The two women who were sisters, learned to trust Talmadge and slowly their story came out. They were slaves in a prostitution ring since they were young girls stolen from their families.
He teaches them to work in the orchard, but neither one really does much work. He feels responsible for them and still continues to feed them even though they really don't do anything in return.
This is the beginning of The Orchardist and is the start of a really interesting story full of thoughtful character development. I really enjoyed this book because of that.
The story goes on to tell of Angeline, one of the daughters of the pregnant women. Angeline and Talmadge develop a deep friendship and love for each other (like that of a grandfather and granddaughter) and Angeline learns many things from him, including how to run an orchard.
It isn't until Della, Angeline's Aunt turns up after years of being away that Talmadge and Angeline's relationship is tested.
Rating: 10 / 10
ISBN: 9780062185502
Publisher: HarperCollins
Edition: 1st Edition