3.5 stars. Hull's writing is evocative of every sense, and the story of her family was beautifully told. There is no singular topic of focus in this memoir, which at times was a strength and other times, a weakness. Having little prior knowledge of Florida as a whole, this book is a testament to working-class, rural, Southern culture.

Hull's queerness is not explored in more detail until the final 30 pages of the book, but this isn't to say that this isn't a queer story. This is the story of a girl who is outside the norms of gender and sexuality from a young age, which is duly noted by the older women in her family. Hull also encounters newspapers and journalism throughout her adolescence, a detail I found especially interesting considering her future career as a journalist.

The summary and marketing of the book are quite different from the reading experience itself. While the book itself was strong in the first half, it began to skip around and jump large sections of time in the second half, leaving gaps in the story and little development. Despite this, this quick read is a fascinating account of growing up in rural Central Florida surrounded by the orange economy, and at times, one woman's queerness before she had the words to describe it.

I was really excited about this coming-of-age memoir set in pre-Disney Florida and written by a queer-identified author. What I most admired about the writing was the vivid characters. They leapt off the page to the point that even the most flawed among them became endearing. In a way, Through the Groves reminded me of The Glass Castle or Change Me Into Zeus’s Daughter, but set in Florida and with a much less extreme experience of financial insecurity. I did find myself wanting more of a takeaway from the story, perhaps more about the author’s coming out experience in a state largely inhospitable to the LGBTQ+ community, although the author certainly does not owe this to the reader. This was an excellent read and a unique look at a version of Florida I may not have otherwise glimpsed. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

Through the Groves is an intimate childhood memoir from a different time and place. Anne Hull grew up in the 1960s in the citrus groves of Florida and from the first paragraph she transports us to her father's old truck, the dirt roads, and the smells of citrus all around her. 

While the time and setting was beautiful and outside the experience of most readers, I found this memoir honest and relatable. Anne grows up with an alcoholic father and the tenuous marriage of her parents around her. When things reach a tipping point for her mother and father, Anne is thrust into a new set of challenges. She recalls these times and specific stories with grace, humor, and sincerity around the horrors of it as well. 

Hull mostly focuses on her childhood, but towards the end we do get a glimpse into her years as a young adult. Fighting to make a way to and through college and then coming out to her family at a time when it was very scary to do so, Anne explains vividly what that time was like and ends the book with a sense of hope. 

I'm so glad I read this memoir, the only thing I can say is I wanted more time with Anne and her stories, more about her transition to healing and adulthood. Read by the author, I highly recommend this as an audiobook.

The book wasn't bad, I just don't think it was my cup of tea. I feel like there was nothing very profound about this book When there could have been if the author went a bit more in depth about certain topics. On the other hand, I do really enjoy the authors style of writing.