The Orchard on Fire is a 1995 novel, the best known work of British author Shena Mackay

Shena Mackay

Shena Mackay FRSL , is a Scottish novelist born in Edinburgh. She was shortlisted for the Booker Prize for Fiction in 1996 for The Orchard on Fire.-Biography:...

. It has been identified as one of the best novels of the 1990s.

Plot introduction

Set in the 1950s it tells the story of the Harlency's who abandon their Streatham

Streatham

Streatham is a district in Surrey, England, located in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...

 pub for the 'Copper Kettle Tearoom' in rural Kent

Kent

Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...

. The story centres around their young daughter April and her friendship with the fiery Ruby; and with her attempts to frustrate the unhealthy attentions of Mr Greenidge...

Recognition

• Shortlisted for the 1996 Booker Prize
• New York Times Book Review, Notable book of 1996
• Publishers Weekly
  Publishers Weekly
  Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
  
  , "Best Books" of 1996

External links

• In Hot Water at the Copper Kettle review from The Independent
  The Independent
  The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
  
  by Julie Myerson
  Julie Myerson
  Julie Myerson is an English author and critic. As well as writing both fiction and non-fiction books, she is also known for having written a long-running column in The Guardian entitled "Living with Teenagers" based on her own family experiences...
  
  
• Reading guide