On the day Lady Diana married Prince Charles, Rebecca’s mother locked herself in the bathroom of 24 Beech Drive and never came out. Was it because the holiday dinner didn’t turn out just right? Because Rebecca’s grandmother married her first cousin? Or was she simply, unalterably unhappy? According to Rebecca’s scientist husband, our genes control our fate, but Rebecca isn’t so sure. Leaving everything to science allows little room for the events that shape our lives.

Looking for clues in a family history filled with three generations of mistaken marriages, dubiously fathered children, and hand-me-down sayings, Rebecca discovers she is just one piece of a family history that is still unraveling—and she wonders if events of the past are destined to repeat themselves in her own child’s future.

The intertwining relationships of mothers and daughters, sisters and brothers, and husbands and wives go to the heart of The Family Tree as it transcends the story of one woman and her family to become an indelible and resonant novel in which author Carole Cadwalladr ponders what truly makes us who we are.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 20 reviews)

Neatly-Developed Characters, But...

... the last fifth of the book simply unwound crazily, reeling away into sudden characterization changes, abrupt pop-up surprises that were unbelievable, at best, and depressing pronouncements of gloom. In fact, I asked myself, what does the protagonist have to live for, at the end? The baby? That didn't work for her own mother. I actually felt as if the author had tired of this whole novel-writing expedition, and was simply tryng to get rid of the plot and the characters quickly.
August 16, 2008

wanted to like it more

I read all the reviews and I wanted it to be better, more enjoyable. I really forced myself to finish it. If I had checked it out of the library, I may have not even gotten past the first 50 pages. But I bought it since it was so critically praised and sounded like a book I would like. Sorry, I wanted to care about these people. I wanted to be shocked about what was really going on. But I just never really cared about any of the characters. I never really cared how the relationships worked out. I'd have to give it a C minus, but, hey - what do I know!
May 17, 2007

Loved it!

It's really refreshing to read a book where the story is interesting, the characters are fully developed and both the writing style is fun and quirky. The book weaves a story of a multigenerational family and the struggles they face. But it's fun and funny! The narrator and main character is a kick-in-the-pants in such an innocent yet insightful way. You'll relate to her and recall your own childhood. I loved the layout of the book too. There are funny little diagrams, footnotes and dictionary descriptions that are a breath of fresh air and made the reading really fun.
April 29, 2007

Moving, deep, encouraging and brave. Thumbs up!

A deeply moving story of love and family with real and flawed characters that made me want to cry and call my loved ones to say "I love you".
This is a fantastically written novel with powerfully crafted characters that play an extraordinary role in this coming of age family story where the power of genetics can explain many things, yet not all, for we are more than DNA, or at least the latter is what I so strongly want to believe.
A remarkable novel with real life people and tragic events that will make you want to weep.
Superb. I absolutely recommend it.

February 19, 2007

Intriguing but depressing

This book was suspenseful and kept you interesting in learning more about the family and its checkered past. I have to say I hated the main character - you wanted to give her a swift kick in the [...]! I thought the author had an interesting writing style and would look at other books by her in the future.
August 13, 2006

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