The Catalpa Tree

Book excerpt

‘My idea of heaven is sitting under the catalpa on a hot July day, with the smell of coffee in the air and the sound of bees buzzing in the creeper, and you, beside me, pouring ooze onto a croissant.’

The Catalpa Tree

Paperback

by Denyse Devlin

When Jude is orphaned at fourteen, her father’s best friend comes to the rescue. Oliver wants to remain her friend as well as her guardian, but spirited Jude isn’t a girl you can shelter from the world – not after she’s already suffered so much loss. And with each passing year, both Jude and Oliver struggle in their own ways against the ties that bind them.

Through it all, despite it all, their unique bond goes stronger. However, when faced with one hard call too many, Jude and Oliver must discover just how strong that bond is – and if it can ever be broken.

Published -

2004

by Penguin

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‘Devlin shares Anne Tyler’s knack [with imagery] that feels effortless and familiar and wondrously vivid all at once.’

IMAGE Magazine

‘A beautifully crafted, exquisitely written page-turner.’

Irish Examiner

‘Gripping . . . engrosses until the very last line.’

Irish Times

‘Beautifully written and emotionally riveting …’

Sunday Independent

‘You won’t be able to put down this haunting and evocative tale.’

Woman’s Own

‘Devlin’s style … is the controlled quietly confident style of a very skilled novelist.’

Sunday Tribune