What do you think?
Rate this book
The Orchard
“Like Mark Twain and Toni Morrison, Peter Heller has a rare talent that hooks both literary and commercial readers.” –Elle magazine
From the bestselling author of The Dog Stars and The River, The Orchard is an unforgettable coming of age tale reminding us that, even during the hardest of times, love, friendship, and the enduring power of nature will prevail.
Hayley and her seven-year-old daughter, Frith, live in a rustic cabin with no electricity in the foothills of Vermont’s Green Mountains. One of the world’s most renowned translators of poetry from China’s Tang dynasty, Hayley walked away from her career and her drug-addicted husband to raise Frith alone in a land populated not by ambition-fueled academics but by hawks, beavers, and other wild things—including their exuberant Bernese mountain mutt, Bear. They get by on what little they earn from their overgrown apple orchard and the syrup they make from their maple trees. Frith—precocious, homeschooled, and a voracious reader—considers herself queen of this backwoods paradise. She is too young to understand the pain and regret that have followed her mother here.
Season after season, it is the three of them—mother, daughter, and dog—until the sunny spring day when Rose Lattimore appears at their door. Rose is an artist and kindred spirit whose unexpected friendship upends Hayley and Frith’s solitary existence. Rosie takes the edge off the worries of day-to-day survival and encourages the playful aspects of living in fishing, picnics, swimming in a quarry. Frith thrives under the loving care of Hayley and Rosie and, with a child’s innocence, assumes their happiness will last forever. Instead, their lives are shattered by unexpected tragedy and Frith must come to terms with heartbreak and fear.
Peter Heller is unique in his ability to capture the beauty and nuance of the natural world and its pull on women and men. In The Orchard, he pairs evocative storytelling with jewel-like poems—Hayley’s translations of her most beloved Tang poet, Li Xue—that echo Hayley and Frith’s life in the wilderness and tell their own tale of mother and daughter. By turns joyful and searing, The Orchard examines the fragility of childhood, motherhood, romantic love, and friendship, and celebrates the enduring solace of nature. At a time when so many of us are gripped by fear and uncertainty, Heller’s story is like a calming deep breath.
From the bestselling author of The Dog Stars and The River, The Orchard is an unforgettable coming of age tale reminding us that, even during the hardest of times, love, friendship, and the enduring power of nature will prevail.
Hayley and her seven-year-old daughter, Frith, live in a rustic cabin with no electricity in the foothills of Vermont’s Green Mountains. One of the world’s most renowned translators of poetry from China’s Tang dynasty, Hayley walked away from her career and her drug-addicted husband to raise Frith alone in a land populated not by ambition-fueled academics but by hawks, beavers, and other wild things—including their exuberant Bernese mountain mutt, Bear. They get by on what little they earn from their overgrown apple orchard and the syrup they make from their maple trees. Frith—precocious, homeschooled, and a voracious reader—considers herself queen of this backwoods paradise. She is too young to understand the pain and regret that have followed her mother here.
Season after season, it is the three of them—mother, daughter, and dog—until the sunny spring day when Rose Lattimore appears at their door. Rose is an artist and kindred spirit whose unexpected friendship upends Hayley and Frith’s solitary existence. Rosie takes the edge off the worries of day-to-day survival and encourages the playful aspects of living in fishing, picnics, swimming in a quarry. Frith thrives under the loving care of Hayley and Rosie and, with a child’s innocence, assumes their happiness will last forever. Instead, their lives are shattered by unexpected tragedy and Frith must come to terms with heartbreak and fear.
Peter Heller is unique in his ability to capture the beauty and nuance of the natural world and its pull on women and men. In The Orchard, he pairs evocative storytelling with jewel-like poems—Hayley’s translations of her most beloved Tang poet, Li Xue—that echo Hayley and Frith’s life in the wilderness and tell their own tale of mother and daughter. By turns joyful and searing, The Orchard examines the fragility of childhood, motherhood, romantic love, and friendship, and celebrates the enduring solace of nature. At a time when so many of us are gripped by fear and uncertainty, Heller’s story is like a calming deep breath.
229 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 22, 2019
About the author
Peter Heller
40 books3,848 followersThere is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Peter Heller holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in both fiction and poetry. An award-winning adventure writer and longtime contributor to NPR, Heller is a contributing editor at Outside magazine, Men’s Journal, and National Geographic Adventure, and a regular contributor to Bloomberg Businessweek. He is also the author of several nonfiction books, including Kook, The Whale Warriors, and Hell or High Water: Surviving Tibet’s Tsangpo River. He lives in Denver, Colorado.
Peter Heller holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in both fiction and poetry. An award-winning adventure writer and longtime contributor to NPR, Heller is a contributing editor at Outside magazine, Men’s Journal, and National Geographic Adventure, and a regular contributor to Bloomberg Businessweek. He is also the author of several nonfiction books, including Kook, The Whale Warriors, and Hell or High Water: Surviving Tibet’s Tsangpo River. He lives in Denver, Colorado.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 449 reviews
May 2, 2026
There is a reason why Peter Heller is one of my favorite contemporary authors, but somehow, this beautiful novel published in 2019 has eluded me. And this was such an emotional journey in the quiet hills of the Vermont Green Mountains. For it is here that Hayley and her seven-year old daughter, Frith, live in a rustic cabin with no electricity. Haley is a renowned translator of poets from the Tang Dynasty. Hayley walked away from her career at a Denver university and her heroin-addicted husband to raise Frith alone in a land populated by beavers, hawks and other wild things as they eak out a living in their overgrown apple orchard and the syrup made from their maple trees.
It is in the Prologue that we witness Frith begin to examine the contents of a small maple chest that has served as a lamp stand for many years in the corner of her library. And Frith laments that she has delayed opening the file for over two decades. But she now knows, pregnant herself, that she must open the chest. Among many other sentimental items, there is the very first poem, The Orchard. She could see that her mother loved Li Xue because she wrote of beauty and heartbreak and friendship in equal measure, and touched them all with grace.
The Orchard examines the fragility of childhood, motherhood, romantic love, and friendship amid the enduring solace of nature. Reading Peter Heller’s prose is literary and poetic magic. And in this book there is the beautiful poetry of her most loved translations of her beloved Tang poet, Li Xue, that uncannily echo Hayley and Frith’s life in the wilderness as they capture their own tale of mother and daughter. The Orchard was an absolutely beautiful book that will leave me pondering it for some time to come.
It is in the Prologue that we witness Frith begin to examine the contents of a small maple chest that has served as a lamp stand for many years in the corner of her library. And Frith laments that she has delayed opening the file for over two decades. But she now knows, pregnant herself, that she must open the chest. Among many other sentimental items, there is the very first poem, The Orchard. She could see that her mother loved Li Xue because she wrote of beauty and heartbreak and friendship in equal measure, and touched them all with grace.
“It doesn’t matter. Who cares? As Li Xue possibly said. The two women, across twelve centuries, were going through similar loss and sharing the language.”
“Truth may be beauty, but it is also heartbreak. That is certain. Because the truest thing, or at least the most certain, is that we will eventually lose everything.”
“I’ve thought about that often. It’s what Hayley gave to me, and Li Xue gave to her; That we are of this earth. All of us. That if we stay close to her, and to what we truly love, we will be okay.”
The Orchard examines the fragility of childhood, motherhood, romantic love, and friendship amid the enduring solace of nature. Reading Peter Heller’s prose is literary and poetic magic. And in this book there is the beautiful poetry of her most loved translations of her beloved Tang poet, Li Xue, that uncannily echo Hayley and Frith’s life in the wilderness as they capture their own tale of mother and daughter. The Orchard was an absolutely beautiful book that will leave me pondering it for some time to come.
December 11, 2019
Perhaps between Thanksgiving and Christmas is not the time to try to read this book. I'm a Heller fan, but I found this disappointing. I didn't feel the narrator made enough of a distinction between Frith's story now and as a child, so I was frequently at sea for the first few minutes after the change. Lovely language and descriptions, rich characterizations.
August 17, 2022
An absolutely beautifully written book and my first 5 star in awhile. I love this author and everything he’s written. This book may be his best.
July 28, 2026
I'll devour anything by Peter Heller, but heretofore this one has been impossible to find on any of my library apps. I knew when I renewed my Audible subscription this had to be the first of my free downloads.
The book blurb really sums this up beautifully; and although I generally like to use my own words in a review, I couldn't begin to say it better than this;
"Peter Heller is unique in his ability to capture the beauty and nuance of the natural world and its pull on women and men. In The Orchard, he pairs evocative storytelling with jewel-like poems—Hayley’s translations of her most beloved Tang poet, Li Xue—that echo Hayley and Frith’s life in the wilderness and tell their own tale of mother and daughter. By turns joyful and searing, The Orchard examines the fragility of childhood, motherhood, romantic love, and friendship, and celebrates the enduring solace of nature."
Coming of age, contemporary women's fiction about living off the grid and commuting with the nature one finds in the foothills of Vermont's Green Mountains. It takes real talent for a man to write from a female perspective.
The book blurb really sums this up beautifully; and although I generally like to use my own words in a review, I couldn't begin to say it better than this;
"Peter Heller is unique in his ability to capture the beauty and nuance of the natural world and its pull on women and men. In The Orchard, he pairs evocative storytelling with jewel-like poems—Hayley’s translations of her most beloved Tang poet, Li Xue—that echo Hayley and Frith’s life in the wilderness and tell their own tale of mother and daughter. By turns joyful and searing, The Orchard examines the fragility of childhood, motherhood, romantic love, and friendship, and celebrates the enduring solace of nature."
Coming of age, contemporary women's fiction about living off the grid and commuting with the nature one finds in the foothills of Vermont's Green Mountains. It takes real talent for a man to write from a female perspective.
January 28, 2026
This really clicked with me at this moment in time and was a 5 star reading experience even though I recognize issues that normally would be story deal breakers . . .
Second novel I’ve read by Heller; The Last Ranger was both more typical of Heller’s novels and “rang truer” than The Orchard. But, no matter. The Orchard is a dual time line, narrator (Frith) tells it from both the standpoint of a young girl growing up in a cabin in the beautiful woods of Vermont and of an adult, an Amherst professor of literature, expecting her first child. The narrator’s mother, Hayley, is a refugee from academic life, a well known translator of an (imaginary) Chinese woman poet of the 8th century. Neighbor, Rosie, a fiber artist, also plays a big part, as does the setting (strong sense of place always important to me and Heller does this extremely well). The descriptions of the pond, with its one beaver, the nearby mountain with is granite slabs, and the overgrown apple orchard with the apple blossoms drifting down in the wind are lovely.
My favorite passage: “ there’s a time in these woods, on these hills, when walking, the trails is like swimming through honey. The color, not the viscosity. It may be all the beach trees, and ash, and birch, all the trees that softened to yellows early, before the onslaught of the more brilliant colors. Some of the hedges and underbrush were already turning too. The sumac were reddening. But the prevailing mood was something golden.”
I really enjoyed the reflections on the art of translating and poetry, on beauty. The mention of several poets, especially W.S. Merwin, sent me down rabbit holes to learn more. I wish the medieval Chinese woman poet could have been real but the unlikely outline of her life, with its independence and connection to the natural world, seemed a vehicle for reflections on Hayley’s own life and the legacy she wanted to leave her daughter.
Beautiful, clear language, short chapters and good text layout made the book especially easy to read. Interesting that this book is set in New England (although there is a short, magical visit to Jackson Hole) and that the main characters are all female — not usual for Heller. Sorry to have the book end . . .
Second novel I’ve read by Heller; The Last Ranger was both more typical of Heller’s novels and “rang truer” than The Orchard. But, no matter. The Orchard is a dual time line, narrator (Frith) tells it from both the standpoint of a young girl growing up in a cabin in the beautiful woods of Vermont and of an adult, an Amherst professor of literature, expecting her first child. The narrator’s mother, Hayley, is a refugee from academic life, a well known translator of an (imaginary) Chinese woman poet of the 8th century. Neighbor, Rosie, a fiber artist, also plays a big part, as does the setting (strong sense of place always important to me and Heller does this extremely well). The descriptions of the pond, with its one beaver, the nearby mountain with is granite slabs, and the overgrown apple orchard with the apple blossoms drifting down in the wind are lovely.
My favorite passage: “ there’s a time in these woods, on these hills, when walking, the trails is like swimming through honey. The color, not the viscosity. It may be all the beach trees, and ash, and birch, all the trees that softened to yellows early, before the onslaught of the more brilliant colors. Some of the hedges and underbrush were already turning too. The sumac were reddening. But the prevailing mood was something golden.”
I really enjoyed the reflections on the art of translating and poetry, on beauty. The mention of several poets, especially W.S. Merwin, sent me down rabbit holes to learn more. I wish the medieval Chinese woman poet could have been real but the unlikely outline of her life, with its independence and connection to the natural world, seemed a vehicle for reflections on Hayley’s own life and the legacy she wanted to leave her daughter.
Beautiful, clear language, short chapters and good text layout made the book especially easy to read. Interesting that this book is set in New England (although there is a short, magical visit to Jackson Hole) and that the main characters are all female — not usual for Heller. Sorry to have the book end . . .
October 19, 2023
This is a beautifully written story with prose as poetic as the translations of ancient Chinese poems that are woven throughout. Primary focus is on a mother /daughter relationship- the mother having moved to a kerosene lit cabin deep in the Vermont woods to eke out a living for her and her daughter from the land. Told from the daughter Frith’s point of view, it reads like a tender memoir of an idyllic childhood. As expected from Peter Heller, the descriptions of their natural setting are richly magnificent. After having read his suspense filled book The River, I was surprised by the quiet nature of this story. It starts out slowly, but builds to a deeply emotional climax. It’s all about love - of family, of friendship, of work that is fulfilling, of reliance on the kindness of strangers, of nature and of literature. This is not a book for anyone looking for an action packed adventure within the beauty of the natural world. Instead, it is a deeply emotional exploration of the human condition with all its joys and sorrows.
July 31, 2023
My experience with this book a second time has left me in even greater awe of Peter Heller. Prose and poetry of extraordinary beauty, characters with depth and heart and a setting beyond compare combine to create a sublime reading experience.
July 31, 2023
My experience with this book a second time has left me in even greater awe of Peter Heller. Prose and poetry of extraordinary beauty, characters with depth and heart and a setting beyond compare combine to create a sublime reading experience.
January 5, 2026
I have always loved Peter Heller’s evocative writing and descriptions of landscapes and places, but I found that this book had little else going for it in the end. I did not think Frith’s voice was believable. While I liked the inclusion of poems, I found the rest of the book to be simple descriptions of people and things that happened rather than a book driven by plot or character development.
Read
March 7, 2026This one didn't seem reality to me. Dreamy mixed with make believe logistics yet with added foul language of gratuitous amounts for every various part of speech category.
Really I was so turned off here that I only got to neatly half. But I could never give this saccharine with more f words that the poetic translations -more than a 2 stars. I usually like Heller. He does men a whole lot better than these stereotypes. Also the little girl's voice/ thoughts did not seem believable to me.
Oh do I get outlier on Hallmark type 7 paragraphs of description on emotive overloads effusion.
DNF
Really I was so turned off here that I only got to neatly half. But I could never give this saccharine with more f words that the poetic translations -more than a 2 stars. I usually like Heller. He does men a whole lot better than these stereotypes. Also the little girl's voice/ thoughts did not seem believable to me.
Oh do I get outlier on Hallmark type 7 paragraphs of description on emotive overloads effusion.
DNF
January 4, 2026
Hayley is raising her daughter Frith alone off the grid until a woman named Rose shows up and provides some extra help and fun to their lives.
I like the way Peter Heller tells a story, but this one missed the mark for me. Sometimes you just start a book and it’s the wrong book at the wrong time. This was definitely not the case here. I was just not interested in anything happening in this story. It was not compelling, it dragged on, and I just kept pushing through. I’m disappointed because I wanted to love this one.
I like the way Peter Heller tells a story, but this one missed the mark for me. Sometimes you just start a book and it’s the wrong book at the wrong time. This was definitely not the case here. I was just not interested in anything happening in this story. It was not compelling, it dragged on, and I just kept pushing through. I’m disappointed because I wanted to love this one.
unable-to-finish
December 7, 2025 I listened to this until I couldn't take the narrator's irritating voice anymore. Arrggghh. I am a Peter Heller completist so I'm sure I'll read it in print eventually.
March 18, 2021
The principal characters are three women: a young mother who whisks her daughter to live in a cabin situated in a Vermont rural mountain valley, and an ebullient neighbor who takes an interest in the pair. Their history is narrated by the daughter whose memories range from age twelve to the present. It is a testament to Heller’s skill as a writer to convincingly couch his tale from a strictly female perspective.
I have now read four novels by Peter Heller. Each one has been distinctly different from the others, and yet there is a common theme in all of them. That theme may be easier to discern in this work. It should not be described as melancholic, but rather as a celebration of the human spirit; a brave determination to acknowledge the transience of life, with a will to face the future head on.
I have now read four novels by Peter Heller. Each one has been distinctly different from the others, and yet there is a common theme in all of them. That theme may be easier to discern in this work. It should not be described as melancholic, but rather as a celebration of the human spirit; a brave determination to acknowledge the transience of life, with a will to face the future head on.
February 19, 2022
I have no idea why I wanted to read this book, other than maybe because I enjoyed The Dog Stars, which I cannot even remember now. Once I put a book on my TBR I don't look at the blurb again before I read it, so I asked myself many times why I thought I wanted to read the book because I could tell things I try to avoid were going to happen. Had I read the blurb again before I started it, I probably would have changed my mind. Good thing, because I was wrong. Yes, I did have to stop listening for a day or so at the end when I realized it would amplify the stress over some stuff happening in my life, but I went back to it and then suddenly it was over.
The writing is lovely. As it has been described, it is the story of a young girl's unconventional upbringing in rural Vermont, rich with interesting characters and Heller's ability to fluidly weave in the natural setting. A loving tribute to her mother. I didn't even cry at the end which is amazing for me. The narration of the audiobook was soothing, and even when something akin to action occurred, you would hardly know it. The whole book reminds me of a river where everything on top seems calm, but the current moves right along underneath. The poems were interspersed like road marks on the path of their life, short and poignant. It was a lovely surprise.
The writing is lovely. As it has been described, it is the story of a young girl's unconventional upbringing in rural Vermont, rich with interesting characters and Heller's ability to fluidly weave in the natural setting. A loving tribute to her mother. I didn't even cry at the end which is amazing for me. The narration of the audiobook was soothing, and even when something akin to action occurred, you would hardly know it. The whole book reminds me of a river where everything on top seems calm, but the current moves right along underneath. The poems were interspersed like road marks on the path of their life, short and poignant. It was a lovely surprise.
March 29, 2020
I am a huge fan of Heller’s and tried a 30-day trial of Scribd for the sole purpose of reading The Orchard. I read it in two sittings and this book just gutted me. It was a much quieter read than his others and there was no suspense or climax, really, and I loved it all the same.
This is a story about a woman and her daughter, nature, poetry, friendship, love, and “the little things”. Oh, and a big, goofy dog. I ugly cried more times than I care to admit, and repeatedly thought of my relationship with my mom. As always, Heller’s writing is beautiful and his descriptions of nature & love are poignant and thoughtful.
This is a story about a woman and her daughter, nature, poetry, friendship, love, and “the little things”. Oh, and a big, goofy dog. I ugly cried more times than I care to admit, and repeatedly thought of my relationship with my mom. As always, Heller’s writing is beautiful and his descriptions of nature & love are poignant and thoughtful.
January 31, 2026
What an exquisitely beautiful book.
“Truth may be beauty, but it is also heartbreak. That is certain. Because the truest thing, or at least the most certain, is that we will eventually lose everything.”
The Orchard is a quiet little book, in which not a whole lot happens. Mainly it is about the daily lives of Frith, who is seven, and her single mother, Hayley, their “Bernese mountain mutt” Bear, and their friend Rosie. Frith and Hayley live in a small cabin in rural Vermont. The cabin is heated by a wood stove, lit by a kerosene lantern, and has a small, propane-fueled refrigerator. The property features a pond, an orchard of decrepit apple trees, and enough maple trees to yield enough syrup to sell for a modest income. Hayley is a renowned translator of 9th century Chinese poetry; the poems are scattered through the novel as commentary of the mostly small events of Hayley and Frith’s life.
The poetry is not just in the actual poems but in the lyrical descriptions of the natural world that surrounds the mother and daughter: “the domain of the constellations, the fresh winds of the new seasons, the ripening apples and falling leaves and swelling brooks and thawing ice and phalanxes of migrating geese barking out of the high dark and and and . . .
Well, it was beautiful. It is.”
The book is told mostly in retrospect by Frith, with occasional forays into the present, as she goes through her mother’s papers and contemplates her own pregnancy.
In between the lyrical natural descriptions and the story of the mother-daughter-friend bonds, there’s the story of Frith herself, which is often quite amusing. She reminds me a bit of Scout Finch, with a combination of humorous insights and childish naivete, but Fitch is mostly homeschooled and has a remarkable but completely plausible precocious sophistication. And that makes her moments of childish confusion the more touching and funny. I wish I’d marked an example. Please take my word for it.
Things do, in fact, happen in the book, but they’re not dramatic, out of the ordinary things. They’re the true things, that heartbreak of losing everything.
A couple of passages I marked: This one is about translation, which I want to save for the next time I’m reading a book in translation that just doesn’t quite do it for me: “Did Hayley take the liberties it seems she took? Probably. A great translator always will. Because one who is too deferential ‘is running a railroad,’ Hayley once told me. ‘Shunting words together like boxcars.’”
And this evocative passage: “I did not know then how the rhythms of this country were imprinting themselves on my being. How the touch, like the lightest fingers, of that cool wind against the back of my ear, my temple, carrying those smells—of the river below, of the leaf-heavy woods, of ripening apples, of sun on granite bedrock and drying moss and the spored scent of warming ferns—how it would tune my senses for the rest of my life. Every wind after that, and every smell carried on the wind, would be compared with the ones that flowed over the two of us in those days.
What I like about that one is how effectively it captures both the scene itself in the moment and the emotional, nostalgic importance of those details as a memory.
A reader looking for a lot of plot will be disappointed by this book. It is not a book for the reader who habitually complains about “too much description.” Fine. Read something else. Your loss.
“Truth may be beauty, but it is also heartbreak. That is certain. Because the truest thing, or at least the most certain, is that we will eventually lose everything.”
The Orchard is a quiet little book, in which not a whole lot happens. Mainly it is about the daily lives of Frith, who is seven, and her single mother, Hayley, their “Bernese mountain mutt” Bear, and their friend Rosie. Frith and Hayley live in a small cabin in rural Vermont. The cabin is heated by a wood stove, lit by a kerosene lantern, and has a small, propane-fueled refrigerator. The property features a pond, an orchard of decrepit apple trees, and enough maple trees to yield enough syrup to sell for a modest income. Hayley is a renowned translator of 9th century Chinese poetry; the poems are scattered through the novel as commentary of the mostly small events of Hayley and Frith’s life.
The poetry is not just in the actual poems but in the lyrical descriptions of the natural world that surrounds the mother and daughter: “the domain of the constellations, the fresh winds of the new seasons, the ripening apples and falling leaves and swelling brooks and thawing ice and phalanxes of migrating geese barking out of the high dark and and and . . .
Well, it was beautiful. It is.”
The book is told mostly in retrospect by Frith, with occasional forays into the present, as she goes through her mother’s papers and contemplates her own pregnancy.
In between the lyrical natural descriptions and the story of the mother-daughter-friend bonds, there’s the story of Frith herself, which is often quite amusing. She reminds me a bit of Scout Finch, with a combination of humorous insights and childish naivete, but Fitch is mostly homeschooled and has a remarkable but completely plausible precocious sophistication. And that makes her moments of childish confusion the more touching and funny. I wish I’d marked an example. Please take my word for it.
Things do, in fact, happen in the book, but they’re not dramatic, out of the ordinary things. They’re the true things, that heartbreak of losing everything.
A couple of passages I marked: This one is about translation, which I want to save for the next time I’m reading a book in translation that just doesn’t quite do it for me: “Did Hayley take the liberties it seems she took? Probably. A great translator always will. Because one who is too deferential ‘is running a railroad,’ Hayley once told me. ‘Shunting words together like boxcars.’”
And this evocative passage: “I did not know then how the rhythms of this country were imprinting themselves on my being. How the touch, like the lightest fingers, of that cool wind against the back of my ear, my temple, carrying those smells—of the river below, of the leaf-heavy woods, of ripening apples, of sun on granite bedrock and drying moss and the spored scent of warming ferns—how it would tune my senses for the rest of my life. Every wind after that, and every smell carried on the wind, would be compared with the ones that flowed over the two of us in those days.
What I like about that one is how effectively it captures both the scene itself in the moment and the emotional, nostalgic importance of those details as a memory.
A reader looking for a lot of plot will be disappointed by this book. It is not a book for the reader who habitually complains about “too much description.” Fine. Read something else. Your loss.
January 20, 2020
2 Stars for The Orchard (audiobook) by Peter Heller read by Kate Marein. This book is a Scribd Original and can be found there. I really didn’t enjoy this. The subject, writing and narration just didn’t work for me.
January 6, 2026
Characters: 5⭐️
Setting: 5⭐️
Plot: 4⭐️
Themes: 5⭐️
Emotional Impact: 5⭐️
Personal Enjoyment: 5⭐️
Total Average: 5⭐️ (rounded up)
Setting: 5⭐️
Plot: 4⭐️
Themes: 5⭐️
Emotional Impact: 5⭐️
Personal Enjoyment: 5⭐️
Total Average: 5⭐️ (rounded up)
June 19, 2026
Smaller story for Heller. Not a page-turner, but good.
May 12, 2020
This was extremely enjoyable. A nice, light read. I loved the translations of Chinese poetry - although when we were told that Hayley didn't actually know Chinese it was a little puzzling. Evocative, beautiful descriptions of what is presented as an idyllic childhood. But after losing her mother at the age of 8 or so, she idealizes her childhood to such an extent that she projects it onto her unborn daughter. She recreates that same childhood for her, and although she was fatherless for good reason, she makes her own child suffer that missing father deliberately. It seemed a little cruel to me. And selfish.
May 9, 2024
The Orchard is a classic case of straight white male tries to write a female narrative. Within the first few pages, the book talks about one of the main character’s boobs bouncing when she sneezes, told from her seven-year-old daughter’s perspective.
It is so glaringly obvious that this was written by a man who has no interest in understanding the female perspective and overly sexualises even his main characters.
It is so glaringly obvious that this was written by a man who has no interest in understanding the female perspective and overly sexualises even his main characters.
February 14, 2021
Another wonderful book by one of my favorite authors. His writing is so far and away better than others it makes it hard to choose my next read. This was a touching and beautiful story.
December 6, 2023
I love books about unique family dynamics, but this one just missed the mark for me. I found myself bored, and unable to root for anyone.
May 6, 2026
Took a bit to adjust to the writing style, very different than his past books, but once I settled in I enjoyed it.
It is amazing enough to be able to write a book, but to give your writing a cadence that sings throughout the book? Where it’s not just the words but the way they come together to give the book a second storyline of movement.
I’ve never understood how some authors can do this. Just mind boggling. I can count fewer than 5 authors I’ve ever read who have this moving writing style.
IMO, Heller hit that milestone partway through The Orchard. Just beautiful.
Smiles, laughter and tears were all experienced while watching the story unfold.
Highly recommend.
It is amazing enough to be able to write a book, but to give your writing a cadence that sings throughout the book? Where it’s not just the words but the way they come together to give the book a second storyline of movement.
I’ve never understood how some authors can do this. Just mind boggling. I can count fewer than 5 authors I’ve ever read who have this moving writing style.
IMO, Heller hit that milestone partway through The Orchard. Just beautiful.
Smiles, laughter and tears were all experienced while watching the story unfold.
Highly recommend.
November 24, 2025
4,5 ⭐️ Un nouvel auteur que je découvre, qui a une plume soignée et qui se distingue selon moi par la richesse de ses descriptions, qui sont absolument magnifiques, délicieuses, touchantes, qui relèvent de petits détails, mais ô combien importants et significatifs dans l’histoire. J’aimerais tellement regarder une adaptation de ce livre au cinéma! 🥹
March 31, 2026
I always like the way Heller draws characters. I wasn’t convinced by the main character’s current conflict or by her fickle love choices, but I adored Hayley and Rose and the Scout-like voice (wise now, precocious then) with which Frith told the story.
July 27, 2026
“What I mean is that she brought us, Bear and me, to this bucolic, decaying, ramshackle setting to make a new life close to nature; that nature was one leg of the stool, and self-sufficiency and beauty the others.”
June 18, 2026
Actually 3.75 rating.
I just really love the realistic and straight forward way Peter Heller writes people and their lived experience. This story wasn’t as action packed as his others, and I believe I like those more. But this was still a lovely story of growth and strong relationships among women that care for each other.
I just really love the realistic and straight forward way Peter Heller writes people and their lived experience. This story wasn’t as action packed as his others, and I believe I like those more. But this was still a lovely story of growth and strong relationships among women that care for each other.
April 18, 2026
A beautiful book with characters so clearly written you feel like you know them. The book doesn’t follow a plot so much as a view into the life of a single mother raising her smart intuitive daughter in a cabin in Vermont.
February 22, 2026
Such a beautifully written book, I loved it. The enduring power of nature, love and friendship. By far my favorite Peter Heller novel.
March 21, 2026
I usually love his books, but this wasn’t my favorite.
March 13, 2026
Peter Heller does it again.
This might be my favorite book of his. It is a beautifully written coming-of-age story that also explores relationships between mother and daughter, human connections with nature and the arts, and friendships among adults. It is also slightly heartbreaking, but if you've read Heller before, you know to expect that. I will be singing The Orchard's praises for a long time.
This might be my favorite book of his. It is a beautifully written coming-of-age story that also explores relationships between mother and daughter, human connections with nature and the arts, and friendships among adults. It is also slightly heartbreaking, but if you've read Heller before, you know to expect that. I will be singing The Orchard's praises for a long time.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 449 reviews