Lime Tree Can't Bear Orange

“Lime Tree Can’t Bear Orange” by Amanda Smith. Yet another book you will not be able to put down! This one is uniquely based in Trinidad and tells the story of 16 y/o Celia who lives with her aunt in Tobago; she grew up with her aunt because her father ran off to England after her mother died from childbirth. Celia always felt like she didn’t belong and to make matters worse, she has to deal with her “fresh” step-uncle, Roman, who “could crawl under a snakes belly on stilts”. Roman eventually rapes her and Celia runs away toward another aunt who lives in Paris of Spain. On her journey, she gets sidetracked by an illness that leads her to working as a nanny for a rich family. There, her life is soon complicated by strong sexual tension with her employer. Poor Celia just cannot seem to get a break. Because of her past abuse, she cannot make the right decisions and the move she made that started off uplifting, quickly turns ugly. A lot of twist and turns throughout the book and a very shocking ending.

‘Lime Tree Can’t Bear Orange’ is currently not on the list of banned or challenged books, but be on the lookout for the published 2009 list, it’s bound to be on it.

Since I’ve already read ‘The Kite Runner’, I’m starting off my banned books challenge with ‘The Catcher in the Rye’. I realize that this is an old classic that many of you have already read. If so, feel free to discuss. Somehow, I missed it but I’m looking forward to catching up. Other must read classics on the list include “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker and “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. Both are great books. Even if you’ve seen the movies, you will not be disappointed.

Only 41 days til Banned Books Week!!