The Orange Grove by Rosanna Ley

Synopsis
An unforgettable story of past love and family secrets, set in sunny Seville

Holly loves making marmalade. Now she has a chance to leave her stressful city job and pursue her dream – of returning to the Dorset landscape of her childhood to open Bitter Orange, a shop celebrating the fruit that first inspired her.

Holly’s mother Ella has always loved Seville. So why is she reluctant to go back there with Holly to source products for the shop? What is she frightened of – and does it have anything to do with the old Spanish recipe for Seville orange and almond cake that Ella keeps hidden from her family?

In Seville, where she was once forced to make the hardest decision of her life, Ella must finally face up to the past, while Holly meets someone who poses a threat to all her plans. Seville is a city full of sunshine and oranges. But it can also be bittersweet. Will love survive the secrets of the orange grove?

Review
The Orange Grove is the fabulous new novel from Rosanna Ley. Whilst we may not to be able to fly away on holiday at the moment, Rosanna Ley is able to transport us to the beautiful city of Seville, Spain with Holly and her mother Ella. Holly, stressed from her job in Brighton, decides to change her life and follow her dream of opening a shop dedicated to Seville Oranges that feed her love of marmalalde and baking, in Dorset. To do so Holly has to make a trip to Seville, to meet business contacts who can supply her shop with all things orange. Holly wants her mother, Ella, to go with her, but Ella seems reluctant, even afraid to go to Seville, a city she visited thirty years ago. Just why is Ella so secretive about her recipe for a Seville orange and almond cake, and what is it that scares her about revisiting Seville? As Holly and Ella embark on their journey, one is starting on a new and exciting journey, whilst the other has to confront her past.

It is always a joy to pick up one of Rosanna Ley’s books, she perfectly combines warm and wonderful characters with some stunning locations. It is female characters that are at the centre of Rosanna Ley’s books, with their many relationships as mothers, daughters, sisters and wives, and in this book we have Holly, daughter to Ella and her husband Felix, and Felix’s mother, Ingrid. Holly is really excited about her new business venture, that she has kept secret from her parents until she is sure she can finance it. She has always had a love of making marmalade, baking wih the bitter sweet Seville oranges at it’s centre, a passion picked up from her mother. It is her grandmother, Ingrid, who offers to finance her new business, and help Holly out. In Seville, Holly blooms, gaining confidence in her business skills, seduced by the aromas of the orange trees, and by Rafael, a friend of one of her contacts. Whilst Holly is other wised engaged, Ella has time to reminisce about her holiday there in 1988, a holiday that was supposed to help her marriage to Felix, but thanks to his interfering mother Ingrid, sees Ella left alone in Seville to sample the delights alone. Like her daughter, Ella was under the spell of the sights and smells of the beautiful city, and also like Holly, was captivated by a young man, someone she hopes is no longer in Seville. As well as the story of Holly and Ella, there are also chapters from Felix’s point of view, as he reminisces about his marriage and that holiday where he came back from Seville to look after his mother. Felix is surrounded by strong women, but the, strongest and most controlling is his mother, who doesn’t seem to like Ella, she is the catalyst for many of their problems, something that Felix wishes he had dealt with differently. At the centre of all these relationships is love, family, secrets, and a mother and daughter on parallel journey’s thirty years apart.

Seville is not a city I have visited, but through her writing Rosanna Ley conjures up the essence of the city, it’s sights, smells and taste of the local cuisine. Neroli is one of my favourite essential oils, and it was fascinating to read about how it was made from the orange blossom, and the different ways the oranges could be used in bath and body products, candles, and even wine. The descriptive prose made me feel like I was in Seville with Holly and Ella, with the sun on my face, and looking around the city with it’s Moorish influence and stunning architecture. The vibrancy of the city really shines through, and I loved,learning more about it’s history, and the heritage from the Moors.

The Orange Grove is another stunning novel from Rosanna Ley. It has the perfect ingredients of warm characters, a beautiful setting, and a compelling plot line. I was totally immersed in this book, and loved the split timeline of Holly and Ella’s stories, the similarities in their experiences and the stunning setting of Seville, its culture and history. This is pure escapism, and the perfect summer read; simply stunning.

I would like to thank Milly Reid from Quercus Books for the invite to be part of the blog blitz for this book.