The Courage Tree [Paperback]

Diane Chamberlain (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2009

Eight-year-old Sophie Donohue just wanted to be like every other little girl. Which is why her mother, Janine, reluctantly agreed to let her go on the weekend camping trip with her Brownie troop. But when Janine arrives to pick up Sophie after the trip, her daughter is not with the others. Somehow, along the forested route from West Virginia, Sophie has disappeared.

But Sophie is no ordinary eight-year-old. She suffers from a rare disease, and Janine has recently enrolled her in an experimental treatment as a last effort to save her life—despite the vehement objections of her ex-husband, Joe. Without her medication, Sophie cannot survive long. All her mother's instincts tell Janine that Sophie is alive, but time is running out.

Deep in the Virginia forest, another drama unfolds. Sophie finds refuge in a remote cabin inhabited by Zoe, a woman who wants nothing to do with the child. Zoe is struggling to save her own daughter from the law, and Sophie's presence jeopardizes any chance of that happening. She is as determined to save her daughter as Janine is to save Sophie…and only one of them can succeed.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

If you start your novel with a terminally ill child and a last-chance herbal remedy, chances are you've got a story. If you have the terminally ill child survive a car accident and become lost in the remote West Virginia woods you've got some stressful reading. If, for kicks, you put a psychopathic murderer in the woods, you've got Diane Chamberlain's nail-biting drama The Courage Tree. Sophie Donohue is the wise-beyond-her-years child. Janine is the mother wolf who courageously admits her child into the clinical trial of a new medicine against the advice of her ex-husband, Joe, and her cynical parents. Lucas Trowell is the literally tree-hugging love interest who supports Janine. Chamberlain knows how to place her characters in internal and external conflicts, and there are rich subplots for each character, though the abundance and timing of them can detract from the central drama. Even with its faults, The Courage Tree will lure you in and keep you reading late into the night.--Nancy R.E. O'Brien --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

A race against time to find a sick child lost in the West Virginia wilderness keeps pages turning in this suspenseful family drama by former psychotherapist Chamberlain (Breaking the Silence). Janine Donohue lives with her eight-year-old daughter, Sophie, on the Ayr Creek estate in Vienna, W.Va., a horticultural reserve operated by the descendants of the original owner. Janine's parents live in the main house, while Janine, a former Army Reserve helicopter pilot, and Sophie, who suffers from renal failure, live in the guesthouse. Despite resistance from her parents and ex-husband, Joe, Sophie is being treated with a new alternative herbal therapy, Herbalina, at the suggestion of estate horticulturist Lucas Trowell. The promising results have allowed Sophie to accompany her Brownie troop on a weekend camping trip. Joe blames Janine for Sophie's illness, believing it is a result of Gulf War syndrome, and disapproves of Sophie's trip. Sophie, her friend Holly and troop leader Allison travel in a separate car on the return journey, then an accident kills Holly and Allison. When the three don't arrive back with the rest of the troop, the police begin to search the dense West Virginia woods. Dazed, scared and weak without her medicine, Sophie manages to make it to a dilapidated cabin, where aging film star Zoe is hiding out. Zoe is awaiting the arrival of her daughter Marti, on the lam after a jailbreak, and Zoe is prepared to do anything to ensure her daughter's safety after many years of neglect. Meanwhile, Janine's parents and Joe suspect Lucas of foul play. Despite some cramped characterizations and too many narrative trails converging at once, this page turner will please those who like their stories with as many twists and turns as a mountain road. Multicity author tour. (Feb.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Mira; Original edition (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0778327418
• ISBN-13: 978-0778327417
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #85,452 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey where, at the age of twelve, I wrote several dreadful novellas, read and admired only by my family. When college rolled around, I forgot about writing and received my bachelor's and master's degrees in Social Work from San Diego State University. I was a hospital social worker in San Diego, and later in Washington DC. I also had a private psychotherapy practice working mainly with teenagers. All the while, I was writing on the side. I viewed my writing as a hobby, but it quickly became a passion. I finally decided to take a class in 'writing the novel.' I was very shy about showing my work to the instructor, but when I finally did, he loved it! He encouraged me to aim for publication and I decided to go for it. A few years later, my first novel, PRIVATE RELATIONS, was published.

Since then, I've written about a book a year-eternity-one at last count. I now live in North Carolina, the beautiful state where many of my books are set and where I'm ten minutes from my grandbabies. I share my life with my soulmate, John, who's a photographer as well as my muse, and with my two shelties, Keeper and Jet.

Are you wondering what my books are about? One of my readers in Japan had this to say about my work: "You make me believe life is beautiful even if it is full of pain and rage." Her words touch me deeply. They hang on the wall above my computer and help me remember exactly what it is I'm trying to achieve in my stories. I hope you'll enjoy them.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't miss this one!, February 12, 2001

By 

Amy Leemon (North Fond du Lac, WI) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Courage Tree (Hardcover)

Diane Chamberlain has written several really good books and this one certainly tops the list. It grabs you from the first chapter and is very, very hard to put down. It has all the ingredients for a fantastic read - a sick lost child, distraught family, ex husband and his new girlfriend, a hidden shack in the woods with another mother and daughter who are hiding out for their own reasons, and a mother who is determined against all odds to find her missing child.

It grabs you from the first chapter and never, ever lets up.

Great character development and people you really come to know and care about.

You won't go wrong with this one.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shows Why Diane Chamberlain is one of my favorite authors, February 11, 2001

By 

Beachreader "BeachReader" (Port Townsend, WA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Courage Tree (Hardcover)

With The Courage Tree Diane Chamberlain again proves she is one of the best writers contemporary women's fiction has to offer.

Despite misgivings and warnings of her parents and ex-husband, Janine Donohue has allowed her eight-year-old daughter Sophie to go off to camp with her Brownie Troup. This is the first time she's been away from home and everyone's concern is magnified by the fact that Sophie has been seriously ill suffering from renal disease. But recently experimental treatments have improved her condition so that dialysis isn't needed as often as it once was, affording Sophie the opportunity to go away for the weekend at camp.

But Sophie doesn't return. The car in which the assistant troup leader and two of the Brownies, including Sophie, were riding, is missing. Janine's ex-husband, Joe and her parents blame Janine. They were not supportive of Sophie going on the trip in the first place. In addition, they are upset that Janine has gone against medical advice to enroll Sophie in the experimental program, despite the fact that it appears to be helping.

Lending support to Janine is her friend, Lucas Trowell, a rather mysterious man who is the head gardener at the estate where Janine and her parents live - her parents in the mansion and Janine and Sophie in a small adjacent cottage. Lucas and Janine have become more than friends but have kept their relationship a secret as Janine knows her parents would not approve. In fact, they believe there is somewhat Lucas is hiding. They even think he could be a pedophile since he seems to have such an unusual interest in Sophie. When they find out Janine is actually having a relationship with this man, they become unglued.

Joe isn't happy either. He's very close to Janine's parents and side with them in nearly every instance against Janine. He also believes he is still in love with Janine and would like to see them re-marry.

Lucas is a mysterious character, that's for sure. Instead of living in his home, he prefers to live in a rather comfortable tree-house adjacent to it. It becomes clear that there is something Lucas is hiding. His comings and goings are rather mysterious, to be sure. One evening when Lucas leaves the search scene to return home, Joe follows. What he discovers only makes him more skeptical.

In the woods near the area where young Sophie is missing, another drama is unfolding. Aging movie star Zoe has faked her own death in order to help her daughter Marti escape from prison. She has found a small shanty in the woods and made her own and is waiting for Marti to join her when Sophie appears - dirty, injured, and badly in need of medical treatment. But Zoe is reluctant to get the help she knows Sophie needs, because she needs to protect her own daughter.

Diane Chamberlain is a master at creating tense drama and then revealing secrets a little at a time - just enough to keep the reader satisfied while turning the pages at a nearly frantic pace. It was all I could do not to read the end of the book - the tension was so high and I was dying to find out what happened. I am glad I read it in succession like I was supposed to because another secret, one which was very surprising, is revealed near the end of the book - one that will have the reader exclaiming, "Wow!"

The characters are so well-drawn. Janine's skeptical and devious mother is one you just want to take and shake some sense into. All the secondary characters feel as real as the main characters. I particularly liked the character of Joe's friend, Paula, who was a stabilizing force in his life. Chamberlain takes the character of Joe and instead of making him into a villain as the ex-husband, shows him as a sympathetic character who really only has the best intentions regarding his ex-wife and daughter.

This is a fabulous story, one that kept me reading into the wee hours of the morning. I absolutely could not put it down and highly recommend this story for lovers of compelling and emotional dramas. The Courage Tree is a true masterpiece of modern American fiction.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A deep taut thriller, January 30, 2001

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Courage Tree (Hardcover)

In Virginia, a desperate Janine Donahue accepts an alternative medicine to help her dying eight-year-old child Sophie with her kidney disease. Janine already feels guilty over the stillborn death of her child years ago and she believes that her role in the Arabian Peninsula caused the damage to Sophie. When the child seems to have improved by using Herbalina, Janine allows Sophie to go to an overnight Brownie camp over the objections of her parents and her ex-spouse Joe.

However, something went wrong as the scout leader, another child, and Janine never make it back to the pick-up point where Sophie waits in a state of panic. The police become involved and Sophie searches for her lost child. Her parents and Joe condemn Janine, who knows the trio plans to force her to give up custody in a court battle. Only the strange Lucas Trowell seems to be on Janine's side. Will they find the lost child in time because Sophie desperately needs her medicine and dialysis now?

THE COURAGE TREE is a powerful relationship suspense novel centering on the fear adults feel for their children, especially an ailing child. The story line pulls out all the punches, as Janine with the exception of Lucas feels alone with her parents and Joe piling on the guilt. The subplot involving the aging amazon actress adds little to an already stalwart, poignant drama. Still, Diana Chamberlain shows her abilities with this deep taut thriller.

Harriet Klausner