The Growing Season: A Novel (Becoming Belle)

An illuminating follow-up to Jane Lorenzini’s After the Rain.

It’s 1889. Are tomatoes the key to gardener Belle Carson cultivating the future she’s always wanted? From New York Times bestselling author Jane Lorenzini comes a story of hope and forgiveness, with a delightful dose of small-town fun.

Twenty-seven-year-old Belle Carson tends the gardens of world-renowned inventor Thomas Edison on his winter estate in Fort Myers, Florida. He and his family rarely visit, but when a friend of the Edisons’ drops in, she convinces Belle to join an agricultural movement sweeping the South—tomato clubs for girls. But just as Belle is blossoming as a mentor and mother figure, her romantic relationship and the precious tomato crop wither on the vine. Can Belle prove to her girls that every challenge is an opportunity to grow? Secrets, surprises, and the search for truth keep Belle—and the local newspaperbattling for answers.