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The Golden Orchard
Listening time: 5 hours and 15 minutes
Maya loves to cook with her grandmother - her Halmunee - to connect with the rich family history associated with each dish, a history Maya's mom would prefer stayed in the past. While cooking with Halmunee, something remarkable happens - the food creates such a strong memory that Maya and Halmunee are transported back in time through the memory itself. Halmunee explains that the women in her family have the gift of time travel through food and Maya can do it too, if she practices. While eating her way through the past, Maya meets Jeff: another young time traveler who brings her to the Golden Orchard, a garden of memories filled with the trees of so many people's lives. Maya learns that time moves in ways she couldn't imagine and sometimes family keep their memories secret to protect the ones they love.
Maya loves to cook with her grandmother - her Halmunee - to connect with the rich family history associated with each dish, a history Maya's mom would prefer stayed in the past. While cooking with Halmunee, something remarkable happens - the food creates such a strong memory that Maya and Halmunee are transported back in time through the memory itself. Halmunee explains that the women in her family have the gift of time travel through food and Maya can do it too, if she practices. While eating her way through the past, Maya meets Jeff: another young time traveler who brings her to the Golden Orchard, a garden of memories filled with the trees of so many people's lives. Maya learns that time moves in ways she couldn't imagine and sometimes family keep their memories secret to protect the ones they love.
6 pages, Audible Audio
First published January 23, 2020
43 people are currently reading
525 people want to read
About the author
Flora Ahn
5 books73 followersFlora Ahn is an attorney by day and an author and illustrator by night. Her work includes A Brush with Magic (Quirk), A Spoonful of Time (Quirk), The Golden Orchard (Audible Original), a children's chapter book series, Pug Pals (Scholastic), as well as her popular blog, Bah Humpug. Raised in California by her Korean immigrant parents, Ahn lives in Virginia with her two pugs and practices law in DC. She is always looking for opportunities to further pursue her love of food, books, drawing, and writing, and is especially excited to find ways to combine them.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 250 reviews
June 24, 2020
Time Travel Fantasy
Review of the Audible Audio audiobook (Jan. 2020)
The Golden Orchard was a very original time travel fantasy which used ethnic Korean foods as its means of initiation with some inventive plot twists along the way. This was the sort of audiobook that would have been well suited to having a recipe book on an accompanying pdf file as you are constantly wondering about the foods mentioned. If you are curious enough, then a bit of trial and error googling will get some results such as:
Patbingsu ice dessert snack > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patbingsu
Kimchi cabbage > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimchi
Soju alcoholic drink > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soju
Bindae-tteok pancakes > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bindae-...
Songpyeon rice cakes > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songpyeon
Tteokguk rice cake soup > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tteokguk
Gimbap sushi-like rice snack > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimbap
The narration by Kathleen Choe was excellent.
The Golden Orchard was originally released January 23, 2020 and was also one of the Audible Originals made freely available to members for the month of April 2020. It is available to everyone for a standard price
Review of the Audible Audio audiobook (Jan. 2020)
The Golden Orchard was a very original time travel fantasy which used ethnic Korean foods as its means of initiation with some inventive plot twists along the way. This was the sort of audiobook that would have been well suited to having a recipe book on an accompanying pdf file as you are constantly wondering about the foods mentioned. If you are curious enough, then a bit of trial and error googling will get some results such as:
Patbingsu ice dessert snack > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patbingsu
Kimchi cabbage > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimchi
Soju alcoholic drink > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soju
Bindae-tteok pancakes > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bindae-...
Songpyeon rice cakes > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songpyeon
Tteokguk rice cake soup > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tteokguk
Gimbap sushi-like rice snack > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimbap
The narration by Kathleen Choe was excellent.
The Golden Orchard was originally released January 23, 2020 and was also one of the Audible Originals made freely available to members for the month of April 2020. It is available to everyone for a standard price
April 7, 2020
No idea as to why I have so many audible originals on my app right now.. but I'm not complaining or mad about it either.
The Golden Orchard was a pretty fun and quick audio. I definitely wished it was longer or an actual full length book now. Mostly because all the characters, twists, turns, and everything else combined into this book made it a wild and fun adventure. It was fun seeing all the relationships being built or becoming stronger throughout it. As well as all the food. Oh lord, this thing made me hungry.
If I was Maya, I probably would've freaked out after time travelling but at least she had someone with her the entire time.
The Golden Orchard was a pretty fun and quick audio. I definitely wished it was longer or an actual full length book now. Mostly because all the characters, twists, turns, and everything else combined into this book made it a wild and fun adventure. It was fun seeing all the relationships being built or becoming stronger throughout it. As well as all the food. Oh lord, this thing made me hungry.
If I was Maya, I probably would've freaked out after time travelling but at least she had someone with her the entire time.
February 4, 2020
I love how Korean culture was interwoven with a delightful tale of family, wonder, and imagination!
May 20, 2021
This is a sweet little middle-grade time travel fantasy with a teenaged girl named Maya as the protagonist.
Maya finds out from her grandmother, her Halmunee, that their family can travel to the past using food as a medium. As Maya struggles to accept this new information, she also ends up alienating her friends as she can't reveal her secret to them. This tussle between Friend Maya and Family Maya is one of the many recurrent themes in the book.
As the girl comes from a Korean background, the story is peppered with various Korean names and dishes, the latter making you wonder at the variety of food in Korean culture.
The book has a nice enough story, but the main action begins in the second half with a lot of surprising revelations and twists. So the slow start is compensated nicely with the latter half.
I heard this as an audiobook and the narrator was excellent. Her accent sounded quite authentic and lent an additional exotic charm to the story as she pronounced the words in the right way.
This story is available for free for now on the stories.audible.com site.
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
Follow me on Instagram: RoshReviews
Maya finds out from her grandmother, her Halmunee, that their family can travel to the past using food as a medium. As Maya struggles to accept this new information, she also ends up alienating her friends as she can't reveal her secret to them. This tussle between Friend Maya and Family Maya is one of the many recurrent themes in the book.
As the girl comes from a Korean background, the story is peppered with various Korean names and dishes, the latter making you wonder at the variety of food in Korean culture.
The book has a nice enough story, but the main action begins in the second half with a lot of surprising revelations and twists. So the slow start is compensated nicely with the latter half.
I heard this as an audiobook and the narrator was excellent. Her accent sounded quite authentic and lent an additional exotic charm to the story as she pronounced the words in the right way.
This story is available for free for now on the stories.audible.com site.
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
Follow me on Instagram: RoshReviews
September 14, 2020
4.5
What a sweet story! I got this book from Audible because the description of a story about family, memory, and discovering cultural roots, with a splash of time travel sounded fun. (I'm not sure why some people have marked this as science fiction. The time travel element is fantastical/magical, not science or tech related.) The general idea is that young Maya learns certain people in her family, including her grandmother (Halmunee) have the ability to time travel when interacting with something like food that is connected with a strong memory.
This seemed like a pretty straight forward and sweet story to start with. Just a girl learning about herself and her family's roots via time traveling with her Halmunee to the past. But things get deeper about halfway through. Halmunee has Alzheimer's disease and if Maya doesn't learn to time travel on her own before Halmunee loses her memory entirely Maya may lose her one key to learning about the father she doesn't remember and whom her mother won't tell her about beyond "he was a good man".
I loved the grandmother/granddaughter dynamic in this story as well as learning about Maya's Korean roots alongside her. The story so vivid I almost felt I could smell the food being cooked and see the scenes taking place. It did turn out that things hit a little closer to home for me than I expected when it came to Maya dealing with Halmunee's health problems. (Halmunee sometimes forgot who people were or where she was and would wander off. It was difficult for Maya to watch her slowly slipping away. My own grandmother passed away last month and though she didn't have Alzheimer's, she did lose clarity in the end, so I could relate well to how Maya felt about this.) However, I thought it was handled with great sensitivity.
It was also wonderful that Maya and her mother eventually were able to become closer, plus the friendship she developed with Jeff was sweet and lovely.
The reason I took off half a star is minor: Time travel stories have an unfortunate tendency to get confusing. While this story generally did a good job avoiding that, there was one twist at the end that... it might be better not to think too hard about it? :P It worked for the sake of the story, but it was just one of those wibbly wobbly timey-wimey things that may or may not make sense but we're going to pretend it does because this story is sweet and we just want to enjoy it. ;)
Overall, I enjoyed this very much and think it would be a great read for kids and adults alike. It may make you misty-eyed here and there, but it will also make you smile.
Content Advisory:
Barely anything worth mentioning.
Maya has a mild and innocent crush on a boy but their relationship stays in the realm of friends and nothing more.
Parents of children who are sensitive about loss may wish to be cautious. No one dies, but as stated in the review, Halmunee is slowly declining due to Alzheimer's. Sometimes she forgets who Maya is or confuses her with her mother. One time Halmunee leaves a food dish in the oven and night and Maya burns her arm (not described) putting it in the sink to keep it from catching fire. Another time, Halmunee wanders out of the house and Maya doesn't know where she went. (Neither she or her mother were home, though Maya was supposed to be home.) This causes her great distress and some guilt.
Mention of a train crash and people screaming but no actual violence described.
For anyone concerned about magic, the "magical" time travel ability is something passed down genetically from family member to family member. Like any other genetic trait, who gets it is unpredictable. It may skip a generation, or a younger brother may get it when it skipped the older brother. It seems to be uncommon enough in the world of the book (which otherwise looks like our own modern society) that most people don't know it exists, but more than one family has it.
What a sweet story! I got this book from Audible because the description of a story about family, memory, and discovering cultural roots, with a splash of time travel sounded fun. (I'm not sure why some people have marked this as science fiction. The time travel element is fantastical/magical, not science or tech related.) The general idea is that young Maya learns certain people in her family, including her grandmother (Halmunee) have the ability to time travel when interacting with something like food that is connected with a strong memory.
This seemed like a pretty straight forward and sweet story to start with. Just a girl learning about herself and her family's roots via time traveling with her Halmunee to the past. But things get deeper about halfway through. Halmunee has Alzheimer's disease and if Maya doesn't learn to time travel on her own before Halmunee loses her memory entirely Maya may lose her one key to learning about the father she doesn't remember and whom her mother won't tell her about beyond "he was a good man".
I loved the grandmother/granddaughter dynamic in this story as well as learning about Maya's Korean roots alongside her. The story so vivid I almost felt I could smell the food being cooked and see the scenes taking place. It did turn out that things hit a little closer to home for me than I expected when it came to Maya dealing with Halmunee's health problems. (Halmunee sometimes forgot who people were or where she was and would wander off. It was difficult for Maya to watch her slowly slipping away. My own grandmother passed away last month and though she didn't have Alzheimer's, she did lose clarity in the end, so I could relate well to how Maya felt about this.) However, I thought it was handled with great sensitivity.
It was also wonderful that Maya and her mother eventually were able to become closer, plus the friendship she developed with Jeff was sweet and lovely.
The reason I took off half a star is minor: Time travel stories have an unfortunate tendency to get confusing. While this story generally did a good job avoiding that, there was one twist at the end that... it might be better not to think too hard about it? :P It worked for the sake of the story, but it was just one of those wibbly wobbly timey-wimey things that may or may not make sense but we're going to pretend it does because this story is sweet and we just want to enjoy it. ;)
Overall, I enjoyed this very much and think it would be a great read for kids and adults alike. It may make you misty-eyed here and there, but it will also make you smile.
Content Advisory:
Barely anything worth mentioning.
Maya has a mild and innocent crush on a boy but their relationship stays in the realm of friends and nothing more.
Parents of children who are sensitive about loss may wish to be cautious. No one dies, but as stated in the review, Halmunee is slowly declining due to Alzheimer's. Sometimes she forgets who Maya is or confuses her with her mother. One time Halmunee leaves a food dish in the oven and night and Maya burns her arm (not described) putting it in the sink to keep it from catching fire. Another time, Halmunee wanders out of the house and Maya doesn't know where she went. (Neither she or her mother were home, though Maya was supposed to be home.) This causes her great distress and some guilt.
Mention of a train crash and people screaming but no actual violence described.
For anyone concerned about magic, the "magical" time travel ability is something passed down genetically from family member to family member. Like any other genetic trait, who gets it is unpredictable. It may skip a generation, or a younger brother may get it when it skipped the older brother. It seems to be uncommon enough in the world of the book (which otherwise looks like our own modern society) that most people don't know it exists, but more than one family has it.
November 29, 2021
*Audible audio *
Narration: 4 stars 🌟
Story and characters: 4 stars 🌟
---
Didn't make sense for most of it but very intriguing/interesting. Definitely want to see more as everyone's abilities develop, see where everything could lead.
Loved all the twists and turns, one though broke my heart a little bit:(
Can we have another book with these people please?:)
Narration: 4 stars 🌟
Story and characters: 4 stars 🌟
---
Didn't make sense for most of it but very intriguing/interesting. Definitely want to see more as everyone's abilities develop, see where everything could lead.
Loved all the twists and turns, one though broke my heart a little bit:(
Can we have another book with these people please?:)
February 3, 2020
It's my Audible Original book!
June 24, 2020
I really enjoyed this Young Adult book by Flora Ahn. This was one of my free Audible Original choices, and I am so glad that I read it. I absolutely loved how Ahn uses food and it's vivid connection to memory as the vehicle for her time travel. I also enjoyed her descriptions of Korean culture. I saw one review on Goodreads where the reviewer stated that they lowered the rating for having to look up the Korean dishes: how lazy and problematic! Think of this as an opportunity to get to know a new culture! Besides, being only familiar with some of the dishes myself, I felt the author described them quite well ensuring that I both understood what the dish was and also that I wanted to try it.
One qualm I had with the story was that some of the time travel rules seemed to not be fully formed. It seemed there were one or two times in the story that events happened that went against this reader's understanding of how the time travel worked. Overall, I really enjoyed this story, and didn't see the plot twist coming at all!
3.75 Stars Rounded Up to ⭐⭐⭐⭐
One qualm I had with the story was that some of the time travel rules seemed to not be fully formed. It seemed there were one or two times in the story that events happened that went against this reader's understanding of how the time travel worked. Overall, I really enjoyed this story, and didn't see the plot twist coming at all!
3.75 Stars Rounded Up to ⭐⭐⭐⭐
November 22, 2020
This was an Audible Freebie. It is Time Travel Fantasy with a tie to the Korean culture. It was a creative story line. I liked the family relationships. A mother works a lot, leaving her daughter to care for the aging Grandmother who has been diagnosed with Alzheimers. It was sweetly done. Usually the word "sweet" (for me anyway) isn't a positive, but I loved the developing maternal relationships. It wasn't perfect, and the author showed that it didn't have to be in order to be something special. That part was well done. This was more like 3.5 stars. I wish half stars were a real thing on GR.
April 29, 2020
his is a delightful tale about a time traveling family. Maddie's grandmother introduces her to time travel though food. But, of course all is not that simple. Maddie learns more than she was expecting.
June 6, 2020
This is a cute story with serious themes, which are treated with care. Some moments were fairly confusing in the moment, but the overall plot makes sense.
March 23, 2022
Entertaining middle-grade time-travel story; perhaps based on a fable or myth. Loved the characters and plot.
April 16, 2020
I enjoyed this. Korean culture and all of the twists made this entertaining.
There was only one thing.
But yeah, a good fast listen.
There was only one thing.
But yeah, a good fast listen.
March 26, 2022
Good book that was free on audible about time travel (mostly to the past), memories, family (including Korean relatives and understanding what they have been through) and (mostly Korean) food. It's quite intriguing. Loved the idea of the golden orchard but felt it could have been developed more. It does feel aimed at older children, but I enjoyed it as an adult.
Narration was very good.
Narration was very good.
June 28, 2020
This was a sweet little adventure through time story! Very easy to follow along, a sweetness between the characters and I just wanted to keep on learning what was going to happen next. Would recommend.
April 15, 2020
Amazing audio book!
I really loved this audio book, the story is really interesting!!
I really loved this audio book, the story is really interesting!!
September 20, 2020
Time travel always makes my head hurt, but it was still a very entertaining listen.
October 7, 2020
Great story about the importance of family! Would love to see a recipe book 😊
January 23, 2022
I love it. At first, I wasn't expecting anything, I chose it by its cover and wow.
Time travel, romance, drama, mystery, familiar relations, Korean culture... everything just delicious
Time travel, romance, drama, mystery, familiar relations, Korean culture... everything just delicious
May 13, 2020
I got this as a free book through my Audible membership. I'm glad I didn't pay for it, but also glad I read it. Intriguing premise, certain people have the ability to move through the time of their memories using something tangible as a catalyst. In the case of the principle characters, that catalyst is food. It's obvious Ms. Ahn enjoys food as those parts were well written and very descriptive.
I saw in a comment from another reader they wished the book were a regular length book. I think I would have preferred it to be a bit more developed as well, though I can't complain too much. If you happened to get it for free, you should read it. If you're thinking about buying it, make sure it's on sale.
I saw in a comment from another reader they wished the book were a regular length book. I think I would have preferred it to be a bit more developed as well, though I can't complain too much. If you happened to get it for free, you should read it. If you're thinking about buying it, make sure it's on sale.
February 5, 2021
This starts out as a cute little story about a girl getting to know her grandmother (who has Alzheimer's) by way of trips into her memories, and ends up being deeper than I had expected it to be. There are some twists I anticipated, and some I did not. In one rare twist, I actually liked all of the characters. The "villain" of this story is circumstance rather than a person, and so I was able to connect with all the characters to one degree or another.
The audiobook narration is great, and though I had to Google the Korean dishes being mentioned that didn't hinder my enjoyment of the story. I don't think I've had any of the actual Korean food mentioned (except of course kimchi) but it all sounded so good. I would highly recommend having a snack on hand while you listen to this audiobook.
The audiobook narration is great, and though I had to Google the Korean dishes being mentioned that didn't hinder my enjoyment of the story. I don't think I've had any of the actual Korean food mentioned (except of course kimchi) but it all sounded so good. I would highly recommend having a snack on hand while you listen to this audiobook.
May 16, 2021
Time travel and recipes - what's not to like?! Good narration. PDF with recipes included would have been a nice touch. Look forward to following this author.
October 19, 2021
I saw this Audible Original in my library and gave it a go! What a fun and original time travel adventure! And who didn't get hungry after hearing all the delicious descriptions of the Korean cuisine?! This was not a long story, but by the end, it felt just right. The twists and turns kept me on my toes and I was genuinely surprised as the events unfolded.
May 9, 2020
Food is a universal language everyone understands. Food is at the center of this story and I really wish there was a recipe book to accompany this Amazon original audio book. This is solidly in the YA camp but nevertheless sweet and satisfying.
This is the story of Maya and her Halmunee (although the narrator makes it sound like Harmony) and the bond they form via cooking traditional Korean food and time traveling....yep you have it....this is a time travel book. When Halmunee cooks certain foods she can transport herself and Maya back to a specific time in her past where the food was served. The rules of the time travel are spotty and slightly confusing but basically they can watch and listen but no one in the memory can see them or hear them. Halmunee suffers from increasing forgetfulness but when in the memories she and Maya create a very strong bond and share with one another as they learn from Halmunee's past.
The relationship between Maya and her mother is the typical "strained non-communicative because we keep secrets from each other" thing that is very typical in YA books. Without getting to spoilery there is a resolution and more understanding between them by book's end.
There is a pretty neat plot twist but it doesn't totally make sense with the story but being that this is a time traveling fantasy I kind of just go with it. This is a perfect audio listen for a tween/young teen. It is short, sweet, non-violent and brings a light to having a family member who suffers from Alzheimer/Dementia. If you are an Amazon Prime member you can actually get this book for free. It is a great summer read for just about anyone.
This is the story of Maya and her Halmunee (although the narrator makes it sound like Harmony) and the bond they form via cooking traditional Korean food and time traveling....yep you have it....this is a time travel book. When Halmunee cooks certain foods she can transport herself and Maya back to a specific time in her past where the food was served. The rules of the time travel are spotty and slightly confusing but basically they can watch and listen but no one in the memory can see them or hear them. Halmunee suffers from increasing forgetfulness but when in the memories she and Maya create a very strong bond and share with one another as they learn from Halmunee's past.
The relationship between Maya and her mother is the typical "strained non-communicative because we keep secrets from each other" thing that is very typical in YA books. Without getting to spoilery there is a resolution and more understanding between them by book's end.
There is a pretty neat plot twist but it doesn't totally make sense with the story but being that this is a time traveling fantasy I kind of just go with it. This is a perfect audio listen for a tween/young teen. It is short, sweet, non-violent and brings a light to having a family member who suffers from Alzheimer/Dementia. If you are an Amazon Prime member you can actually get this book for free. It is a great summer read for just about anyone.
May 1, 2020
"The Golden Orchard" is a novel in which heart, family, food, friendship, and time travel are in abundance. This audio book is only 5 hr 15 min long, so I wasn't expecting a very profound story, and thus was pleasantly surprised at the depth that this goes into. I definitely recommend to all those who might be interested in this.
Although this table is categorized as suitable for those nine years and older, the quality to which this is written makes it applicable to adult listeners as well. The subject matter includes middle school group projects and classroom crushes, but it also deals with grief, loss, determinism, neglect, and Alzeimers Disease. The family dynamics are so believable, and I loved how the protagonist becomes more mature as she learns how to navigate the "friend-Maya" and "family-Maya" parts of herself.
I really appreciated how food, home cooking, and family histories were all woven together here. My upbringing is Sicilian Italian and Cantonese Chinese, so food imperative to our self identity as a social unit. From the book description, I didn't get that the main characters are South Korean, but maybe someone more familiar with the culture would pick up on "Halmunee" being Grandmother in Korean. Most of my prior knowledge comes from "The Island of Sea Women" by Lisa See and "Pachinko" by Min Jin Lee. I really appreciated the primarily Korean cast in this.
Overall, this is a lovely read with great world building and solid heart. The messages this conveys are sound advice for us all, not just children. This is the best Audible Original I have experienced all year so far, and it is not one I will soon forget.
Although this table is categorized as suitable for those nine years and older, the quality to which this is written makes it applicable to adult listeners as well. The subject matter includes middle school group projects and classroom crushes, but it also deals with grief, loss, determinism, neglect, and Alzeimers Disease. The family dynamics are so believable, and I loved how the protagonist becomes more mature as she learns how to navigate the "friend-Maya" and "family-Maya" parts of herself.
I really appreciated how food, home cooking, and family histories were all woven together here. My upbringing is Sicilian Italian and Cantonese Chinese, so food imperative to our self identity as a social unit. From the book description, I didn't get that the main characters are South Korean, but maybe someone more familiar with the culture would pick up on "Halmunee" being Grandmother in Korean. Most of my prior knowledge comes from "The Island of Sea Women" by Lisa See and "Pachinko" by Min Jin Lee. I really appreciated the primarily Korean cast in this.
Overall, this is a lovely read with great world building and solid heart. The messages this conveys are sound advice for us all, not just children. This is the best Audible Original I have experienced all year so far, and it is not one I will soon forget.
December 5, 2023
This is a sweet story of Maya, a Korean-American girl, who discovers that her grandmother can time travel when she cooks special Korean dishes that bring up strong memories of her past. At first, Maya travels with her grandma and then discovers that she can time travel on her own. Maya soon runs into Jeff, another time traveler who can travel his own memories as well as others. Maya wonders who Jeff really is and why he says that they have met before.
NOTE: This Audible Original seems to be an abridged version of another the book by the same author under a different title. If you want the recipes of the Korean dishes mentioned here, you should probably get the book, "A Spoonful of Time".
Any problems with this story? There was some Korean spoken, such as the names of the dishes that Maya's grandmother made. I knew what some of the dishes were since I watch Korean TV on NetFlix. However, the way the narrator pronounced these words made it difficult for me to figure out what dish they were talking about. For example, I should have been able to figure out she was saying Gimbap, but I barely could. The same with tteok. Common words, but I almost missed them. I'm sure I missed other words. Do I speak Korean? No, but one cannot help picking up a few words while watching TV. Was this a failure of the narrator? How should I know? I don't speak Korean. I'm just relating a minor difficulty I had.
The ending was good if a little weird. I was pleasantly surprised though.
I'd be glad to listen to this audiobook again, and I am planning to listen to "A Spoonful of Time". I got the ebook and managed to skim through it. It begins and ends the same as The Golden Orchard. I wonder what more of the story there is in this other book.
NOTE: This Audible Original seems to be an abridged version of another the book by the same author under a different title. If you want the recipes of the Korean dishes mentioned here, you should probably get the book, "A Spoonful of Time".
Any problems with this story? There was some Korean spoken, such as the names of the dishes that Maya's grandmother made. I knew what some of the dishes were since I watch Korean TV on NetFlix. However, the way the narrator pronounced these words made it difficult for me to figure out what dish they were talking about. For example, I should have been able to figure out she was saying Gimbap, but I barely could. The same with tteok. Common words, but I almost missed them. I'm sure I missed other words. Do I speak Korean? No, but one cannot help picking up a few words while watching TV. Was this a failure of the narrator? How should I know? I don't speak Korean. I'm just relating a minor difficulty I had.
The ending was good if a little weird. I was pleasantly surprised though.
I'd be glad to listen to this audiobook again, and I am planning to listen to "A Spoonful of Time". I got the ebook and managed to skim through it. It begins and ends the same as The Golden Orchard. I wonder what more of the story there is in this other book.
May 17, 2020
I grabbed this audible original when it was part of the free monthly selection. I didn't realize it had a time travel element as I didn't really read the synopsis before I started it.
I did very much enjoy the Korean culture element woven into this story. The main character, Maya, is tasked with caring for her ailing halmunee (grandmother) because her mother is always at work. Maya slowly begins to connect with her by learning to cook by her side, and there are many interesting (albeit brief) descriptions of different dishes and Korean traditions surrounding the food. Halmunee can travel to her memories through the different dishes she cooks, and she takes Maya to visit several of these memories, from when she is a little girl. Along the way, Maya meets another memory traveler, Jeff, and becomes fast friends with him.
Halmunee has many bad days due to her illness - a form of dementia - and Maya soon learns to travel without her, meeting up with Jeff and exploring memories on her own. Jeff has been traveling longer than Maya and he begins to teach her more than Halmunee has been able to. Jeff takes her to the Golden Orchard, which is filled of memory trees, and shows her some of his own memories with his brother.
My issue with the story has more to do with the latter part of the book. It takes an odd twist in the last 3rd of the story when Maya's mother reveals a huge family secret and Maya and Jeff have a falling out. The memory travelers jump around in real time a bit as Maya tries to make sense of the secret and simultaneously repair her friendship. I'm not a huge fan of time travel tales in general, and this later portion got very muddled to me.
Overall, it was a nice story with a pleasant narrator. I'm glad I picked it up, but definitely enjoyed the first two thirds of the story much more before the plot twist.
I did very much enjoy the Korean culture element woven into this story. The main character, Maya, is tasked with caring for her ailing halmunee (grandmother) because her mother is always at work. Maya slowly begins to connect with her by learning to cook by her side, and there are many interesting (albeit brief) descriptions of different dishes and Korean traditions surrounding the food. Halmunee can travel to her memories through the different dishes she cooks, and she takes Maya to visit several of these memories, from when she is a little girl. Along the way, Maya meets another memory traveler, Jeff, and becomes fast friends with him.
Halmunee has many bad days due to her illness - a form of dementia - and Maya soon learns to travel without her, meeting up with Jeff and exploring memories on her own. Jeff has been traveling longer than Maya and he begins to teach her more than Halmunee has been able to. Jeff takes her to the Golden Orchard, which is filled of memory trees, and shows her some of his own memories with his brother.
My issue with the story has more to do with the latter part of the book. It takes an odd twist in the last 3rd of the story when Maya's mother reveals a huge family secret and Maya and Jeff have a falling out. The memory travelers jump around in real time a bit as Maya tries to make sense of the secret and simultaneously repair her friendship. I'm not a huge fan of time travel tales in general, and this later portion got very muddled to me.
Overall, it was a nice story with a pleasant narrator. I'm glad I picked it up, but definitely enjoyed the first two thirds of the story much more before the plot twist.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 21, 2020
The Golden Orchard was a pleasant and unexpected read. I dove into this audio book with very few expectations. It is clearly written for a younger audience and I knew that going into it. While I wasn't always fully engaged by the writing style I think an 8-16 year old me would have thought it perfect.
The story was still wonderful and I felt like Ahn did a great job of weaving a story with twists, turns and throwing in the unexpectedly frequently. There were a few character actions that drove me a little crazy but they served the storyline so I didn't get too hung up on them.
The only reason I gave this 4 instead of 5 stars is that, while I enjoyed it, this will not turn into a book that I "reread" over and over but it was worth a listen. A great journey about mothers and daughters and finding the strength within ourselves.
The story was still wonderful and I felt like Ahn did a great job of weaving a story with twists, turns and throwing in the unexpectedly frequently. There were a few character actions that drove me a little crazy but they served the storyline so I didn't get too hung up on them.
The only reason I gave this 4 instead of 5 stars is that, while I enjoyed it, this will not turn into a book that I "reread" over and over but it was worth a listen. A great journey about mothers and daughters and finding the strength within ourselves.
October 18, 2022
Maya's grandmother is here to stay with them.
Her mom says she has Alzheimer's and needs to be cared for. Humoring her, Maya tries a Korean dish her grandma makes, to find herself in an old memory and from there on reaches the orchard of Time.
She doesnt know how or why, but her Grandma says its a special gift.
Maya is stuck asking herself, the why and the how, but also wondering what she can do with it. She wants her gift to mean something. The story highlights Korean food and culture. I'm glad for the audiobook that provides the authentic sounds to the names of dishes and events that form the premise of the entire tale.
A time travelling adventure, through the eyea of a Korean-American girl.
Recommendation:
The plot of the story was interesting: gastronomical memory uses to travel across time/dimensions.
Its a good listen. Though some plot twists were insane and ludicrous,even for a fantasy spin. The umpteen references to Korean food and culture may seem overwhelming.
Her mom says she has Alzheimer's and needs to be cared for. Humoring her, Maya tries a Korean dish her grandma makes, to find herself in an old memory and from there on reaches the orchard of Time.
She doesnt know how or why, but her Grandma says its a special gift.
Maya is stuck asking herself, the why and the how, but also wondering what she can do with it. She wants her gift to mean something. The story highlights Korean food and culture. I'm glad for the audiobook that provides the authentic sounds to the names of dishes and events that form the premise of the entire tale.
A time travelling adventure, through the eyea of a Korean-American girl.
Recommendation:
The plot of the story was interesting: gastronomical memory uses to travel across time/dimensions.
Its a good listen. Though some plot twists were insane and ludicrous,even for a fantasy spin. The umpteen references to Korean food and culture may seem overwhelming.
April 10, 2020
This young person's tale of family, memory and shared time is a wonderful metaphor for all of those conversations about family history that we should be having with our loved ones. Getting to know who an older relative (grandmother, father, Aunt) was before we met them can give us tremendous insight in to who they are today, what motivates them as well as what we can be in our own future.
It doesn't hurt that this spiritual journey is framed with "time travel" elements and intrigue. Go find your family history and ask your family what life was like. There are adventures to be had in those tales.
It doesn't hurt that this spiritual journey is framed with "time travel" elements and intrigue. Go find your family history and ask your family what life was like. There are adventures to be had in those tales.
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