I want to thank the publisher as I received ARCs for both the printed and the audiobook version. I started reading the digital ARC but switched to the audiobook once that was available and boy am I glad I did.

As a relatively new transplant to Florida, it's hard to picture the word Hull describes in this book. In the short time I've been here urban sprawl has been disgusting and it was interesting to harken back to a time when Florida was mostly rural. Not that everything was peachy--or should I say citrusy?--then.

Through a child's eyes we see how her father, a pesticide salesman, contributed to the declined health of his customers; we see how orange grove owners used to be king; but we also see how some of the bigger problems facing Florida today were beginning to take root.

Hull's mother and grandmother were both formidable figures in their own right and feature prominently in the narrative once Hull's father is out of the picture. As does the city of St. Petersburg, a city I've come to love, but wish I knew then.

I'm not really sure I would have finished the printed book, but I always love a memoir read by the author so that made the journey more comforting and enjoyable for me. My only complaint, which is a frequent complaint of mine is that the book did not delve enough into being a lesbian during these times.

Hull's memoir feels uneven: the opening, with its powerful descriptions of a time long lost, mixed with tragedy through the lens of childhood, contrasted with the rushed, almost not worthy of mention moments of her later years. After such a strong opening, focusing so heavily on these moments of a troubled childhood, it feels like the latter chapters were an afterthought. The best way I can describe the feeling of Hull's memoir is that she lost steam part way through. This is a shame because her writing is descriptive, easy to read, and even addicting in the first half. Still, despite my complaints, I do not regret reading it, if only for the picture of a last that is long since dead.

Through the Groves: A Memoir. Anne Hull. Henry Holt & Co., 2023. 224 pages.

I guess it's mandatory: if you've ever written for a Tampa, St. Petersburg, or Miami newspaper, you are required to publish at least one book of some sort.

Journalist Anne Hull published her memoir of growing up in 1960s Central Florida. My wife grew up near Orlando, and I have a couple of friends and multiple cousins who grew up in Central Florida and on the Gulf Coast around the same time, but none of them had connections to the state citrus industry that Hull and her family had. Meanwhile, I grew up in rural South Georgia. So, even though Hull's experiences are different, there are definitely familiarities.

Through the Groves has gotten a lot of buzz and acclaim, and it has appeared on many lists of best books of the year. I realize there is a huge audience for this story, and some readers will absolutely love it. However, it's just not for me. Don't get me wrong, Hull is an excellent writer and storyteller. I simply found the story lacking. There are some family difficulties and there is inner turmoil within the young Hull, nothing groundbreaking or incredibly shocking or publishing worthy. There are a lot more interesting lives out there. Just my opinion, but I'm sure some of you will enjoy it, and that's fine too.

Did not finish, lost interest

I loved the beginning of this memoir, but somewhere shortly before the halfway point, I started feeling like—where is this going? What is the point? Where is the queerness? The writing is lovely, and hearing about life in the groves was very interesting, I just wish this had left me feeling more full. Also that the queerness didn’t feel like a quick addition to add to the ending and that the same kind of time was spent with it as what was spent with becoming intimate with the childhood experience. Thank you Henry Holt for the ARC