Thank you again William Morrow/Custom House and @mdbell79 for my gifted copy of Appleseed!

To say Appleseed is an ambitious novel is an understatement - the book covers three timelines (18th-century Ohio, the 2nd half of the 21st century, and a thousand years in the future). Bell weaves a complex tale with gorgeous prose and unexpected interconnections. I don't read a ton of science/speculative fiction, so this was a little outside my wheelhouse, but I enjoyed the challenge.

Bell throws the reader headfirst into these unfamiliar worlds, and I admit being a bit lost, confused, and intimidated at first. However, I soon got the hang of it and really enjoyed following the characters' journeys. I especially liked John and Chapman, and their paths went in very unexpected directions! Both characters' love for the earth was clear in the narrative, and I enjoyed getting to know them. The ending of the book wrapped things up beautifully and was a high point for me.

I read this book slowly so that I could digest what was going on, and I would definitely recommend that readers do that. If you like literary fiction, particularly The Overstory, you might enjoy this book - the multiple intertwined narrative structure and ode to nature reminded me a lot of that story. If you read this one, I'd love to hear what you think!