Customer Reviews

Courage Tree

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
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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.

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.

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

The Courage Tree is about love, hope and trust---the kind that so few people truly experience. It's about a young girl who has a chronic illness with a very poor prognosis--end stage renal failure. She is on a non-traditional program of medication that only her mother and a friend support----the rest of the family alienated themselves from the mother because of her decision for the medication. The girl's father also is against this method of treatment. He's struggling with his own emotions. When Sophie doesn't return from a weekend camping trip with the Girl Scouts, everyone becomes part of the "discovery"------of her, of themselves, of each other------and there are several surprises along the way. Diane has a magical way of introducing the many players in the "plot" without confusing anyone. She's also able to weave their lives together, adding some mystery, some mystique and unexpected endings------allowing you to get to know all the characters, to feel their pain, to laugh with them, to smile with them and to be happy for them. I hated to see the book end. I wanted to read more. But then I feel that way every time I read one of Diane Chamberlain's books. She's a master at writing about people-----making the reader feel a part of their lives----as if they're real----making you want to meet them in person. And along the way, you are not bored. There's also a sense of drama and adventure. I truly enjoyed this story.

I am quickly becoming a Diane Chamberlain fan and her latest book is absolutely wonderful! I found that I could not put down the book and needed to finish it before anything else got done! Chamberlain weaves her story with such precision, that one thinks that they know the ending, but WHAM - a surprise is in store for the reader. The suspense skillfully draws the reader in and does not let go until the very end.

I am finding that "secrets" prevail in her books, and they are not revealed until the end, but the reader is kept in suspense until the very last possible moment! Chamberlain combines romance, mystery, thrills and issues of family all interwoven and cleverly revealing.

The main character, Janine, is incredibly strong, a maverick, who comes into her own despite her overbearing ex-husband and equally over-bearing and controlling parents. Janine meets Lucas, who shows her how to blossom and to become her own person, and to stop the "puppet" like behavior she has come to know. Lucas believes in her decision to start an alternative treatment for her daughter, against the wishes of both her ex-husband and her parents.

The story will appeal to both men and women, and the suspense of not knowing if Sophie, Janine's critically ill 8-year old daughter, will be found, will have the reader hanging onto every page!

The story was every endearing, courageous and filled with the miracle of love conquering all.

I highly recommend this book and am most anxious to read all of her previous books!

The Courage Tree is vintage Diane Chamberlain. Secrets and subplots that are as involving or more so than the main plot. This book has it all. Like other reviewers have noted, Diane has a way of doling out just enough information to make you keep turning the pages long after you're ready to turn in for a good night's sleep.

Janine, the mother of critically ill and wise beyond her years Sophie, is constantly battling her parents and ex-husband, Joe over every decision she makes. Janine's parents are hypercritical of her every move and welcome subservient, orphaned Joe into the family as one of their own. After their divorce, Joe still refers to Janine's parents as Mom and Dad. Janine's lover, the mysetrious garderner, Lucas Trowell, accurately describes her parents and ex-husband as the "anti-Jan triad". When Sophie becomes lost in the woods during a camping trip that this "triad" vehementley opposed Jan's decision to allow Sophie to participate in, all hell breaks loose.

In a similarily involving subplot, Zoe, an aging movie star, is camped out in the same woods as Sophie is lost in. She's trying to free her daughter from prison, believing that she was unjustly convicted for a crime that she didn't commit. Zoe's realization of her own mistakes as a mother, coupled with her realization that something is very wrong with her daughter, Marti, makes for compelling reading.

Diane ties all of these characters together and makes you care for all of them. By the time you've finished the last page, you're hoping for a sequel, not unusual in a Diane Chamberlain novel.

Bottom line, highly reccomended and can't wait for the next book! As someone who has lived in Northern Virginia for many years, albeit reluctantly, Diane captures the region perfectly. She writes convincingly of the beauty of the Shenandoahs, the small town feel of some cities within walking distance of Washington DC. She also captures the contempt for women and children rampant in that state, from the caviliar attitude of the police officer on the scene when Sophie and fellow Brownie, Holly, are discovered missing, to the ever present and real threat of having Janine declared incompetent solely for doing what she believed was in the best interest of her child, regardless of what the majority would have done in Janine's shoes.

Bravo Diane!!

I read this book in two days, and I probably would have read it in one day if I didn't have to work. If you like books with twists and turns around every corner then read this book. I found that I came to care about each of the characters, and did not expect many of the surprises revealed throughout the story. Chamberlain is an exceptional story teller. I can't wait to read more of her work.

As I was awaiting my library copy of The Courage Tree, I could not wait to begin. The novel starts with great promise - a missing child in need of life-sustaining medical treatment. The Courage Tree captured my attention for the first 200 pages, and then it seemed to just lose its steam.

The writing is clear and strong however, certain aspects of the plot were somewhat unbelievable. When there is a missing child a reader expects to feel the loss and intensity however, many of Chamberlain's characters seemed over concerned with their relationships that the missing child was only shadowed.

Without revealing the plot, the ending was tied up far too perfectly and far too quickly. The Courage Tree had great promise to be something more than it was. Should you endeavor to read The Courage Tree, know that your expectations may be challenged.

As this was the first novel that I have read by Chamberlain, I will give her another try with her latest, 'Cypress Point.'

I WANTED to like this book. I LOVED "the secret life of Cee-Cee Wilkes," but was somewhat disappointed by this particular novel by Diane Chamberlain. The premise is fantastic -- little girl goes missing during a Girl Scout campout, parents who are somewhat divided about the logic of allowing the girl to go find themeselves at odds in the aftermath of her disappearance. That alone would have been enough to make a great story, but it felt like instead of allowing the story to tell itself and focussing on the emotions of the participants involved, Chamberlain just kept piling on more and more coincidental events, so that the plotting took over from the story. There is Zoe, the aging movie actress, who just happens to be hiding out in the SAME woods where Sophie has been lost, along with her daughter Marti, who has been jailed for killing a friend. There is Sophie's mom Janine and her boyfriend, who many already suspect of being a pedophile, a plot involving orphans, being separated at birth, and of course a controversy involving the treatment of Sophie's kidney disease with an herbal remedy, which Janine supports while her ex-husband Joe opposes it. I felt like none of the story lines or the people in the book were sufficiently well-developed, due simply to the sheer volume of events shoveled into the book. It was hard to identify with any particular character, nor ultimately to really be drawn into the story of the search for Sophie. Chamberlains' "Cee Cee Wilkes" in contrast, was a fantastic story, with highly developed characters and a thrilling conclusion. Read that instead.

Janine Donahue couldn't dissapoint her daughter by telling her she couldn't go on the camping trip with her Brownie troop. After being diagnosed with a rare kidney disease when she was three years old, Sophie is far from a normal eight year old girl. It wasn't until Janine found out about a new study that was happening that she had hope for her daughter. Now she has an eight year old who can eat whatever she wants, smiles all the time, and generally gets to behave like an eight year old girl should. When Sophie doesn't return from the camping trip, her family and herself automatically assume the worst. Soon, Janine is the only one that has hope that Sophie is out there alive. Even the man she loves, doesn't seem to believe that Sophie is alive. It is soon a race against time as Janine fights to save the daughter she loves.

I enjoyed The Courage Tree, but didn't like it as much as I thought. Janine's ex-husband, Joe, was portrayed in a selfish light. At first I thought that he would be the 'hero' in the story, but soon read that the only reason he wanted Janine back was because he liked to control her. The way that Janine's parents and Joe ganged up on her was awful, especially since she never stood up to them. Not even by the end of the book. Lucas, Janine's lover, was a tragic character who has secrets of his own. I didn't really like the epilouge either, because I felt that it was unrealistic.