Grinza’s Orchard is the story of a Gypsy girl growing up in the early 1900’s in Romania. At five years old she is gifted her own cherry tree and it becomes the centerpiece of the story as she grows up dreaming of one day having her own full-blown cherry orchard. To deal with some of the problems that she faces such as an unwanted boy who is attracted to her, a terribly hard decision she has to make to save her parents from illness during the coldest winter on record in their village, achieving her life’s dream of having her own cherry orchard and then suddenly losing it, she seeks help with visits to the witch Auntie Angelina and the Guru Sylvanus, who lives in a cave atop a nearby mountain. The story follows Grinza, her husband Clopin, and their children’s lives in the small gypsy village of Cojasca.

You will fall in love with Grinza…

Laugh with her as she is willing to try anything to get rid of her freckles… cry with her as she gives up her greatest possession to save her parents… cheer for her as she reaches her lifelong dream… and follow her as she grows up, gets married and has children of her own.

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My Review

I chose to read this book after receiving a free copy from the author. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

Grinza is a gypsy born in Romania in the late 1800’s. She has a cherry tree that she received when she was five years old, and she cherishes it so much that her dream is to have an orchard of cherry trees. This is her journey from that one tree to having that orchard as well as being blessed with a loving husband and three children.

Most of the characters in Grinza’s Orchard are good, hard-working people. Grinza and her husband are both willing to sacrifice any of their possessions for the people they love. If only more people were like them, our world might not be such a mess right now.

Grinza’s Orchard is a tale of dreams, love, life and death with just a touch of magic. It’s only 112 pages long, but it’s a sweet tale for children of all ages.

About the Author

Leonard Eckhaus is the founder of AFCOM, the leading organization in the world for data center managers. His comments and opinions have appeared in such publications as The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. He is also the cofounder of LL MUSIC LLC and received two Grammy nominations in 2018.