He is plagued with 50+ years guilt since they were together when she went missing. Norma, an only child raised by an overprotective mother lives a sheltered life in Maine. She starts having dreams that feel more like lost memories that her mother sweeps aside. Norma feels there are things that don’t add up and her mother hasn’t been totally honest with her.This was beautifully written and had me in tears at the end. Joe recounts how his guilt and anger leads him to poor decisions and regrets. He had me rooting for him through his struggles then had me yelling at him for his poor choices. I absolutely loved his family especially his father and sister who had such great advice (I highlighted so many quotes) I was heartbroken for his mother who endured so much. I rooted for Norma as she grows up and tries understand her relationship with her mother, understand her mother and who she is as an individual vs a daughter. This was a slow burn since it is so character driven – This just made the last half that much better. Love books that have me highlighting lines and still have me thinking about these characters once the book is finished. Highly recommend!
E.B. –
A wonderful read
I loved this book. It’s achingly sad but a very compelling story, full of love and humanity. A wonderful read.
Trae –
Pretty good
Great story, my only criticism is that it’s so straightforward and at times a little slow. But definitely worth the time to read.
AJ –
Very predictable
Overall not a bad read. It would have been a 4 star book if it had not been so predictable.
Katherine Y –
Haunting story about an abducted four-year-old girl in the early 1960s
Sadness and desperation overwhelm a Mi’kmaq family when the youngest child, four-year-old Ruthie, disappears. In this story set in the early 1960s, a large family travels to Maine from Nova Scotia every year to pick berries. The family sets up camp in the same place to work in the same fields. Joe and Ruthie are the two youngest siblings and are especially close. One day, Joe leaves his sister, and she climbs on a rock to eat her sandwich. That’s the last anyone sees of her. No trace of her can be found.The family searches and searches, never giving up hope she is somewhere still alive. They stay long after the picking season ends and exhaust every resource to find her. Years pass, and the family always returns to pick berries and search for her. An older brother thinks he spots a teenage Ruthie in Boston. She was walking with a woman. He calls to her but loses sight of her in a vast crowd. Joe, meanwhile, suffering from tremendous guilt, loses his focus. He does odd jobs and travels to California, leaving all his family and friends behind. Another brother dies in a fight.In a nearby state, another story unfolds. Norma grows up in an oppressive atmosphere. She has dreams that seem so real of a campfire, a woman calling to her, and people talking in a different language. When she tries to explain this to her mother and father, her mother claims terrible headaches and withdraws from her. Luckily, she has an aunt and her aunt’s best friend to counsel her. Still, Norma knows deep inside that her family is hiding something.I couldn’t stop reading this book. The story pulls you in, and you feel as if you are discovering the facts about Norma’s heritage along with her. It’s a sad and beautiful book. Decisions made in haste have a far-reaching impact for decades. I recommend this book to those looking for a well-written, gripping, and haunting story.
Amazon Customer –
Wonderful story telling
Fantastic book! I purchased the audio version so I could listen to it throughout my workday
Kindle-klant –
Amanda Peters has a beautiful writing style. This book is a gem and lands directly in my top reads next to Barbara Kingsolvers Poisonwood Bible and my favorite Dutch author J. Bernlef.
Erendira Muñoz –
Excelentes condiciones, muy cuidado el empaquetado y llegó sin ningún problema :D. Muchas gracias!
Patrizia Elter –
Das Buch ist authentisch und missreisend, tolle Handlung und ein schöner und klarer Schreibstil! Sehr zu empfehlen, gerne mehr davon!
NEWBURYSUE –
Really well written. Had my attention from the first page and couldn’t put it down. Made me experience a range of emotions. Really good book.
Coloma Farré –
Loved it! Such a good story