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The Mulberry Tree
Lillian Manville, the devoted wife of business titan Jimmie Manville, had always taken the blessings of her life for granted - until the devastating news of Jimmie's death turns everything upside down. Lillian is bewildered to learn that Jimmie has willed her nothing but the rundown farmhouse of his Virginia childhood and left his fortune to his greedy brother and sister. All Lillian has now is a house she's never seen - and Jimmie's cryptic note alluding to a mysterious scandal that had haunted her late husband since his Virginia 'Find out the truth about what happened will you? Do it for me. And wherever you are, whatever you do, remember that I love you.' To escape the relentless paparazzi hounding her in the wake of her husband's death, Lillian changes her name, gives herself a dramatic makeover and sets herself up in the old Manville farmhouse. She has no inkling that these transformations merely mark the start of a thrilling journey of discovery about her own resilience, about the endurance of love - and about the shocking secret that plagued the dark corners of her husband's mind. Luminous and inspiring, THE MULBERRY TREE is sure to captivate readers everywhere.
466 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2002
561 people are currently reading
1981 people want to read
About the author
Jude Deveraux
198 books7,022 followersJude Gilliam was born September 20, 1947 in Fairdale, Kentucky. She has a large extended family and is the elder sister of four brothers. She attended Murray State University and received a degree in Art. In 1967, Jude married and took her husband's surname of White, but four years later they divorced. For years, she worked as 5th-grade teacher.
She began writing in 1976, and published her first book, The Enchanted Land (1977) under the name Jude Deveraux. Following the publication of her first novel, she resigned her teaching position. Now, she is the author of 31 New York Times bestsellers.
Jude won readers' hearts with the epic Velvet series, which revolves around the lives of the Montgomery family's irresistible men. Jude's early books are set largely in 15th- and 16th-century England; in them her fierce, impassioned protagonists find themselves in the midst of blood feuds and wars. Her heroines are equally scrappy -- medieval Scarlett O'Haras who often have a low regard for the men who eventually win them over. They're fighters, certainly, but they're also beauties who are preoccupied with survival and family preservation.
Jude has also stepped outside her milieu, with mixed results. Her James River trilogy (River Lady, Lost Lady, and Counterfeit Lady) is set mostly in post-Revolution America; the popular, softer-edged Twin of Fire/Twin of Ice moves to 19th-century Colorado and introduces another hunky-man clan, the Taggerts.
Deveraux manages to evoke a strong and convincing atmosphere for each of her books, but her dialogue and characters are as familiar as a modern-day soap opera's. "Historicals seem to be all I'm capable of," Jude once said in an interview, referring to a now out-of-print attempt at contemporary fiction, 1982's Casa Grande. "I don't want to write family sagas or occult books, and I have no intention of again trying to ruin the contemporary market." Still, Jude did later attempt modern-day romances, such as the lighthearted High Tide (her first murder caper), the contemporary female friendship story The Summerhouse, and the time-traveling Knight in Shining Armor. In fact, with 2002's The Mulberry Tree, Deveraux seems to be getting more comfortable setting stories in the present, which is a good thing, since the fans she won with her historical books are eager to follow her into the future.
Jude married Claude White, who she later divorced in 1993. Around the same time she met Mohammed Montassir with whom she had a son, Sam Alexander Montassir, in 1997. On Oct. 6th, 2005, Sam died at the age of eight in a motorcycle accident.
Jude has lived in several countries and all over the United States. She currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina and has an additional home in the medieval city of Badolato, Italy.
She began writing in 1976, and published her first book, The Enchanted Land (1977) under the name Jude Deveraux. Following the publication of her first novel, she resigned her teaching position. Now, she is the author of 31 New York Times bestsellers.
Jude won readers' hearts with the epic Velvet series, which revolves around the lives of the Montgomery family's irresistible men. Jude's early books are set largely in 15th- and 16th-century England; in them her fierce, impassioned protagonists find themselves in the midst of blood feuds and wars. Her heroines are equally scrappy -- medieval Scarlett O'Haras who often have a low regard for the men who eventually win them over. They're fighters, certainly, but they're also beauties who are preoccupied with survival and family preservation.
Jude has also stepped outside her milieu, with mixed results. Her James River trilogy (River Lady, Lost Lady, and Counterfeit Lady) is set mostly in post-Revolution America; the popular, softer-edged Twin of Fire/Twin of Ice moves to 19th-century Colorado and introduces another hunky-man clan, the Taggerts.
Deveraux manages to evoke a strong and convincing atmosphere for each of her books, but her dialogue and characters are as familiar as a modern-day soap opera's. "Historicals seem to be all I'm capable of," Jude once said in an interview, referring to a now out-of-print attempt at contemporary fiction, 1982's Casa Grande. "I don't want to write family sagas or occult books, and I have no intention of again trying to ruin the contemporary market." Still, Jude did later attempt modern-day romances, such as the lighthearted High Tide (her first murder caper), the contemporary female friendship story The Summerhouse, and the time-traveling Knight in Shining Armor. In fact, with 2002's The Mulberry Tree, Deveraux seems to be getting more comfortable setting stories in the present, which is a good thing, since the fans she won with her historical books are eager to follow her into the future.
Jude married Claude White, who she later divorced in 1993. Around the same time she met Mohammed Montassir with whom she had a son, Sam Alexander Montassir, in 1997. On Oct. 6th, 2005, Sam died at the age of eight in a motorcycle accident.
Jude has lived in several countries and all over the United States. She currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina and has an additional home in the medieval city of Badolato, Italy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 436 reviews
January 30, 2009
It's hard to catalogue the all failures of this book. Writing, plot, characters, dialogue, themes...everything falls flat. It's a little bit mystery, a little bit romance, and a little bit Wikipedia entry on canning tomatoes. Blend together artlessly and presto! You've churned out your 87th book.
July 2, 2009
I finally finished reading The Mulberry Tree by Jude Deveraux.
This book started out with a bang and hooked me in immediately, but then started to slide downward, drifting into a kind of humdrum that nearly had me closing the book for good. The only saving grace came in the form of my Book Pal at work who said, "It gets boring in the middle, but stick it out and keep reading. It gets really good at the end." Normally I do not have the patience to stick it out. If my attention span begins to droop then it's usually a lost cause. But, I fought through the chapters that spoke too much of canning and gourmet meals to get to the exciting climax I was promised.
Now, before I get into the middle section and explain why that part held very little interest to me, I do have one other problem with this book - POV. I love first person narrative. It gets such a bad rap and all through school I had to hear one English teacher after another tell me how 1st person is too complicated to write and it's near impossible to pull off. I've always begged to differ and have read many great books that succeeded with my favorite POV. And in The Mulberry Tree , Ms. Deveraux starts the first chapter in 1st person POV. Immediately my mental voice is cheering, screaming, "Yes! Alright! Whoot Whoot!" then I reached chapter two and my heart cracked. Chapter three broke it completely.
The narrative changed. I had to stop reading, back up and start over, thinking, "What happened? Where'd 1st POV go? Hello? Hello? Can someone help me?" Okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating a little. Truthfully, I was in a mild form of stunned disappointment and really did have to back up and try again. Besides that, isn't switching POVs in the middle of a story against the rules? I was bothered, to say the least, but being a good sport, I overlooked this and kept reading on....
The middle.
Scene is placed well enough, making me feel the Virginia breeze and smell the country freshness. I even sneezed a few times at the descriptions of the old, dilapidated farmhouse and its years of dust and cobwebs and cringed when I "saw" the unsightly, hideous paneling.
So what had me closing the book and struggling to go on?
Details. Yes, that's right. Details. I know that every good writer needs to have the details lined up to make their work believable. I agree. To a point. I'm not a fan of time consuming outlines of facts so strewn out that the heart of the story is pushed aside in order to go into the exact method of canning a jar of strawberry preserves. And despite the fact that I'm a poor man's version of the restauranteur and love gourmet food, the several paragraphs spent on writing out ingredients and preparations for a 5 star meal cooked in the backwoods of Virginia in a farmhouse that surprising stood up against the test of time, (where in the mountains do they sell swordfish anyway?) was just a bit too much. I wanted the heat of the action. I wanted to know what Jimmie meant when the note he left his new widow said something about finding out what happened.
Something happened? Oooohhhh, I want to know what this little bit of mystery is!
But it took to the very last couple of chapters, rushed so that the story could be wrapped up and sealed off, before I was to finally learn the dark secrets of a small backwoods town in Virginia and how everyone played a part and why Lillian/Bailey had to go from Billionaire Princess to Country Hen so fast she barely had time to pack.
So, after finishing the book, I was only half satisfied. Chapter 18 really picked up the pace and had me reading so fast I feared permanent cross-eyed damage. And I was only half satisfied with how things ended. I wanted more of the nitty gritty. The deception. The cover ups. The love triangles and family secrets. In the end, I can only give this book an honest rating of 3 stars.
For all the bits and pieces that didn't hold much for me, there were still enough chapters written with skill and strength that kept me going, and that's all that matters when it comes to reading a book - finishing it and liking it well enough. And all in all, The Mulberry Tree is worth reading.
Jo.
This book started out with a bang and hooked me in immediately, but then started to slide downward, drifting into a kind of humdrum that nearly had me closing the book for good. The only saving grace came in the form of my Book Pal at work who said, "It gets boring in the middle, but stick it out and keep reading. It gets really good at the end." Normally I do not have the patience to stick it out. If my attention span begins to droop then it's usually a lost cause. But, I fought through the chapters that spoke too much of canning and gourmet meals to get to the exciting climax I was promised.
Now, before I get into the middle section and explain why that part held very little interest to me, I do have one other problem with this book - POV. I love first person narrative. It gets such a bad rap and all through school I had to hear one English teacher after another tell me how 1st person is too complicated to write and it's near impossible to pull off. I've always begged to differ and have read many great books that succeeded with my favorite POV. And in The Mulberry Tree , Ms. Deveraux starts the first chapter in 1st person POV. Immediately my mental voice is cheering, screaming, "Yes! Alright! Whoot Whoot!" then I reached chapter two and my heart cracked. Chapter three broke it completely.
The narrative changed. I had to stop reading, back up and start over, thinking, "What happened? Where'd 1st POV go? Hello? Hello? Can someone help me?" Okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating a little. Truthfully, I was in a mild form of stunned disappointment and really did have to back up and try again. Besides that, isn't switching POVs in the middle of a story against the rules? I was bothered, to say the least, but being a good sport, I overlooked this and kept reading on....
The middle.
Scene is placed well enough, making me feel the Virginia breeze and smell the country freshness. I even sneezed a few times at the descriptions of the old, dilapidated farmhouse and its years of dust and cobwebs and cringed when I "saw" the unsightly, hideous paneling.
So what had me closing the book and struggling to go on?
Details. Yes, that's right. Details. I know that every good writer needs to have the details lined up to make their work believable. I agree. To a point. I'm not a fan of time consuming outlines of facts so strewn out that the heart of the story is pushed aside in order to go into the exact method of canning a jar of strawberry preserves. And despite the fact that I'm a poor man's version of the restauranteur and love gourmet food, the several paragraphs spent on writing out ingredients and preparations for a 5 star meal cooked in the backwoods of Virginia in a farmhouse that surprising stood up against the test of time, (where in the mountains do they sell swordfish anyway?) was just a bit too much. I wanted the heat of the action. I wanted to know what Jimmie meant when the note he left his new widow said something about finding out what happened.
Something happened? Oooohhhh, I want to know what this little bit of mystery is!
But it took to the very last couple of chapters, rushed so that the story could be wrapped up and sealed off, before I was to finally learn the dark secrets of a small backwoods town in Virginia and how everyone played a part and why Lillian/Bailey had to go from Billionaire Princess to Country Hen so fast she barely had time to pack.
So, after finishing the book, I was only half satisfied. Chapter 18 really picked up the pace and had me reading so fast I feared permanent cross-eyed damage. And I was only half satisfied with how things ended. I wanted more of the nitty gritty. The deception. The cover ups. The love triangles and family secrets. In the end, I can only give this book an honest rating of 3 stars.
For all the bits and pieces that didn't hold much for me, there were still enough chapters written with skill and strength that kept me going, and that's all that matters when it comes to reading a book - finishing it and liking it well enough. And all in all, The Mulberry Tree is worth reading.
Jo.
December 1, 2018
I'd forgotten how good JD's writing was!
August 3, 2013
I wouldn't read it again. It was ok but too many characters made this tedious and a bit confusing. Still not sure what happened to a few of the golden six. Left with a lot of loose ends but so exhausted from reading this book I don't even care.
The romance didn't catch me, with the main character eluding that she wasn't that taken with the hero, until the end.
Pretty talented author to be so versatile however as this book is very different to the others of hers I have read.
The romance didn't catch me, with the main character eluding that she wasn't that taken with the hero, until the end.
Pretty talented author to be so versatile however as this book is very different to the others of hers I have read.
August 28, 2013
Not sure I can say I disliked this book... but I certainly wouldn't classify it as a romance which is probably why it didn't sit well with me. The plot was a bit more mystery/small town story than it was contemp romance. I found the characters kind of BLAH but I had nothing against the book itself. The plot was relatively interesting but the complete lack of romance put me off.
July 10, 2013
Quite a disappointment.....picked it up as a light summer read, but was ready to put it down before I finished it. Took a weird turn about halfway through, and by the end I was so confused by all the different characters and plot gaps that I didn't even care.
March 11, 2014
I'm at a loss to understand why this was a bestseller. Implausible plot, trudged on interminably, then ended so quickly, with no rationale why any of the characters behaved the way they did, heroes or miscreants.
December 12, 2007
There are two books in my collection that I read occasionally when I need a light read and something kind of fun, and this is one of them. It is the story of Lillian Manville, the wife of billionaire James Manville, who is killed when his plane crashes in the middle of the night. He dies, leaving Lillian a decrepit old farm house and a mysterious note that reads, "Find out what happened." Lillian undergoes plastic surgery and moves to the farm in rural Virginia, trying to reassemble her life, which has been lived in the lap of luxury for 12 years. Now on her own, she relies on the strapping Matthew Longacre, her new boarder, and some friends to help her rebuild her life, discover the truth of what happened to her husband, and prevent her deceased husband's half-brother and half-sister from destroying the Manville empire with their narcissistic greediness.
I love this book. It is, in places, so beyond belief as to be grossly entertaining, and at the same time there are parts of it that I can't get enough of. Matthew Longacre is the leading man I love to hate--at one point he tells Lillian (who is newly-named Bailey James) that the pressure is off for them to be anything more than friends, and not two pages later, he kisses her in front of his whole entire family! Plus he agrees to rent one room from her and winds up taking over her whole entire house, and he is basically reverting back to his high school years while living at home licking his wounds from his failed marriage.
The half-brother and sister are so evil, and the people who rally around Lillian/Bailey are so overwhelmingly selfless and wealthy themselves, you really have to read this book with an eye to entertainment versus believability. James Manville makes Bill Gates look like a pauper. Seriously.
A fun, quick read, as close to a romance novel as I'll ever truly get and still enjoy it.
I love this book. It is, in places, so beyond belief as to be grossly entertaining, and at the same time there are parts of it that I can't get enough of. Matthew Longacre is the leading man I love to hate--at one point he tells Lillian (who is newly-named Bailey James) that the pressure is off for them to be anything more than friends, and not two pages later, he kisses her in front of his whole entire family! Plus he agrees to rent one room from her and winds up taking over her whole entire house, and he is basically reverting back to his high school years while living at home licking his wounds from his failed marriage.
The half-brother and sister are so evil, and the people who rally around Lillian/Bailey are so overwhelmingly selfless and wealthy themselves, you really have to read this book with an eye to entertainment versus believability. James Manville makes Bill Gates look like a pauper. Seriously.
A fun, quick read, as close to a romance novel as I'll ever truly get and still enjoy it.
January 7, 2010
Contemporary romance with a little mystery thrown in. Disgusting but readable story about an insecure woman married to the most rich and powerful man in the world. This author presents an unrealistically glamorous view of wealth and social standing and seems to be promoting wild materialism. So the novel seems to pander to readers' unworthiest fantasies.
Plump little Lillian, who married when she was 17 believes that she wasn't legally married because her mother never gave permission. So when her rich husband dies in a plane crash she can't contest his will leaving his billions to his brother and sister. Complications ensure leading to the revelation that the sister and brother are impostors and that all kinds of people, including the billionaire, were murdered. The heroine loses weight and finds true love with an architect. The billions are distributed for the good of the workers in the billionaire's companies and the heroine founds a business making jam.
Plump little Lillian, who married when she was 17 believes that she wasn't legally married because her mother never gave permission. So when her rich husband dies in a plane crash she can't contest his will leaving his billions to his brother and sister. Complications ensure leading to the revelation that the sister and brother are impostors and that all kinds of people, including the billionaire, were murdered. The heroine loses weight and finds true love with an architect. The billions are distributed for the good of the workers in the billionaire's companies and the heroine founds a business making jam.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 22, 2020
This is my favorite book by Ms. Deveraux. I've read a lot of her novels over the years, but this one I can read again and again. It was shocking the first time I read it, but now its just plain magical. If you are a romance reader or a new adult fiction reader then this is one you should take a look at!
November 23, 2021
Cómo me ha costado terminar éste libro, y no es porque sea una historia compleja, es por largo y tedioso de la historia, la cual, para mi, se tornó medianamente interesante pasando las 100 páginas.
Por momentos sentía que leía una mezcla de estilos, thriller, drama, comedia, romance, erotismo, hasta recetario de cocina, y que al final, nada hizo que la trama se asentara y tomara fuerza. Cuando sentía un tinte de interés, pum, cambiaba la intriga hacia otro punto. La escena de sexo fue bastante pobre, nada erótica y muy forzada.
La idea era buena, pero mi opinión es que no estuvo bien manejada ni correctamente dirigida.
El propósito de un personaje estilo Cenicienta, es muy flojo, y creo que al dirigir la historia con el misterio de Los seis de oro, le dio un cariz interesante, por ese lado, si se hubiese explotado con mayor intensidad, profundizado aún más, el libro habría sido otra cosa, la narración segura y atrapante. Ha sido un poco entretenida sin más.
Lilian, o Bailey, como ahora se hace llamar, ha enviudado a sus treinta (y algo de) años (no recuerdo exactamente su edad) y no sabe porqué su marido multimillonario solo le ha dejado de herencia una vieja granja en un un pueblo aburrido y remoto. Ahora tiene que aprender a salir adelante por sus propios medio, cuando nunca ha tenido que preocuparse de nada, pues se casó con James o (Luke) desde los 17 años.
Para su fortuna, sabe cocinar, ya que siempre se mantuvo oculta del mundo exterior en las cocinas, con famosos chefs que le enseñaban artes culinarias., así como aprendió de cultivos con jardineros.
Ha de descubrir porqué su marido muerto le ha dejado esa granja y qué fue lo que realmente ha pasado. De ahí surgen varios personajes, de entre ellos, los famosos Seis de oro, seis chicos que impresionaron con sus proesas de héroes, pero que también ocultan cosas y secretos oscuros de su pasado, hechos que también deberá descubrir Bailey a lo largo de su estadía en el pueblo. A su vida llega un hombre, que se convertirá en su nuevo amor, y junto a él, irá descubriendo trozos del pasado hasta armar el rompecabezas. Al final tendrá dos caminos para elegir el que mejor la haga sentirse libre, y realizada.
Por momentos sentía que leía una mezcla de estilos, thriller, drama, comedia, romance, erotismo, hasta recetario de cocina, y que al final, nada hizo que la trama se asentara y tomara fuerza. Cuando sentía un tinte de interés, pum, cambiaba la intriga hacia otro punto. La escena de sexo fue bastante pobre, nada erótica y muy forzada.
La idea era buena, pero mi opinión es que no estuvo bien manejada ni correctamente dirigida.
El propósito de un personaje estilo Cenicienta, es muy flojo, y creo que al dirigir la historia con el misterio de Los seis de oro, le dio un cariz interesante, por ese lado, si se hubiese explotado con mayor intensidad, profundizado aún más, el libro habría sido otra cosa, la narración segura y atrapante. Ha sido un poco entretenida sin más.
Lilian, o Bailey, como ahora se hace llamar, ha enviudado a sus treinta (y algo de) años (no recuerdo exactamente su edad) y no sabe porqué su marido multimillonario solo le ha dejado de herencia una vieja granja en un un pueblo aburrido y remoto. Ahora tiene que aprender a salir adelante por sus propios medio, cuando nunca ha tenido que preocuparse de nada, pues se casó con James o (Luke) desde los 17 años.
Para su fortuna, sabe cocinar, ya que siempre se mantuvo oculta del mundo exterior en las cocinas, con famosos chefs que le enseñaban artes culinarias., así como aprendió de cultivos con jardineros.
Ha de descubrir porqué su marido muerto le ha dejado esa granja y qué fue lo que realmente ha pasado. De ahí surgen varios personajes, de entre ellos, los famosos Seis de oro, seis chicos que impresionaron con sus proesas de héroes, pero que también ocultan cosas y secretos oscuros de su pasado, hechos que también deberá descubrir Bailey a lo largo de su estadía en el pueblo. A su vida llega un hombre, que se convertirá en su nuevo amor, y junto a él, irá descubriendo trozos del pasado hasta armar el rompecabezas. Al final tendrá dos caminos para elegir el que mejor la haga sentirse libre, y realizada.
May 1, 2016
I just finished my 4th reading of this book. After suggesting it as a good read to a friend, I couldn't get it off my mind and had to read it again. It had been a couple of years since my last reading and it had the same impact on me. I love this book. I would like to give it several more stars in my rating. I know there are a lot of negative reviews about it and I don't understand what they don't like. It has romance, mystery, motivation. I did feel the ending was a little rushed, so maybe I can see some people giving it a 4 for that reason. It almost has the feeling that she had met her word limit and had to finish real quick. I am sure to read this book again in a couple of years.
April 2016 Re-read for the 6th time and I love it just as much. It kills me to see all the negative reviews, I am guessing they were either expecting more mystery or more romance from it. I guess what I love most is how Bailey took misfortune and made herself change to deal with it.
April 2016 Re-read for the 6th time and I love it just as much. It kills me to see all the negative reviews, I am guessing they were either expecting more mystery or more romance from it. I guess what I love most is how Bailey took misfortune and made herself change to deal with it.
June 5, 2015
This is a terrible book. The characters are themselves implausible, the situations surrounding them are ludicrous. The "mystery" (this was an author's early attempt at crossing over from straight romance to romantic suspense) was convoluted and yet dull eat the same time. Every challenge the main character faced was immediately swept away a few sentences later. And as if all that wasn't bad enough, we had my LEAST favourite trope--fat character loses weight through a miracle illness and is suddenly super gorgeous. Through the rest of the book I had to read over and over about How she was so ugly when she was fat but now she's gorgeous.
It's just NOT worth anybody's time.
It's just NOT worth anybody's time.
November 15, 2020
3.5 zvaigznes.
Grāmatā ir gan toksiskas attiecības, sevis meklējumi, romantiskā un trillera līnija, līdz ar to ir interesanti. Laikam jau katra ASV mazpilsēta var lepoties ar savām leģendām, arī šeit tādas ir, bet patiesība izrādās stipri nepatīkama, tāpat kā galvenās varones pārdomas par savu līdzšinējo dzīvi.
Grāmatā ir gan toksiskas attiecības, sevis meklējumi, romantiskā un trillera līnija, līdz ar to ir interesanti. Laikam jau katra ASV mazpilsēta var lepoties ar savām leģendām, arī šeit tādas ir, bet patiesība izrādās stipri nepatīkama, tāpat kā galvenās varones pārdomas par savu līdzšinējo dzīvi.
August 5, 2014
Spoiler Alert:
I wish that the story was set during The Golden Six time. That storyline was way more fascinating that the Bailey's attempts to restart he life. The end was very interesting. But the writer didn't explain how Luke came to be under the mercy of his "brother and sister"?
Also, if his grandmother knew everything, why did he send his widow to that farm at all? He could have asked her to go see his grandmother.
And how come he didn't give his wife anything during his lifetime? She doesn't need to inherit anything if the ownership of some assets was transferred to her while he is still alive!
Reading this novel gave me the sense of forced drama. It is a bit of a fairy tale- and not in a good way.
I wish that the story was set during The Golden Six time. That storyline was way more fascinating that the Bailey's attempts to restart he life. The end was very interesting. But the writer didn't explain how Luke came to be under the mercy of his "brother and sister"?
Also, if his grandmother knew everything, why did he send his widow to that farm at all? He could have asked her to go see his grandmother.
And how come he didn't give his wife anything during his lifetime? She doesn't need to inherit anything if the ownership of some assets was transferred to her while he is still alive!
Reading this novel gave me the sense of forced drama. It is a bit of a fairy tale- and not in a good way.
May 14, 2015
I feel awful writing this but this was probably one of the worst books I've ever read. I realize it's not a traditional romance but there was zero chemistry between the main characters. There were too many stories to follow, too many name changes, and too much dialogue - yes I said too much dialogue. I'm really disappointed as this is the first book I've read from Jude. Will not recommend.
May 12, 2008
This book was alright I liked it at first but it got confusing and then stupid. Lifetime.
October 11, 2020
One of the rare books that I have read more than once. I adore it!!!
October 23, 2021
Not sure about this book and my review.. I felt I had to finish to see what the outcome was but there was too many far fetched plots to be believable … too many characters to remember and a recipe book thrown in on how to make jams!!
May 28, 2025
It wasn’t bad it just wasn’t good.
March 16, 2019
*Reread Review*
Once again loving to reread books by this author. I am attracted to people that are super passionate about an avenue enough to make themselves the best. I gravitate towards those people in real life. I like to say I'm basking and soaking up some of the greatness lol. I think that over the years my rereads of this book has been for Bailey, the FMC. I do agree with some of the reviews that there was a lot of fact dump about the canning and preserving process, however for me it didn't take from the story, it added to the character's intense drive to be good and evidenced her knowledge of her craft. Considering that this subject tied together the character with her ex husbands past as well as created a future for her I feel like the facts put into cooking preparation, recipes and the process itself were way more than justified. I also feel like they added that extra "muchness" that brought a good story and turned it into great. To think of the amount of research an author must do, especially if they themselves aren't inclined toward these activities themselves, to write a character that is a professional in this manor with such evidenced, in depth, knowledge and not just some sort of blanket statement about how she is awesome at cooking, is just awe inspiring to me. Research isn't just the busy work its an investment in unwritten character's futures.
Bailey our FMC, has lived a sheltered life. Married at 17 to billionaire James Manville she has spent her entire life living for him. Now at a loss with how to cope and continue after his untimely and suspicious death she must somehow move forward. Not only that, but James supposed brother and sister were willed everything except some run down farm house in the middle of no where and a note to find the truth.. but the truth about what? No hints. As she attempts to start her life over in this small town she meets the people there and finds this town is all bout keeping the secrets. Secrets even about "murders called suicides." The deeper she gets involved with the townspeople, including her new house mate Matt, the more she discovers and the more dangerous things get. When people from her own past start dying she knows she must uncover the truth no matter what, or else she may loose her newfound future.
Jude Deveraux is amazing. Her stories always seem so multifaceted and yet flow so seamlessly. In this book the romance really took a back seat and let self love, and self discovery push to the forefront. In her books its really impossible to not become super involved with the characters who are all written so rounded... even characters without much air time. I've been called a strict reviewer and this is why. Its impossible to accept less than when you grew up with the greats.. This puts a lot of pressure on newer authors I'm sure but I don't feel like I'm usually harsh in my reviews just waiting on them to match or better what I've read before!
Once again loving to reread books by this author. I am attracted to people that are super passionate about an avenue enough to make themselves the best. I gravitate towards those people in real life. I like to say I'm basking and soaking up some of the greatness lol. I think that over the years my rereads of this book has been for Bailey, the FMC. I do agree with some of the reviews that there was a lot of fact dump about the canning and preserving process, however for me it didn't take from the story, it added to the character's intense drive to be good and evidenced her knowledge of her craft. Considering that this subject tied together the character with her ex husbands past as well as created a future for her I feel like the facts put into cooking preparation, recipes and the process itself were way more than justified. I also feel like they added that extra "muchness" that brought a good story and turned it into great. To think of the amount of research an author must do, especially if they themselves aren't inclined toward these activities themselves, to write a character that is a professional in this manor with such evidenced, in depth, knowledge and not just some sort of blanket statement about how she is awesome at cooking, is just awe inspiring to me. Research isn't just the busy work its an investment in unwritten character's futures.
Bailey our FMC, has lived a sheltered life. Married at 17 to billionaire James Manville she has spent her entire life living for him. Now at a loss with how to cope and continue after his untimely and suspicious death she must somehow move forward. Not only that, but James supposed brother and sister were willed everything except some run down farm house in the middle of no where and a note to find the truth.. but the truth about what? No hints. As she attempts to start her life over in this small town she meets the people there and finds this town is all bout keeping the secrets. Secrets even about "murders called suicides." The deeper she gets involved with the townspeople, including her new house mate Matt, the more she discovers and the more dangerous things get. When people from her own past start dying she knows she must uncover the truth no matter what, or else she may loose her newfound future.
Jude Deveraux is amazing. Her stories always seem so multifaceted and yet flow so seamlessly. In this book the romance really took a back seat and let self love, and self discovery push to the forefront. In her books its really impossible to not become super involved with the characters who are all written so rounded... even characters without much air time. I've been called a strict reviewer and this is why. Its impossible to accept less than when you grew up with the greats.. This puts a lot of pressure on newer authors I'm sure but I don't feel like I'm usually harsh in my reviews just waiting on them to match or better what I've read before!
January 19, 2014
This was an enjoyable mystery about Lillian, a young widow of a billionaire. She is left alone when her husband dies in a plane crash, bequeaths his wealth to siblings and only leaves Lillian with an old, run-down house and a note telling her to find out what really happened. She doesn't understand the note or what it is she is supposed to discover. The book follows her on this quest. Through it, she meets many people - some want to help her but others don't. She soon realizes that there is a big mystery in this town and it all has to do with "the golden six", six young men and their involvement in some tragedies that occurred years before.
My biggest criticism is that I had some trouble following all of it. That was probably due to the fact that I was listening to the audio version and so it is hard to go back and remind oneself about the characters and names. Also, after I was finished, I found it was an abridged version and this may also have made it a bit more difficult to follow. It did, though, all come together in the end.
I also do not like sex or foul language in books. There was none of the latter but there was one or two sex scenes that were totally unnecessary.
My biggest criticism is that I had some trouble following all of it. That was probably due to the fact that I was listening to the audio version and so it is hard to go back and remind oneself about the characters and names. Also, after I was finished, I found it was an abridged version and this may also have made it a bit more difficult to follow. It did, though, all come together in the end.
I also do not like sex or foul language in books. There was none of the latter but there was one or two sex scenes that were totally unnecessary.
April 27, 2014
I won't go into the synopsis which other people have but say how I reacted to this book.
SPOILER ALERT***************SPOILER ALERT******************
There were aspects of the plot which I liked and others didn't seem believable. After changing her name, Lillian becomes Baileym but I could not understand how the inheritors of her husband's fortune could refuse Lillian entry into the house within hours of Jimmy's death? It surely would have been illegal because probate hadn't been passed and all her personal effects were in there. What if she had had a pet? Would they have grabbed that too?
I thought the start was okay, but it sort of all fell into place too easily over the course of time. I didn't like the character of the husband, I thought he was a cruel, sadistic creep.
Far too many characters overall to follow them all.
SPOILER ALERT***************SPOILER ALERT******************
There were aspects of the plot which I liked and others didn't seem believable. After changing her name, Lillian becomes Baileym but I could not understand how the inheritors of her husband's fortune could refuse Lillian entry into the house within hours of Jimmy's death? It surely would have been illegal because probate hadn't been passed and all her personal effects were in there. What if she had had a pet? Would they have grabbed that too?
I thought the start was okay, but it sort of all fell into place too easily over the course of time. I didn't like the character of the husband, I thought he was a cruel, sadistic creep.
Far too many characters overall to follow them all.
August 27, 2018
The story could also be nice, but along the chapters it seems the book was written by different authors. First it seems a romance, then a psychological novel and at the end a mistery novel. Unfortunately characters are just described and not analysed that well. The books starts with a mistery to be discovered, but then it seems the author forgot about that, rushing everything in the last chapters. Moreover, there are too many dialogues and too many descriptions of jam recipes. It's definitely not a special book. Nice story, but nothing behind that and a well-known lesson in the end "money doesn't buy happiness"
December 22, 2016
A captivating story of a recently widowed woman, who changed her appearance, her name and moved
to an old home she inherited from her late husband.
For the first time in her life she is independent; wanting to start a business on her own.
While looking for information on her late husband she uncovers some awful family secrets.
With the help of trusted friends the truth is brought to life.
Such a great read, especially with all the characters in the story.
to an old home she inherited from her late husband.
For the first time in her life she is independent; wanting to start a business on her own.
While looking for information on her late husband she uncovers some awful family secrets.
With the help of trusted friends the truth is brought to life.
Such a great read, especially with all the characters in the story.
August 29, 2022
Entretenida y absorvente novela rosa,diálogo fluido fácil de leer y entender;llena de mucha intriga,misterio y drama,.👏👏 muy apropiada para una serie políciaca,sería un gran exito.autora de más de 40 novelas,extensa tarea para mejor conocer su gran talento
August 13, 2025
The Mulberry Tree is about a wealthy widow named Lillian Manille.
After her husband sudden death , she discovers a secret past and a new life for herself.
In an old farmhouse in Virginia, she renames herself and begins her life , finding strength and independence while also uncovering secrets connected to her late husband.
The storyline could have been stronger , and with more detail.
The main character, Bailey, was a lost soul , she was all over the place .
Jimmie, her late husband , was an absolute asshole, says he loved his wife , but treated her so badly, kept her overweight, controlled and isolated her, he was selfish and cruel ( for all his faults, he loved his wife ??? )but the fact of the matter, he talked about her behind her back , with his horrid friends. He cheated on her countless times, and in the end, he left none of his billions for her .
There were characters with valuable information and lots of it , out of nowhere to move the plot forward, but did not emphasise enough that could make the story continue and make it more interesting.
If Matt had not had such a nice sense of humour, this would have been a DNF for me .
Overall, l wanted more 😡
After her husband sudden death , she discovers a secret past and a new life for herself.
In an old farmhouse in Virginia, she renames herself and begins her life , finding strength and independence while also uncovering secrets connected to her late husband.
The storyline could have been stronger , and with more detail.
The main character, Bailey, was a lost soul , she was all over the place .
Jimmie, her late husband , was an absolute asshole, says he loved his wife , but treated her so badly, kept her overweight, controlled and isolated her, he was selfish and cruel ( for all his faults, he loved his wife ??? )but the fact of the matter, he talked about her behind her back , with his horrid friends. He cheated on her countless times, and in the end, he left none of his billions for her .
There were characters with valuable information and lots of it , out of nowhere to move the plot forward, but did not emphasise enough that could make the story continue and make it more interesting.
If Matt had not had such a nice sense of humour, this would have been a DNF for me .
Overall, l wanted more 😡
March 2, 2021
Jude Deveraux books are a guilty pleasure after finishing particularly heavy reads. They are a nice distraction to wind down with - like having coffee with a friend.
The Mulberry Tree is an intriguing story of a billionaire's widow forced to unravel the mystery of her husband's life and find her independence. A cryptic letter leads her to a small town shrouded in secrecy, false identities, and murder. However, while seeking answers, she puts herself and her new close-knit community of friends at risk.
Part mystery thriller / part romantic suspense, this fast paced novel is two stories within one. There are many twists and turns as this sheltered woman works to find her own identity and build a future in an unlikely place.
A very enjoyable stand alone novel.
The Mulberry Tree is an intriguing story of a billionaire's widow forced to unravel the mystery of her husband's life and find her independence. A cryptic letter leads her to a small town shrouded in secrecy, false identities, and murder. However, while seeking answers, she puts herself and her new close-knit community of friends at risk.
Part mystery thriller / part romantic suspense, this fast paced novel is two stories within one. There are many twists and turns as this sheltered woman works to find her own identity and build a future in an unlikely place.
A very enjoyable stand alone novel.
July 27, 2021
When Lillian's billionaire husband died and leaves her with nothing (except an old abandoned farm which was left in care of their lawyer and not in the will), she flees the media spectacle. Seeking space to grieve, she changes her name and moves to the farm. There she meets an odd assortment of nosy people and a sexy architect (who basically wants to bang the widow immediately). Lillian/Bailey discovers the farm has a connection to her late husband's secret past, vows to get to the bottom of it while discovering who she is without him.
I had been talking with a friend about favourite books to reread (I'm not a rereader at all) and this one came up. The Mulberry Tree is my friend's well loved copy that she first read many many years ago. It was the book she needed during a time in her life when she wanted a new identity. Sorry Jill, I might rant about this one a bit
This was my first Deveraux and will likely be my last. While I was curious about the mystery, the writing just isn't my vibe. Perhaps because it was published in 2002... and I was 8 at that time. Maybe her newer books would suit me better but this one is REALLY dated. Halfway through when the mystery started to unravel, I found the character list to all blend together and couldn't keep anyone straight.
Also, Lillian/Bailey's late husband was a DICK. When she would attempt to diet, he would fake send boxes of chocolate to her from his clients because he preferred her "plump." He lied to Lillian when someone wanted to invest in her jams/jellies/canned goods because he wanted her all to himself. I just CANNOT WITH THAT CRAP. Don't get me started on the whole "she transformed into this beautiful vibrant person because she lost all of the weight in her grief and now everyone wants to be her friend."
I had been talking with a friend about favourite books to reread (I'm not a rereader at all) and this one came up. The Mulberry Tree is my friend's well loved copy that she first read many many years ago. It was the book she needed during a time in her life when she wanted a new identity. Sorry Jill, I might rant about this one a bit
This was my first Deveraux and will likely be my last. While I was curious about the mystery, the writing just isn't my vibe. Perhaps because it was published in 2002... and I was 8 at that time. Maybe her newer books would suit me better but this one is REALLY dated. Halfway through when the mystery started to unravel, I found the character list to all blend together and couldn't keep anyone straight.
Also, Lillian/Bailey's late husband was a DICK. When she would attempt to diet, he would fake send boxes of chocolate to her from his clients because he preferred her "plump." He lied to Lillian when someone wanted to invest in her jams/jellies/canned goods because he wanted her all to himself. I just CANNOT WITH THAT CRAP. Don't get me started on the whole "she transformed into this beautiful vibrant person because she lost all of the weight in her grief and now everyone wants to be her friend."
September 24, 2018
A poignant and bittersweet story of a wife who loses her billionaire husband, who protects her by leaving her nothing in his will. As the reader travels with Lillian to her new life and watches over her struggles to survive, another mystery is slowly unraveling, one that may put Lillian in danger of being killed. Matt is not the normal hero. An out-of-work, divorced architect who "boards" with Lillian, he sometimes champions her and sometimes undercuts her attempts to function on her own. The book has an interesting way of looking at marriages and relationships, men's needs versus women's needs. I loved every second of it.
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