At the Edge of the Orchard

I enjoyed At the Edge of the Orchard by Tracy Chevalier which is the story of a family trying to eke out a living in a hostile environment in mid 19th century America.  The Goodenough family have land in an area called Black Swamp where the mosquitoes carry life threatening diseases to which a number of the children succumb.  The father, James, loves his apple trees as he tries to get them to grow.  He is skilled at grafting different varieties.  His wife Sadie is a very unhappy woman when she's sober so is often drunk and hostile towards James.  After witnessing a terrible event, son Robert Goodenough leaves his family at a young age and makes his way west until he reaches California. He eventually becomes a collector of seeds and cones from some of the magnificent trees to be found there, including the Redwood.  An interesting story, told in different ways, such as using letters. 31/2/5