Tree/House: A Novella

by Jessica Knauss

Upon the death of her strange and distant husband, Emma awakens into a world full of possibility. With the help of a vagrant who camps on her property, Emma comes to understand that her life, up to this point, has been little more than a bad dream. Does she have the courage and the strength to move on and create her own life, by her own rules? A fast and fascinating read that will leave you wondering about the pink kitchen sponge.Now features haunting black-and-white images and two bonus stories!

132 pages, Paperback

First published September 17, 2008

Reviews

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful short read. The story is written in a unique style with unusual characters. I was drawn into the fast moving plot at once and wanted more even after surprising information surfaces and the novella comes to an end. I feel there's more to the story and wanted more, but the author gives us a reason to pause and consider what we know by concluding the story the way she does. I hope to see more works by this talented author.

[Koren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not my usual fare. That said I found it to be immensely enjoyable. A very well told tale of self dicovery for the lead. She also includes a secondary character the is just wonderfully quirky.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book. very surprised with out come. when i started to read i did not put book down until it ended.

[Jessica Knauss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote this book, so to avoid unfairness, here I'll share some reviews other readers have written.

***** Unexpectedly Loved This Book - Quirky, intriguing with a bit of literary mixed in, November 12, 2010
Jessica's book delighted me and Tree/House has a smart, intellectual appeal that other fiction I've read recently completely lacks.
by Roxanne McHenry
I was looking for Jessica's other books when I found this title in the Kindle Store. I tried the sample and within 2 pages I knew this would be a great read. Events immediately take a turn into the unexpected in the first chapter, and I loved seeing the world through the eyes of the protagonist. She asks herself a lot of questions as she moves ahead to a new life and new experiences (I guess I can relate to that).
The story isn't written strictly for commercial appeal. In fact this story has more of a literary style than the last 5-8 books I've read. I think the difference is those authors intended to write the next great book that sells (some were really entertaining, but didn't delight me or have intellectual appeal). Seeing Jessica's list of previous publications on her site, it makes sense that she's a writer with a story to unfold (not necessarily to craft for sales).
I chose not to reveal what happens in the story to allow it to magically unfold its surprises. I find it interesting that the early reviewers are all from Massachusetts for some reason. Well, I'm from Montana...but oops!... I grew up in Massachusetts. Makes me wonder what that connection's about, but I think that readers from other places will enjoy this book, too. A whole-hearted five stars.

***** By SC (Natick, MA)
I loved this!!! This is the first book in a long time that makes me want to read with a pen. I loved the characters and the wonderful descriptive language. I could not put this book down and have read it twice already!

***** A clever, feminine adventure in the style of magical realism, October 16, 2008
By J. Benjamin "J. Benjamin" (Boston, MA)
This provocative "page turner" borders on magical realism, telling the tale of how a young woman discovers herself. This story is a stylistic fantasy of the rewards and perils of love, wealth, and education. I could not put it down.

***** I used to be Geraldine, November 5, 2008
By C.T. (MA)
This book reminded me that I once was a free spirit and the time is now to get back to who I really am. Loved it!!

***** Could not put it down., November 2, 2008
By Matthew's mom (MA, USA)
This book is wonderful! The writing is excellent and the descriptive detail the author uses makes you feel that you are right there with Emma. I found myself actually wanting MORE details about the way Franklin treated her after the wedding on a day to day basis and why she actually fell for him.
An interesting look at human behavior and what many people do to try to find happiness by looking outside themselves instead of looking within.
I highly recommend this book.
This author's talent for writing is rare; it is what the great novels of the past had that many of today's novels/novellas do not.

[Rachel Brand · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed this book during the first two parts, but the last one was a bit of a let down. It started off as a slightly sad tale about a woman who was floating through college, unsure of where she was going in life, who ends up marrying her college professor because he was infatuated with her. Her marriage is stifling and boring and while her husband can spout romantic poetry he is unable to satisfy her in any other way. In the end, he loves Shakespeare more than her loves Emma, and she finds herself not terribly upset when he dies tragically. The novella starts with the aftermath of his funeral and then goes back to show how Emma and Franklin met. However, the last section became rather ridiculous and unbelievable. While the character of Geraldine, a vagrant who lives in one of the trees on Emma's estate, was quirky and interesting, all of the events in the final section involving her became more and more obscure. I won't spoil anything for you, but so much happened all at once that I was disappointed and this has made me drop my rating of this novella. It is an interesting tale and very well written, so if you're looking for something quirky and a little bizarre then I would recommend this. 6/10

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really, really enjoyed this short story almost the whole way through - I liked the characters, the style of writing, and there was more than enough mystery & intrigue going on to keep me turning the pages long after I should really have gone to sleep. But I just didn't get the ending! So frustrating...I had hoped for all the plot strands to come together and for everything to be cleanly resolved but I ended up not understanding what was going on. I didn't understand who Franklin really was or why he had married Emma, or why his daughter turned up and why she resembled Emma, or why he had built the tumbledown estate in the first place. It left me feeling a little stupid & disappointed!

[Lilian Gafni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed reading The Tree House. This is a wonderful story that talks about the freedom to become whatever one wants to be, and being exposed to as many possibilities in life. The author’s excellent writing has a prose that is deeply satisfying in this short story. Emma marries her professor at the age of thirty. The only trouble is that her professor husband dies with secrets left for her to discover. When a vagrant woman arrives on her property Emma’s life takes on another direction. I don’t want to give away anymore of the plot and let the readers discover for themselves this novella gem.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, good things, great writing, good characterisation, and interesting story

Bad things, I have no idea what it was about, and was left completely baffled by the ending!!

I feel really dissatisfied on completing it, like I missed something somewhere along the lines!

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually really liked this book up until the last few pages....did I fall asleep and miss something...what just happened???