hese seven autobiographical poems presented chronologically are all built around images and memories of trees. The first poem is inspired by the author's family tree. The other poems trace her childhood among samán trees in the Dominican Republic, adulthood among the maples, elms and weeping willows in her adopted homeland, and the locusts around her home and sanctuary in Vermont. The final poem, "Last Trees" imagines Alvarez's death and links the themes of the previous six poems neatly together. The book is a wonderful example of the book arts, combining strong poems with lithographs by Sara EichnerAlvarez's stepdaughterprinted on impossibly delicate Japanese paper and mounted following each poem.
Used availability for Julia Alvarez's Seven Trees