Maelle, a young botanist, believes plants communicate and nurture their own offspring. Orphaned at 10, she grows up on her grandparents' Northern Californian commune, imbibing their utopian beliefs of love for all. Her grandparents, Neil and Johanna, founded the commune as Vietnam War resisters. When filmmaker Pamela arrives, asking questions about "what became of the hippies," Johanna dreads the uncovering of the commune's secrets. Maelle, who had been told her mother died in an accident, is … [Read more...] about Joyous Lies by Margaret Ann Spence