BOOK CLUB: The Farm at Peppertree Crossing

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[Total: 6 Average: 4.5]

The Farm at Peppertree Crossing is the latest book by Leonie Kelsall.

Roni has always had to stand on her own two feet and battle her way through life.  Her childhood was spent feeling that no one really loved or wanted her as she went from one foster home to the next. She found that sadly not all foster carers are in it for anything more than the money. 

Now as a young adult she sees that she has just finished a dead-end relationship and she needs to rethink her entire future. Now it’s not just going to be about her.  She needs to think about how she is going to support the baby that the two lines on the pregnancy test have informed her will be entering the world within months.

After receiving what she believes to be a scam snail mail, and deciding that she should at least inform the solicitor that someone is using his details to scam people.  She discovers that what she thought was a scam is indeed real, but her inheritance is not to be handed to her without her putting in some effort. 

It means uprooting from her life in Sydney and moving to Peppertree Crossing in South Australia.  The city girl is suddenly thrust into country life where she finds that what she thought she didn’t need, is what she does need.  She finds family, love and belonging.

A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club Members are reading The Farm at Peppertree Crossing by Leonie Kelsall.  You can read their comments below, or add your own review.

ISBN: 9781760877804 / Publisher: Allen and Unwin

21 thoughts on “BOOK CLUB: The Farm at Peppertree Crossing

  1. Thank you to Beauty and Lace and A&U Publishers for the opportunity to read my first Leonie Kelsall book, The Farm at Peppertree Crossing.

    This was a lovely story with the main character, Roni a real battler who was in the Foster Care System from birth, inheriting a farm in country SA. There is heart and humour as this city girl learns to cope with animals, cooking and life in a small town as well as dealing with pregnancy, family secrets and a hunky share farmer.
    Highly recommended

  2. The Farm at Peppertree Crossing by Leonie Kelsall is a heartwarming story about learning to trust and allowing yourself to love and be loved. Roni grew up tough with a rough childhood, she has learnt to only rely on herself. Scrapping together a living she is shocked and wary when a long lost Aunt leaves her a property. With nothing to lose Roni packs up her meagre belongings and cat and moves to South Australia.
    Through letters left by her aunt she pieces together some of the story about her parents, the letters are a lesson in themselves, slowly teaching Roni she can rely on others and allow herself to care and love.
    I thourly enjoyed this book, it will have you reaching for the tissues in some spots, but a lovely lesson in allowing yourself to trust and rely on others.
    Thanks to Allen & Unwin and Beauty and Lace for the chance to read and review this book.

  3. The Farm at Peppertree Crossing by Leonie Kelsall was a fantastic story easy to read. The story centers on Roni finding out that she had recieved inheritance from her late Aunty. Roni grew up in the foster system and was suprised to learn of her biological mother and aunty. The inheritance included a house and a farm in South Australia. Roni decides to check it out and moves in with her cat Scritches. The story line centers on her life at the farm. I loved this book and highly recommend it. Thanks Beauty and Lace for a fantastic read.

  4. I was immediately pulled into the story – with the threat of danger hanging in the air.

    Roni is instantly likeable. She cares for stray cats and runs errands for her elderly neighbour. Her life spent in foster homes has been let down after let down and she has past traumas that are still affecting her life. How can you not like, and feel empathy for this girl!

    I loved how Aunt Marian’s character was introduced through letters to Roni and even though she had passed we got to know her and she was an integral character in the story.

    The Farm at Peppertree Crossing subtly covers some heavy topics but there is plenty of humour, cute farm animals and a cute farm hand to lighten the mood.
    It was a delight to watch Roni grow and start to trust people and also learn to say no when needed. She slowly came to realise not everyone was out to hurt her or rip her off and maybe, Matt was helping out on the farm because he was genuinely a nice guy.
    I loved all the cooking and cakes, both disasters and successes, and the CWA meetings and their small town gossip. Lots of humour here!
    Léonie Kelsall knows how to create an ever changing atmosphere as it moves from foreboding, funny, breath-holding, sad and sweet. I loved the way  Léonie Kelsall unwrapped the secrets slowly throughout the story – little teasers that kept me glued to the pages.
    The Farm at Peppertree Crossing is a story of belonging, moving forward, guilt, secrets and learning to trust.
    I was keen to read this book as soon as I heard about it and I was not disappointed!

  5. The Farm at Peppertree Crossing is about Roni who had a bad childhood moving from foster family to foster family. As an adult she finds herself just out of a bad relationship, working a unsatisfying job and suddenly pregnant. Then she unexpectedly finds herself inheriting at Peppertree Crossing provided she can complete some tasks left by her Aunt. Will Peppertree Crossing be the place where she can finally find herself and feel like she can belong?
    I really enjoyed this book and the way that it was written and I look forward to reading more of Leonie’s books. Thanks to Beauty and Lace and Allen & Unwin for my complimentary copy.

  6. Thank you to Beauty and Lace, Leonie Kelsall and Allen & Unwin for the opportunity to read The Farm at Peppertree Crossing.

    This book flowed well and was easy to read. I was unable to put it down once started. I really enjoyed this book.

  7. The Farm at Peppertree Crossing by Leoni Kelsall
    Roni is a likeable protagonist from the very start of this book. We meet her as an adult and learn that she was raised in foster homes with no knowledge of her ancestry until, out of the blue, a letter arrives that will change her life. Roni who likes repetition and routine lives in a flat in Sydney with her quirky cat Scritches, has a long-term job at a takeaway in the CBD, having worked for the same boss for many years. This sense of security that Roni has created in her adult life helps her manage each day after such an unpredictable past. Following the letter, a phone call and a meeting, Roni travels out to the property she is set to inherit, off an Aunt she didn’t even know existed. On the trip to the farm, the author refers to Roni’s journey with ‘There was far too much….country out here for her liking’ and her mind is made up to sell the property and return as quickly as she can to Sydney. This, however, is not a straightforward inheritance and she learns that to gain ownership, she must undertake a series of tasks set by her aunt.
    Leoni Kelsall does a brilliant job with portraying the lead character as strong, yet vulnerable. Roni wants to be loved despite not always showing this on the surface. We feel for Roni and it is easy to see her issues are deeply rooted. She has done the hard yards as a child but despite this, she is a kind person and this is reflected with the way she helps the elderly residents in her block, dropping off supplies and the love she shows to the cat she rescued from abuse. Roni makes it clear she has learned not to expect anything from anyone and there are barriers of steel that need to be broken for her to change her beliefs. This books takes us on Roni’s journey from the city slicker she is when she first arrives at the property to a young lady who takes time to adjust and relax into a new setting and learn to embrace it. It was a book I found hard to put down and I would highly recommend it.

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