The Singing Trees by Boo Walker
Maine, 1969. Annalisa Mancuso, a budding artist, lives in the oppressive factory town of Payton Mills with her grandmother and their huge Italian family after losing her parents in a car accident. Annalisa is solely focused on painting, drawing inspiration from her mother, whose own artistic aspirations were dashed in a failed marriage. Annalisa is closed off to love and is driven to succeed by both her natural brilliance and the disappointment of her past.
Leaving Payton Mills and everything it stands for is the first step. The next is where Annalisa intends to find her voice—inspiring chances in the city of Portland and a strong New England creative community. She runs into Thomas, an Ivy League student, though, and his attentions—along with those of his disturbed family—upend her plans in ways she never thought imaginable. Annalisa must weigh her dreams against an unexpected love as their relationship develops. Till an unforgivable falsehood was exposed.
Opening herself up to life and to love is a risk for Annalisa. Also, it might be the opportunity she needs to finally develop into the person and artist she was born to be.
The Singing Trees by Boo Walker
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The central themes of “The Singing Trees” are the value of family and love in all its manifestations. A fascinating prologue that takes place in a hospice serves as the book’s introduction. Analisa stops by Emma and plays the trees’ bells to make them sing. Making chimes is a skill that Analisa’s mother taught her, and subsequently, Analisa and Emma grew close to it. In order to establish herself as an artist in Portland, the main character Annalisa must leave her home in a small industrial town in Maine. Analisa received her love of art from her mother, who, before she passed away, also taught her the fundamentals. Grandma and the rest of the Italian family are Analisa’s guardians.
Analisa tries to resist falling in love with Thomas but discovers that love cannot be avoided. She is determined to be a successful artist and not make the same mistake as her mother. Thomas was conscripted into the Vietnam War because the events occurred in the 1970s. Their relationship and sentiments are further strengthened and intensified by his leaving. Their disparate backgrounds—Italian Analisa’s family is poor but cohesive against Thomas’ wealthy and chaotic family—represent their greatest barrier to communication. Surprisingly, that wasn’t what set them apart. One of them was able to move on while the other was unable to.
With a historical setting from the 1970s, it is a wonderfully written love story that centres on Analisa’s journey of self-discovery as it takes us inside her head and heart. She felt that just hard work and talent would define her voice as an artist because she was young and immature, but she later discovered that love, family, kindness, and forgiveness are important to shape her into the artist and the person she wanted to be.
