Published June 30th 2015 by Penguin Books
A modern take on the classic coming-of-age novel, inspired by Anne of Green Gables
In the grand tradition of Anne of Green Gables, Bridget Jones’s Diary, and The Three Weissmanns of Westport, Andi Teran’s captivating debut novel offers a contemporary twist on a beloved classic. Fifteen-year-old orphan Ana Cortez has just blown her last chance with a foster family. It’s a group home next—unless she agrees to leave East Los Angeles for a farm trainee program in Northern California.
When she first arrives, Ana can’t tell a tomato plant from a blackberry bush, and Emmett Garber is skeptical that this slight city girl can be any help on his farm. His sister Abbie, however, thinks Ana might be just what they need. Ana comes to love Garber Farm, and even Emmett has to admit that her hard work is an asset. But when she inadvertently stirs up trouble in town, Ana is afraid she might have ruined her last chance at finding a place to belong.
Wonderful story about a girl’s quest to find a place where she can belong. A beautiful novel about loss, struggle and friendship, Ana of California turned out to be a story filled with small surprises and big hopes. I finished this story quite quickly because I was drawn into the characters and their lives.
Ana Cortez has bounced around the foster care system for over ten years. When her social worker informs Ana she’s reached her final straw, a chance to work as a farm hand in Northern California is her last hope before she gets thrown into a girls home. When Ana reaches Garber farms, she’s determined to make it work, but unfortunately she can’t tell a weed from parsley or when and how to properly pull garlic buds from their stems. Not for lack of trying, Ana makes mistake after mistake, but the Garbers and the farm workers come to care for Ana’s determined ways.
However, when she inevitably makes a mistake that has some of the townies judging her despite the progress she’s made, Ana wonders if she’s cashed in the last bit of hope she stored up for a decent life.
Overall, I really enjoyed Ana’s story. Reading that she came from Southern California, it was interesting to have some frame of reference to the places she grew up in. I really appreciated Ana’s determined nature despite the loss and tragedy she’s experienced at such a young age. I would have like to learn more about Ana’s life outside of her past that defined her. I sensed she had some amazing skills, so it would have been nice to learn what she aspired to be when she grew up. However, I suppose when someone is so focused on surviving the here and now, future plans are tough to define with any clarity.
I was drawn to Abbie and Emmett’s life, and it was interesting to get some tidbits about their past. Further insight into both of these secondary characters would have been nice, but I was pleased with what was shared. These two were both worthy characters that added an additional level of substance to the story.
Ana of California is what I would categorize as a hidden gem, which I’m so glad I jumped into. Very enjoyable story that was casted and narrated perfectly.
4 Suns
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