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jgintrovertedreader's review against another edition
3.0
Talmadge is in town selling the fruit from his orchard one day when he notices two girls watching him. They're very young and very pregnant. He dozes off for a few minutes and wakes as the girls run away with some fruit they've stolen. He decides not to chase them because they look hungry. A day or two later, the girls show up at the orchard. He starts cooking extra food and leaving it out for them but they won't let him get too close.
Meanwhile, a stranger shows up in town looking for girls who sound an awful lot like the two Talmadge is watching over. Talmadge ponders things for a while and decides to meet with the stranger at his homestead. Talmadge does not like what he sees. The man, Michaelson, eventually offers to let Talmadge have 20 minutes with a nine-year-old girl for $2. Talmadge quickly leaves, resolved that Michaelson will never get his two girls back.
I really liked this on audio. Narrator Mark Bramhall's rough voice suited the feel of the story perfectly.
I got frustrated with the book though. A large part of it centers around Talmadge trying to find the youngest girl, Della, after she's grown up and left home. Della doesn't seem to give a flip about anything at that point, and she definitely doesn't care that she's breaking his heart. I tried to tell myself that she'd been through unimaginable things and I needed to cut her some slack but I couldn't. Then I would try to remind myself of the Prodigal Son and the parable of the lost sheep and that still didn't work (I don't know what it was about this book that brought out the Biblical references; it's not remotely religious). Della doesn't want to be found and I thought that should be the end of it. I'm obviously not a parent.
I tried looking at it from Talmadge's point of view. He feels responsible for Della. But he also lost a sister when he was in his teens. She went into the woods one day and never came back. He just can't find it in himself to let Della go as long as he thinks he knows where she is, and especially not after he learns that she's in trouble. I could wrap my head around things a little better from his perspective. But I still wanted to shake him and point out that he was neglecting the girl who was still at home--sweet, faithful Angeline.
Angeline got the short end of everything. She's a good girl so Talmadge doesn't feel he has to worry about her too much. She's pretty self-sufficient too. But even she seems to be hurt that Talmadge starts running off and leaving her alone to chase after Della, whom she barely remembers. I can't decide if it was Bramhall's narration falling short in this one respect or if Angeline was really written this way, but she did come across as a bit clueless. I had a hard time remembering how young she was as well. Her whole dialog seemed to be, "I don't understand," or "What's going on?" or "Tell me what's happening." Bramhall's high, breathless narration for her part didn't help.
By the last few chapters, I was pretty much done so I'd tuned out. I kind of heard what happened to everybody but I was lost in my own thoughts by then.
The book really is well-written and has a strong sense of place. This could have been a case of the wrong book at the wrong time for me. If you're in the mood for something fairly dark that explores the way that families can be formed and torn apart, give it a try.
Meanwhile, a stranger shows up in town looking for girls who sound an awful lot like the two Talmadge is watching over. Talmadge ponders things for a while and decides to meet with the stranger at his homestead. Talmadge does not like what he sees. The man, Michaelson, eventually offers to let Talmadge have 20 minutes with a nine-year-old girl for $2. Talmadge quickly leaves, resolved that Michaelson will never get his two girls back.
I really liked this on audio. Narrator Mark Bramhall's rough voice suited the feel of the story perfectly.
I got frustrated with the book though. A large part of it centers around Talmadge trying to find the youngest girl, Della, after she's grown up and left home. Della doesn't seem to give a flip about anything at that point, and she definitely doesn't care that she's breaking his heart. I tried to tell myself that she'd been through unimaginable things and I needed to cut her some slack but I couldn't. Then I would try to remind myself of the Prodigal Son and the parable of the lost sheep and that still didn't work (I don't know what it was about this book that brought out the Biblical references; it's not remotely religious). Della doesn't want to be found and I thought that should be the end of it. I'm obviously not a parent.
I tried looking at it from Talmadge's point of view. He feels responsible for Della. But he also lost a sister when he was in his teens. She went into the woods one day and never came back. He just can't find it in himself to let Della go as long as he thinks he knows where she is, and especially not after he learns that she's in trouble. I could wrap my head around things a little better from his perspective. But I still wanted to shake him and point out that he was neglecting the girl who was still at home--sweet, faithful Angeline.
Angeline got the short end of everything. She's a good girl so Talmadge doesn't feel he has to worry about her too much. She's pretty self-sufficient too. But even she seems to be hurt that Talmadge starts running off and leaving her alone to chase after Della, whom she barely remembers. I can't decide if it was Bramhall's narration falling short in this one respect or if Angeline was really written this way, but she did come across as a bit clueless. I had a hard time remembering how young she was as well. Her whole dialog seemed to be, "I don't understand," or "What's going on?" or "Tell me what's happening." Bramhall's high, breathless narration for her part didn't help.
By the last few chapters, I was pretty much done so I'd tuned out. I kind of heard what happened to everybody but I was lost in my own thoughts by then.
The book really is well-written and has a strong sense of place. This could have been a case of the wrong book at the wrong time for me. If you're in the mood for something fairly dark that explores the way that families can be formed and torn apart, give it a try.
guylou's review
4.0
First of all I have to thank my fellow readers on Goodreads.com for inspiring me to read this book. I noticed that many people enjoyed reading it and this was a sure indicator that it should be a good book. I was not disappointed. Although, sometime the story was dragging a bit, I loved the writing style, the amazing story itself and all the characters. The author described the surroundings so well; I could almost smell those apples and apricots. The author stayed true to the story, delivering it with just the right amount of intrigue and providing all the details in due time. Beautiful book. I did weep in the end.
jimbo1023's review
5.0
The Orchardist made me think of something I hadn't thought about since high school: themes. Several words frequently popped into my mind and made me think to myself, "yes, it is around these feelings that the book revolves."
Fear. Grief. Depression. Isolation. What it means to be a family. This is a very depressing book, but it's compelling. I realized early on that there would be no happy ending here. I was okay with that. It knew what it wanted to do, and executed it perfectly.
At times, I felt it had a slow, plodding pace. After a while, I realized that this was exactly what it needed to do. I needed to know these characters: who they were, how they thought, what drove them. A faster pace would've broken down the slow burn necessary for all of the story elements to have their full effect.
I truly felt emotionally invested in these characters. The events that transpire between them (I hesitate to use the word "plot") had me feeling their pain, and had me rolling thoughts in my head along the lines of, "how would I react in these horrible situations?"
In short, I felt The Orchardist was a deeply engaging and emotional experience that frequently gave me pause for thought. And I loved it for it.
Fear. Grief. Depression. Isolation. What it means to be a family. This is a very depressing book, but it's compelling. I realized early on that there would be no happy ending here. I was okay with that. It knew what it wanted to do, and executed it perfectly.
At times, I felt it had a slow, plodding pace. After a while, I realized that this was exactly what it needed to do. I needed to know these characters: who they were, how they thought, what drove them. A faster pace would've broken down the slow burn necessary for all of the story elements to have their full effect.
I truly felt emotionally invested in these characters. The events that transpire between them (I hesitate to use the word "plot") had me feeling their pain, and had me rolling thoughts in my head along the lines of, "how would I react in these horrible situations?"
In short, I felt The Orchardist was a deeply engaging and emotional experience that frequently gave me pause for thought. And I loved it for it.
bookscatteandme's review
4.0
What began as a book with an extremely engaging plot and interesting concept turned into something that plodded along. It's a shame, because the writer's prose is really beautiful. I would've preferred to rate this 3 1/2 stars, but I rounded up since that wasn't an option.
frexam's review
4.0
Outside my normal reading genres, and well worth it. Very well written, captivating characters, interesting time period, set in the Pacific Northwest, and difficult to put down. Recommended.
I've resolved to write more of these mini-reviews in 2018, getting down my thoughts as I finish books, and this is the first. I've gotten lazy since I can auto-complete and star-rate books via my Kindle with no effort.
I've resolved to write more of these mini-reviews in 2018, getting down my thoughts as I finish books, and this is the first. I've gotten lazy since I can auto-complete and star-rate books via my Kindle with no effort.
katdid's review
4.0
Ages back I put this on my shortlist of to-reads and then over time for some reason convinced myself it could only be a three-star read and so it sunk in priority. But it was on my kindle, and when I was between books I idly started reading it as a placeholder before I figured out what I really wanted to be reading. Although doubtful at first, I soon got sucked in and found it painfully moving at times, and I kept thinking
And even with Angelene, who’d only ever really known the orchard – I found it almost shocking (a betrayal!) how at the end the land had been sold and she’d moved away. (What was she doing? Where did she live? I really wanted to know!)
Spoiler
how Talmadge and Della could have really benefitted from counselling, but how counselling wasn’t even a thing in ~1900; how based on the era or the socio-economic climate or the culture it might never be something that is available to a person. It was kind of unbearable how Talmadge tried to do the right thing by Della, except that he thought that meant binding her to the orchard when she wanted to escape it.Even if she was to come back, the situation between them would be different, in that she would be her own person as she had not been, totally, to his mind before. When she came to the orchard between her other sojourns, she was still a part of the orchard, a part of their lives; and he would still try to protect her from harm, he counted it his responsibility to do so. But no longer. If she came back now, it would be to look at him across the distance of that severed connection. And how had it been severed? It had been severed by her actions, but it was also something that was separate from her, that he could not define; that had to do with himself, and the orchard, and the passage of time. Somewhere along the way he had forgotten to remember her; he had forgotten to constantly call her back from the distances she was always intent on pursuing.
And even with Angelene, who’d only ever really known the orchard – I found it almost shocking (a betrayal!) how at the end the land had been sold and she’d moved away. (What was she doing? Where did she live? I really wanted to know!)
ciska's review
2.0
Author
Amanda Coplin was born in Wenatchee, Washington. She received her BA from the University of Oregon and MFA from the University of Minnesota. A recipient of residencies from the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Massachusetts, and the Omi International Arts Center at Ledig House in Ghent, New York, she lives in Portland, Oregon.
Review
Ow book what have you done....."Nothing, I did nothing!"
I am going to have a hard time to write a review on this book. I was looking forward to reading this cause I really like the cover and the synopsis sounded interesting too. When I started reading I had good hopes though I already caught some sounds from other people that it was not really what they expected.
Though the story is pretty much what I expected it is a bit colorless. It flows steadily but without much excitement. Coplin did a great job in describing the surroundings and setting an atmosphere but her characters and their interaction was almost non existent. These two where pulling so strong at each other that I never got involved in the story or got a chance to bind with one of the characters.
Amanda Coplin was born in Wenatchee, Washington. She received her BA from the University of Oregon and MFA from the University of Minnesota. A recipient of residencies from the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Massachusetts, and the Omi International Arts Center at Ledig House in Ghent, New York, she lives in Portland, Oregon.
Review
Ow book what have you done....."Nothing, I did nothing!"
I am going to have a hard time to write a review on this book. I was looking forward to reading this cause I really like the cover and the synopsis sounded interesting too. When I started reading I had good hopes though I already caught some sounds from other people that it was not really what they expected.
Though the story is pretty much what I expected it is a bit colorless. It flows steadily but without much excitement. Coplin did a great job in describing the surroundings and setting an atmosphere but her characters and their interaction was almost non existent. These two where pulling so strong at each other that I never got involved in the story or got a chance to bind with one of the characters.
ponderinstuff's review
5.0
The Orchardist is not a book for everyone, but I loved it and thought it was a work of genius. This author was able to capture the intangible, inexpressible ‘sense of place’ that is often felt by those rare human beings who value solitude and nature. Amanda Coplin knows. She gets it.
There is an unusual feeling of expectancy that permeates The Orchardist - not in the way that a thriller puts you on edge and makes your nerves tighten and your heart pound. This is a wholly different feeling of uneasy expectancy that is unlike anything I've ever come across in other books.
This is a measured and impeccably-paced book. It moves slowly, steadily, constantly, inexorably toward an elusive . . . something.
There is an unusual feeling of expectancy that permeates The Orchardist - not in the way that a thriller puts you on edge and makes your nerves tighten and your heart pound. This is a wholly different feeling of uneasy expectancy that is unlike anything I've ever come across in other books.
This is a measured and impeccably-paced book. It moves slowly, steadily, constantly, inexorably toward an elusive . . . something.
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