Peaches

Peaches is a young adult novel by Jodi Lynn Anderson. Published in 2005, it has since been followed by two sequels: Secrets of Peaches (2007) and Love and Peaches (2008), all of which follow the same three characters as they grow older.

The novel brings together three young women who are very different from one another. Birdie is a shy, inexperienced homeschooled girl who is embarrassed that she has never kissed a boy. Leeda, Birdie’s wealthy cousin, seems to lead a charmed life though she is deeply hurt by her mother’s favoritism of her older sister. Murphy, a smart but rebellious girl, is tired of conventional romance and conventional rules.

Though none of the three would socialize normally, they are brought together one summer at a peach orchard belonging to Birdie’s father. Birdie normally spends her summers helping with the peach picking, but Leeda and Murphy have never worked on a farm before. With the wedding of her older sister fast approaching, Leeda’s mother sends Leeda to the family farm to keep her out of the way. Murphy is also shipped off to the orchard against her will, in lieu of the community service she would have received for a minor breaking and entering charge.



Each girl also has a romantic interest. Leeda is involved with Rex, a handsome boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Leeda, who has had many sexual partners throughout her high school years, thinks she is tired of boys until she develops feelings for Rex. Birdie has a crush on Enrico, a young migrant worker on her father’s farm whom she is too shy to talk to.

Upon arrival at the orchard, Leeda and Murphy are unhappy with the arrangement. They are bored and find the work difficult. Though they go to the same school, the two girls have not socialized before. However, on the first day of picking peaches, they strike up a conversation and soon find that they like each other.

Meanwhile, Birdie assists her father with the day-to-day operations of the orchard. She proves to be quite organized and capable, running the dorms for the migrant workers and helping with payroll. However, she is still shy and not particularly social. Sensing that Leeda is popular around town, Birdie’s father forces her to get better acquainted with her cousin. Soon, they have also struck up a friendship.



Getting wind that Leeda and Murphy have been sneaking out at night, Birdie’s father sends her to stay in the dorms to keep an eye on the other girls. Birdie confesses her crush on Enrico and the other two give her advice and encourage her to talk to him.

Several issues threaten the orchard in quick succession. The first is a cold snap that threatens to freeze the trees. Birdie leads the workers in starting several fires to keep the trees warm. After this, Leeda and Murphy are inspired to work in the peach orchard in earnest, learning all they can about the farm. At the same time, Leeda decides to take Birdie under her wing. One night, all three girls sneak out and go to a bar. However, Murphy’s car breaks down, stranding them far from the orchard and forcing Rex to pick them up.

Birdie decides to declare her feelings for Enrico definitively, but Enrico has already left since the orchard is coming to the end of its season. She finds his new address, and Murphy and Leeda go on a road trip with her to reunite her with her crush. Spotting another woman at Enrico’s house, Birdie runs away.



On the way back to Georgia, the three girls are overtaken in their car by a hurricane. They manage to make it back to the orchard and take shelter as the storm becomes more severe. All three fear that the peach trees will be destroyed, but when the storm passes and they emerge from the cellar, they are shocked to see that the orchard is untouched, the trees unharmed. When they arrive home, they learn that all the other orchards in the area have been destroyed. Since he will be pulling in a large harvest with no competition, Birdie’s father is able to pay his debts and save the orchard.

Enrico follows Birdie back to Georgia and tells her that she misunderstood the nature of the woman at his house. The two make up and kiss. Leeda and Murphy also resolve their romantic issues when Leeda breaks up with Rex so that she can go away to college. Murphy and Rex begin to date, realizing that they are a better fit for each other than Leeda and Rex were.