The Penny Tree

by Holly Kennedy

A struggling single mother, Annie Hillman becomes the focus of national attention when she becomes the target of a series of mysterious ads--showing a young Annie, along with messages of love and regret, from an unknown admirer--in the local newspaper. By the author of The Tin Box. Original. 40,000 first printing.

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Family Drama

330 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Under "recent updates" below I've listed some of my favorite books and gave them each 5 bright stars because I admired them so much.

Reviews

[Kristy Buzbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished almost all of this book all at once - thank goodness for a break from homework! I got The Penny Tree ages ago when I joined a book club - you know, one of those "five books for $1" deals. This one sounded vaguely interesting from a short description, so I figured - it's cheap! Why not?

Holy crap. It was so amazing. The story is about Annie, who is going through a divorce and is having a hard time coping. Her marriage fell apart during the illness of her younger son - her relationship with her husband and other son suffered from all the focus that had to be put on the sick family member. She's suffered a breakdown and has moved with her boys back home, trying to pick up the pieces. One day, the local paper prints a personal ad - one with a picture of her from her college days fifteen years ago, asking, "Have you seen this woman?" The ad calls Annie "the first woman I ever loved," and expresses regret for losing touch with her. The newspaper is sworn to secrecy as Annie tries to figure out who's doing the ads (and if it's all just a very bad joke), and eventually the story breaks to national networks and everything takes off...

This book has amazing relationships. Watching Annie with her own struggles, trying to deal with her boys as they deal with their parents' divorce...it's fascinating. The characters are real and heartfelt, and I was caught up in it. In the moments leading up to Annie discovering who placed the ads, I felt my own heart pounding! It was intense! (And no, I didn't guess right....)

I guess the best review I can give this book is this: it took real lives full of problems, and real people full of flaws, and showed just how wonderful both those things can be. I was captivated by the entire story, and as I finished the last page, my only thought was, "Wow....life is awesome."

[Jennie Stangel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! As a mother of a one-year-old and another on the way, this book really touched me. There were a lot of moments when the main character reflected on her feelings towards her children. Maybe it's just the pregnancy hormones, but I cried probably seven times reading this book.
I was convinced by ad #2 that I knew who the guy was. I had no doubt in my mind who it was! Then, it was someone who I didn't expect at all!
All in all, this was a great book about the relationships between each of four family members. I cared about all of them pretty quickly.
Thanks Kathy!

[Browning High School Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really identified with the themes of love and forgivenss that run throughout the book. Enjoyed the mother-daughter relationship and how we sometimes shortchange our mothers when we ut our fathers on pedestals...I am pregnant, so I am overly emotional, but I cried and cried while finishing the book...If you need a good read, pick it up...

[Beth Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Penny Tree is an wonderfully written book. Once I started it I could not put it down! I read it in one sitting. I highly recommend adding this to the top of your TBR list! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book kept my attention from page one on! I loved it! A great combination of love, romance, hardships, disappointments and mystery. About a lady named Annie who seems to have been dealt a bad deal in life. Yet she makes the best of it and chooses to see the positive and not the negative. As she is going through a divorce a newspaper publishes an ad that is asking if anyone has seen a certain woman. The woman happens to be her. A different ad runs for three weeks and has a very romantic tone to it. She has no idea who has placed these ads and will not find out until the last one is placed. Or will she then? You will need to read this book to find out the incredible way that it ends. I will definitely read more by this author.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so surprised that I actually LOVED a book with an HEA -- and one that made me shed a tear or two as well. The dialogue is so honest and rich, the characters delightfully flawed but true and I'm sure there was a Newfoundland in the author's life at some point because Montana was true to form as well. I had thought the premise a little far fetched and hokey but when the writer of the infamous ads is revealed, it all falls into place perfectly. Her little pearls of wisdom are an added bonus, i.e., "there will come a time when you believe everything is finished and that will be the beginning."

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd forgotten how much I like this author (The Tin Box). I just enjoy the way she crafts her books.
This one is about a woman who is in the midst of a divorce, has two sons, one of whom has a serious illness. She feels "real", like someone you can identify with as she struggles to deal with her life. The author is good at developing characters you begin to care about. Her plot has some interesting twists and turns.
This book is recommended for readers who like books about "relationships."

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although it took me a little while to get used to the author's style of going back and forth between the past and the present, I thoroughly enjoyed this book that dealt with the consequences of a child's serious illness on a marriage. I never guessed who was behind the ads. Well done Ms. Kennedy.I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

[Cupcakencorset · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel took a few chapters to hook me, as I found it a little heavy on exposition and the author’s style occasionally interfered with the story, but it was well worth the extra time. Kennedy packs an emotional wallop in this story of all-too-real people in all-too-real lives, with all-too-familiar problems. If this novel doesn’t get to you, you just may be a little dead inside.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would have been a three until I got to the ending. I did not see it coming and Kennedy really nailed it. I didn't agree with everything the book suggested about marriage and relationships, but Kennedy's biggest message - that love-based marriage can survive the storms of life if we aren't so quick to throw it away for a "fresh start" - is beautifully portrayed! Great book!

[Maryann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book I've read from this author and none of them have disappointed. I enjoyed reading this story; it is not some larger than life story but really just a glimpse at a family where one thing after another has gone wrong and how it affected that family. I would recommend it for anybody..

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick and easy read with a really uplifting ending. I loved the theme that ran through the book about how joy and happiness can be found even during the hardest of times and how no matter how close to rock bottom you feel you can always bounce back!

[LeaAnn Schnack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book about life. Brought many thoughts and memories of motherhood with boys. Shared moments, lost moments, so much. Relationships between a child and her parents, her and her husband, and her and her own children. Simply written but evokes emotion.

[Kitt · Rating 1 out of 5]

Spoilers

While the start of this is highly realistic- a man blaming his wife for not being any fun anymore as she’s trying to take care of everything at home and a child with cancer while he’s out living his best life - the end is infuriating.

All the blame is relegated to Mom from her husband and her child for the downfall of the relationship- that the husband walks out on. She then has an epiphany at the end that if she was just more fun and goes back to the person she used to be everyone can live happily ever after? So of course, she goes back to him with the realization that yep, it was all her fault.

It was well written, the characters are multi-dimensional, and the ending makes me want to burn the book.

[Madeline Pratchler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A most enjoyable read! Annie is a single mom struggling to raise her two boys, one of whom has survived a long illness. The penny tree is her refuge since she was a child - her father nailed a penny to the tree and it became a place for her to think and ground her. Then a local newspaper carries an ad - she has an unknown admirer from her past and she has no idea who took this ad out and she finds herself in the spotlight of reporters. I enjoyed the hint of mystery, trying to figure out who might have done this, and all along I was rooting for her damaged marriage to survive. The characters are authentic and memorable. I will look for more books by this author!

[Candida · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an interesting one for me because it was not like any other I have written there is a little mystery in it. The main character has gone through some really rough times and she is finding strength to get through her trails through the bonds she has formed with family and memories they have formed over the years.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a choice for an autumn reading challenge, and I loved it immediately. The characters were quirky and believable; I could see my two youngest sons in Luke & Eric. The flashbacks may bother some, but it was good insight into why the characters acted as they did—and I was surprised by the reveal towards the end. I didn’t want to set this one down and now want a penny tree of my own.

[Becky Griffus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. it was real life. All daughters look up to their Dads - it made me smile, made me cry. 2 miss my Dad every day. The Penny Tree was so great, we have a tree in our backyard with all or kids names carved in it. The older ones love to show the younger ones whenever they come to see us. A really good read.

[A Stankiewicz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. The book is engaging and keeps your interest.

[Jenny Thompson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea.

[Carol Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick read--not a lot of depth. Not a usual pick for me. Rather shallow characters.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the concept of the Penny Tree and the hope of reconciliation in this story.

[Amanda Montero · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tried real hard to stay interested. About 80 pages in I finally gave up. Story just continues to stay negative.

[Helle Torp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skøn roman med følsomme og ærlige personskildringer om mennesker, der lever med hinandens liv, sorg og glæde i deres hænder.

[Gerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet story of love and family.

[Thebestdogmom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just ok. Thought it was going to end better but it was just so so.

[Gina Shupp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book about single mom trying raise to boys and getting divorced.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Very nice story.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and the whole concept of the penny tree. I definitely wasn't expecting who was behind the newspaper ads. I thought the ending was great.

[momruncraft · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soon-to-be divorced Anne Hillman is "at the end of her rope". Her oldest son doesn't talk to her much at all, constantly skips school, and reminds her that he'd much rather be living with his dad on a near daily basis. Her younger son has survived an illness that devastated the family: financially and emotionally. She returns to her childhood home and finds strength in the "penny tree" her father gave her when she was twelve following one of the "worst days of her life" (bad part in the school play, middle school, she thought she'd NEVER survive kind of worst day).

Just when she thinks she's hit her lowest of lows, she reads an ad in the local paper that proves to change her life, forever. If only she can find out who placed it. "Do you recognize this woman? As the years go by, I often ask myself this: How did I lose the only woman I ever loved? The answer isn't straight, or simple, but if I don't do something about it, I'll regret it for the rest of my life..." She convinces her sister to call for more information only to find out that whomever placed these ads refuses to identify himself until all five have run.

The person behind the ads will shock you, break your heart, and then put it all back together again. The overall theme, reason behind the ads, and vivid portrayal of the affects of divorce on children were more poignant to me than the book itself. The characters, while somewhat engaging, weren't especially memorable or noteworthy. I had a hard time getting through parts of this book but HAD TO KNOW who placed the ads.