The Fallen Fruit
A Novel
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4.3 • 3 Ratings
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- $1.99
Publisher Description
Combining history and fantasy, a sweeping multi-generational epic in the vein of Kindred and The Time Traveler's Wife about a woman who travels through time to end a family curse that has plagued her ancestors for generations.
On a rainy day in May 1964, history professor Cecily Bridge-Davis begins to search for the sixty-five acres of land she inherited from her father’s family. The quest leads her to uncover a dark secret: In every generation, one offspring from each Bridge family unit vanishes—and is mysteriously whisked back in time. Rules have been established that must be followed to prevent dire consequences:
Never interfere with past events.
Always carry your free Negro papers.
Search for the survival family packs in the orchard and surrounding forest. The ribbon on the pack designates the decade the pack was made to orient you in time.
Do not speak to strangers unless absolutely necessary.
With only a family Bible and a map marked with the locations of mysterious containers to aid her, Cecily heads to the library, hoping to discover the truth of how this curse began, and how it might be ended. As she moves through time, she encounters a circle of ancestors, including Sabrina Humbles, a free Black woman who must find the courage to seize an opportunity—or lose her heart; Luke Bridge, who traverses battlefields, slavery, and time itself to reunite with his family; Rebecca Bridge, a mother tested by an ominous threat; and Amelia Bridge, a young woman burdened with survivor's guilt who will face the challenge of a lifetime—and change Cecily's life forever. It is a race through time and against the clock to find the answers that will free her family forever.
Shawntelle Madison’s historical fiction debut is an enthralling, page-turning family saga about the inevitability of fate, the invincibility of love, and the indelible bonds of family.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Madison (the Flea Market Magic Mystery series) chronicles a professor's efforts to break her family's curse in this ambitious time travel narrative. In 1968, Black history professor Cecily Bridge-Davis inherits 65 acres of land in Virginia from her father's family. She plans to sell, but while searching the property, she stumbles upon a family Bible, within which are the records of a long-held secret: in each generation of the Bridge family, one member mysteriously vanishes, transported to the past. Driven to uncover the truth and understand the implications of this curse, Cecily launches an investigation that brings her into contact with her own ancestors. Among them is Luke, the first Bridge to fall through time. From him, Cecily learns that a single change in the past could impact the future. Armed with this knowledge, Cecily meets Luke's mother and tries to convince her to make different decisions and so alter their futures, breaking the curse. An abrupt ending and some wonky pacing disappoint, but Madison expertly navigates the time jumps, weaving together a robust shared history for the Bridge family. Fans of complex historical speculative fiction will be pleased.
