This book was an extremely good book about family, love, and hard work. I learned about the orchards and about Arkansas,

Set in the hardscrabble hills of ­north‑west Arkansas, Arkansas Black spins a family saga that starts in the early 1900s and never quite loosens its grip on the reader. I found it to be a dark and compelling page-turner. A touch of the Southen Gothic but add some John Steinbeck and some fruit!

The title nods to the region’s jet‑skinned apple and to the bruises—literal and psychic—that mark the MCs: the Fitch clan, especially estranged brothers Jesse and Silas. The Fitch family apple farm faces bankruptcy. While Jesse Fitch wants to abandon their home, his identical twin brother, Silas, chooses to stay. Before the families can split, an unexpected tragedy uncovers a secret that binds the twins together.

Characters are the heart of this novel and Blevens does fine work with them. They come across like real people. Lots of lovely period details too. Jesse lugs around a veteran’s survivor guilt, while Silas channels pure Cain‑and‑Abel resentment; their sister Hattie has a quiet strength that I loved, fighting to keep the farm—and maybe their souls—intact. The push‑pull of loyalty and betrayal feels earned,

I look forward to more work from Blevens and now I am very curious about them apples!

Excellent slice of history As we get a glimpse of the end of the1920’s and the once-important apple growing orchards of northwest Arkansas. Twin brothers and their family provide the characters around whom the story revolves . Their struggles with nature, neighbors, the bank, and each other bring what might have otherwise been just a note in a history book to life .

I picked up this book because I have family in Northwest Arkansas and was looking forward to reading something set in the region. I enjoyed this story and learned a lot (had never heard about the apple industry in Arkansas before). The writing and characters were also strong. Not only were the main characters interesting, but I also appreciated the attention given to the side characters. For example, despite not being in most of the book, I found Lars really compelling.

The flashback scenes were also some of my favorites. Part of me wishes this book was longer and followed the family and the brothers throughout their entire lives, East of Eden style. I wanted to see more of the brothers' relationship in their younger years, as well as their relationships with Paps, Anna Lee, and Marybeth.

The book did feel a little repetitive in the middle when Jesse and Silas continued to go back and forth about what they were going to do with the farm. I can see the use of having this back and forth to emphasize how tough this situation and decision is for the brothers, but for me, it started to feel stagnant.

Overall, a good read. Strong setting, complex characters, and a focus on a unique period of history (I appreciated the author's note at the end with more information as well). Now I want to try and find an Arkansas Black to try!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As someone from Arkansas when I see a book set here, I want to read it. I was hooked from the beginning. Silas and Jesse are twin brothers with a rocky relationship and are as different as night and day. Historical fiction isn’t a genre I normally pick up, but I was invested in how the brothers were going to save their apple orchard. Each brother had their own ideas on how to save their land and did what they thought best for their family. Overall, I enjoyed the story, and I learned something new about my home state (never knew we had successful apple orchards in the state at one time.)

A great novel depicting a historical area of the USA I did not know about! This was highly interesting as well as captivating. Through the lives of a family, the reader gets an insight into what land means to this family when they are about to lose it. Different personalities, different reactions lead to fundamental disagreements putting the concept of family at risk. Some secrets and tragedies don't help make decisions either.... The characters were believable and I could relate to (most of) them. A great historical novel, with a hooking storyline and a well researched background.
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I have voluntarily written an honest review.