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Description edit see section history

'In the olive grove you've got to be wise in the feet and wild in the head.' At the heart of the beautiful debut novel "The Roots of the Olive Tree" are five generations of firstborn Keller women who live in the same house on an olive grove in secluded northern California. Matriarch Anna is... read more

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Characters/People edit see section history

  • Anna Keller: Anna is the matriarch of the Keller family, and is 112 years old. She is the mother of four boys and one daughter (Bets).
  • Bets Wallace, Elizabeth: Anna's daughter, wife of Frank Wallace, mother of four sons and one daughter (Callie). She is 89 years old.
  • Callie Rodgers, Calliope Wallace: Bets' daughter, mother of 3 sons and Deb. She is in her mid-60s.
  • Deb Ripplinger, Deborah Rodgers: Callie's daughter, mother to Erin. She is in jail for shooting her husband, Carl Ripplinger.
  • Erin Ripplinger: Erin was raised by her grandmothers because her mother was in jail. She is now in her 20s, and is a vocal performer.
  • Frank Wallace: Bets' husband. He is in a nursing home and suffering from dementia.
  • Amrit Hashmi: a geneticist who comes to study the Keller women
  • Nancy: an employee at The Pit, the Keller family olive-themed store
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First Sentence edit see section history

Anna Davison Keller wanted to be the oldest person in the world.

Table of Contents edit see section history

Anna in the Fall
Chapter 1 Arrival
Chapter 2 Erin
Chapter 3 Kidron
Chapter 4 Supercentarian
Chapter 5 Violet
Chapter 6 One in Seven Million
Chapter 7 Ovuli
Chapter 8 Sixth Generation

Erin in the Winter
Chapter 9 Haircut
Chapter 10 Chowchilla
Chapter 11 The Prison Song
Chapter 12 The Other Side
Chapter 13 Constructing the Story
Chapter 14 What Erin Believes Happened
Chapter 15 Erin's Performance

Deborah in Spring
Chapter 16 Release
Chapter 17 Choices
Chapter 18 A Model Citizen
Chapter 19 Family
Chapter 20 Fools
Chapter 21 Mother and Child
Chapter 22 Coming and Going

Calliope in Summer
Chapter 23 Sole Survivor
Chapter 24 Origins
Chapter 25 Frank
Chapter 26 Selling
Chapter 27 Proof
Chapter 28 Independence
Chapter 29 Lovers
Chapter 30 Bets

Bets at the End of the Season
Chapter 31 Trust
Chapter 32 Bunyip
Chapter 33 Disclosure
Chapter 34 Leaving
Chapter 35 Sin
Chapter 36 Grafting
Chapter 37 The River

Keller, August 1, 2017

Series & Lists edit see section history

This book is in 2012 Published Books. (community list)

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Courtney Miller Santo (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: William Morrow
Country: USA
Publication Date: August 21, 2012
ISBN: 978-0062130518
Page Count: 320

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