Apples and Prayers

by Andy Brown

Description 'An orchard itself is neither a true field, nor a true wood, but a holy conjoining of the two.'Servant girl Morgan Sweet spends her life in and around the sixteenth-century apple orchards of Buckland in Devon. It is an existence inextricably joined to the land, the animals, fruits and flowers signalling the passing of each season, detailed so lovingly by Morgan in her story. Life for Morgan and her friends is sometimes merry, sometimes brutal, but always dependent on the obligations of the peasant folk, the patronage of their Lord and Ladies, and the sureties of the Latin prayer book used in church where they worship each week. But in 1549 ominous change is coming to Buckland, as the familiar rituals of life start to tear apart in the bloodiest fashion. Morgan finds that not even the ancient ways her people have known and cleaved to can safeguard against revolution and the terrible measures the powerful are willing to take to quash it.Andy Brown's debut novel is fiercely imagined, rich and wise, while Morgan is a moving and ultimately heartbreaking narrator who reminds us, above all, that we must treasure what we value most.Praise for Apples and Prayers 'Playful, vicious and loving, reminiscent of John Clare and H.E. Bates.' Rob Magnuson Smith'A richly-imagined novel. Andy Brown evokes a world that is both beguiling and filled with danger.' Susanna Jones

266 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 2, 2015

Reviews

[Wanda]

7 APR 2015 - purchased on a whim today from Barnes and Noble.

Andy Brown is the Director of Creative Writing at the University of Exeter. A well-known poet, he has published seven highly praised collections of poetry, including Exurbia (Worple 2014) and Goose Music (with John Burnside, Salt 2008). He is co-editor of a major new poetry anthology, A Body of Work: Poetry and Medical Writing (Bloomsbury 2015). Apples and Prayers is his first novel.

http://www.deanstreetpress.co.uk/auth...

[Tammy Wooding]

An orchard itself is neither a true field, nor a true wood, but a holy conjoining of the two.' Servant girl Morgan Sweet spends her life in and around the sixteenth-century apple orchards of Buckland in Devon. It is an existence inextricably joined to the land, the animals, fruits and flowers signalling the passing of each season, detailed so lovingly by Morgan in her story. Life for Morgan and her friends is sometimes merry, sometimes brutal, but always dependent on the obligations of the peasant folk, the patronage of their Lord and Ladies, and the sureties of the Latin prayer book used in church where they worship each week. But in 1549 ominous change is coming to Buckland, as the familiar rituals of life start to tear apart in the bloodiest fashion. Morgan finds that not even the ancient ways her people have known and cleaved to can safeguard against revolution and the terrible measures the powerful are willing to take to quash it. Andy Brown's...

[Jennifer Nanek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book..didn't love it as it was a bit slow to get nowhere. This is a story about the Prayer Book Rebellion of 1549 when King Edward VI tries to introduce Protestant practices to the newly created Church of England including an English prayer book. The story is about Morgan Sweet who works in a Lords household and their small town rural life. The parts about caring for the farm, the apples, superstitious traditions, festivals and other elements of day-to-day life were interesting. Morgan tells readers about her co-worker Alford and her relationship with John. The rebellion takes away all of this and I think how useless such a conflict is. I liked Morgan and her enjoyment of every day life. She was a bit more sensible than most. Wish the ending could have been happier. Great story about a little known historical event.

[Margaret Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel looks at the Prayer Book Rebellion of 1549, through the eyes of Morgan Sweet a serving woman in the household of the local Lord, Morgan Sweet is the name of a Devon Apple, and this theme runs through the book with both characters and place names being the ancient varieties of apples grown in the county. The voice of Morgan Sweet is strong and consistent, and Andy Brown has kept the period authenticity of the language throughout. As might be expected from a poet with an interest in the environment, the pastoral descriptions are well described as he charts the seasons. Where it failed was the slightness of the plot, but I will forgive that for the standard of the prose.
Find an orchard and read this sitting under an apple tree