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A review by bethreadsandnaps
In the Orchard by Eliza Minot
3.5
3.5 stars
This novel is a very lyrical meditation on early motherhood. Sara from Fiction Matters recommended this one, and she is in a different space than I am (early motherhood for her, middle motherhood for me), and I'm finding more and more that we don't share the same taste in books. That's completely okay, I've realized, after beating myself up for not enjoying the things she did (awesome for her, okay for me) and really liking books that she says didn't achieve what they set out to achieve (awesome for me, okay for her).
The other reviewers are correct. Nothing really happens in this book. It does take place over the course of one day, yet there are plenty of references that go beyond the one day. There were a LOT of ruminations from young mother Maisie Moore, who has four young kids, one of which being a newborn. Even with one child, it was hard to find the time to ruminate for hours on end after just giving birth. Maybe that's just me.
The writing is strong if you like lyrical writing, almost poetry. I can start to zone out with that type of writing, so I found it difficult to concentrate at some points. Again, without a lot of plot and the writing being more about thoughts, my mind would start to wander more often than not.
Xavier seemed more philosophical than the average young boy, which taxed plausibility.
I was actually most captivated by the financial struggles of this young family (maybe because it's the most tangible aspect of this novel?), but the struggles were never really delved into in a way that I found satisfying.
I'm rounding this to 3 stars because I don't think this book will have a lot of appeal except to its target audience, which I think is a more philosophical female reader.
This novel is a very lyrical meditation on early motherhood. Sara from Fiction Matters recommended this one, and she is in a different space than I am (early motherhood for her, middle motherhood for me), and I'm finding more and more that we don't share the same taste in books. That's completely okay, I've realized, after beating myself up for not enjoying the things she did (awesome for her, okay for me) and really liking books that she says didn't achieve what they set out to achieve (awesome for me, okay for her).
The other reviewers are correct. Nothing really happens in this book. It does take place over the course of one day, yet there are plenty of references that go beyond the one day. There were a LOT of ruminations from young mother Maisie Moore, who has four young kids, one of which being a newborn. Even with one child, it was hard to find the time to ruminate for hours on end after just giving birth. Maybe that's just me.
The writing is strong if you like lyrical writing, almost poetry. I can start to zone out with that type of writing, so I found it difficult to concentrate at some points. Again, without a lot of plot and the writing being more about thoughts, my mind would start to wander more often than not.
Xavier seemed more philosophical than the average young boy, which taxed plausibility.
I was actually most captivated by the financial struggles of this young family (maybe because it's the most tangible aspect of this novel?), but the struggles were never really delved into in a way that I found satisfying.
I'm rounding this to 3 stars because I don't think this book will have a lot of appeal except to its target audience, which I think is a more philosophical female reader.