I purchased this book when it was released and toted it through many moves cross country until I finally read it and realized in it I possessed a hidden treasure.

Goldberry Long captures and distills a vivid heart rending human drama that oozes with the most impeccable sights, sounds, smells, tastes and feels of northern New Mexico. It is an odyssey for the emotions and the senses. It is a human tale of family, identity, longing, and the struggle to make peace with the past and allow it to bless one's present.

Even in the novel's prodigious length I found myself yearning for more of the rest of the story and always felt Goldberry Long was not sharing all she knew. Reading another review I was relieved to learn the published novel is but only part of Long's original manuscript.

Odd as it seems, for this lover of New Mexico, Juniper Tree Burning has become enmeshed in part of who I am. I have internalized her and she lives and breathes within my imagination, emotions and longings as does only a treasured friend.

This is a great story, with a wonderful play with words. It is truely magical reading, and I highly recommend it to any one that loves a good story!

As I began writing my next novel, Goldberry Long inspired me to discover a clear voice for my main character. She cleverly wrote a novel that felt like a fabulous and poignant poem. The flow was rhythmic and soothing. The pain is passionate and gut wrenching, and you want so badly to help Jennie overcome her fears. I fell in love with Sunny and had hoped against all hope that Jennie's own wish of his survival were true. I ached for the resolution of their relationship. Jennie is tough as nails and not easily likeable as a person. But you find yourself being dragged along in her pity party and self destruction. Although this book is heavy and dark, it is one of the best books I've read.

I saw the main characters personality split in two, love the good side ("Jennie") but hate the cold hearted adult ("Juniper"); she is unlikable but its the typical "love to hate the bad guy" At the same time I could relate to the child "Juniper" feeling very sorry for her and understanding why she turned out to be a cold hearted adult. However she was not the only focus, all the other characters, small and large, were also great mix, complementing her and making her a great villain.
As time goes on you will understand that just like "Juniper" we all have our personality flaws and we must try to correct them to become a better person. "Juniper" does things with out really thinking about how/who it will hurt and not looking at the future consequences they may have, but don't we all? I highly recommend this book if you read a chapter or so a day. At times it is tedious and long. I might have refused to finish it, which would have been a shame. If you take your time with this book, you will laugh and cry. Sticking till the end (even if it is reading it an hour a day) will leave you pleasantly surprised.

I'm currently reading this novel and finding it very loooong. This is possibly because the main character is so angry and so obnoxious that it's very hard to sympathize or even care what happens to her. In fact, I don't really like any of the characters at this point. I understand what the author is trying to do, and I think she writes really well, but I have read other novels that do this a lot better and more lovingly or at least objectively. I'm considering whether or not to finish the novel.