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In the Orchard
A novel about womanhood, modern family, and the interior landscape of maternal life, as seen through the life of a young wife and mother on a single day.
At night, Maisie Moore dreams that her life is the looming mortgages and credit card debt have magically vanished, and she can raise her four children, including newborn Esme, on an undulating current of maternal bliss, by turns oceanic and overwhelming, but awash in awe and wonder. Then she jolts awake and, after checking that her husband and baby are asleep beside her, remembers the real-world money problems to be resolved amid the long days of grocery shopping, gymnastics practices, and soccer games. From this moment, Eliza Minot draws readers into the psyche of the perceptive and warmhearted Maisie, who yearns to understand the world around her and overflows with fierce love for her growing family.
Unfolding over the course of a single day in which Maisie and her husband take their children to pick apples, In the Orchard is luminous, masterfully crafted, revelatory—a shining exploration of motherhood, childhood, and love.
At night, Maisie Moore dreams that her life is the looming mortgages and credit card debt have magically vanished, and she can raise her four children, including newborn Esme, on an undulating current of maternal bliss, by turns oceanic and overwhelming, but awash in awe and wonder. Then she jolts awake and, after checking that her husband and baby are asleep beside her, remembers the real-world money problems to be resolved amid the long days of grocery shopping, gymnastics practices, and soccer games. From this moment, Eliza Minot draws readers into the psyche of the perceptive and warmhearted Maisie, who yearns to understand the world around her and overflows with fierce love for her growing family.
Unfolding over the course of a single day in which Maisie and her husband take their children to pick apples, In the Orchard is luminous, masterfully crafted, revelatory—a shining exploration of motherhood, childhood, and love.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published April 25, 2023
43 people are currently reading
3412 people want to read
About the author
Eliza Minot
7 books34 followersEliza Minot (pronounced Mine-it) is the author of the critically acclaimed novels The Tiny One and The Brambles. Her third novel, In The Orchard, will be published by Knopf in April 2023. Minot was born in Beverly, Massachusetts and grew up in Manchester-by-the-Sea. She lives in Maplewood, NJ with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
November 18, 2022
This book was hard to get through. The main issue is that it had no sequence of events. Everything had a tangent which was annoying cause I couldn't get a grip on the pacing of the story being told. The most annoying part is that this whole book is about one single day. I repeat a SINGLE DAY IN WHICH NOTHING HAPPENS.
I'll admit what attracted me was the cover of the book. Yes, there was some substance to it, like the fact that it focused on motherhood heavily but it felt so utterly lacking because it was either the main character's memories, speculations or thoughts. That was it for the majority of this book with only the ending having a little sub-par epiphany moment.
Sorry, but in my opinion, this book was just tasteless and pointless.
Note: Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.
I'll admit what attracted me was the cover of the book. Yes, there was some substance to it, like the fact that it focused on motherhood heavily but it felt so utterly lacking because it was either the main character's memories, speculations or thoughts. That was it for the majority of this book with only the ending having a little sub-par epiphany moment.
Sorry, but in my opinion, this book was just tasteless and pointless.
Note: Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.
September 1, 2023
This was exactly the book I needed to read at this time. It's a book about marriage and family, about children and the sense of never having enough money to pay the bills. It's a book about the ways in which women support each other, and a book that takes place for the most part In the Orchard of the title. It reads like poetry, which may be why it received an average of three stars. It isn't a propulsive plot, it felt to me like the kind of book I sank into. It affected my in my body more than my mind. It brought back being pregnant and giving birth and nursing. It reminded me of raising my sons, of teaching young children.
"Exercise the kindness muschle," Xavier would remind her..."otherwise it will never get strong." Xavier had been taught in pre-school what seemed to escape mankind throughout time."
"When Xavier was in the three year old class, Janet, the pre-school director, had told Maisie, "This child doesn't respond to no," after she'd heard Maisie saying, "No, Xavier, we don't have time for that."...when Maisie began with , Xavier would inevitably tune her out. It was just as easy to say, "We're running late, can you get your shoes one?" and he would happily scamper into his shoes and they'd be off."
73 "Just remember," said Nana, "wherever you put your focus, that's what will grow and grow and grow. It will be your treasure, whether you intend it to be your treasure or not. If you look for disappointment, you'll grow disappointed and resentful. If you look for things to be grateful for, you will grow grateful and kind. Look for things to be amazed by, Maisie, and you'll be full of amazement and curiosity." So true, I think.
85 the family's debt ridden life...a theme that runs through the story, but doesn't overwhelm the novel, that God. It's more about the world and the children and the orchard and the sensation of nursing and of the individual people in this family.
121 "Money was only money, a thing that stood for a certain kind of value. What was value? Love was the valuable thing obviously". And she goes on to think of how they have all these children to protect and have gone so far into debt, a recurring theme that interrupts the glorious moments of nursing and tending and enjoying her children and her husband, Neil.
The delight of Xavier's birthday, by the stream, two herons flew overhead, their long legs tucked along their undersides and Xavier's friend says, "like pteranodons," exclaimed X's friend, Amir.
201-202 After she births, into a new room of life she will find hersel, where it's as though she's been placed in a new story, a new set on a new stage , where she is handed a little breathing football-of-a-thing (and directions then for how to love it) and more about being pregnat on 205
216-218 "When you get ready to live," says the woman, you've got to be ready to have a lot of joy and a lot of sorrow. The wonderful thing about life is that it has a way of teaching us how to live it." She then shares that she had a child who died...choked on a grape. "I think about her at least every hour...what I could have done different to protect her, what sort of person she would be, and all the wonderful things about being alive that she missed...." ...Children...all they really want to know is how you love, how you love other people, and how you love or don't love your own life."
Maisie complains about money problems. "Problem schmoblem. Problems are there to be solved. You can either choose whether you want to be stupid and feel sorry for yourself, or you can look to find meaning. There are the meaning makers and there are the takers for whom nothing will ever be enough, for whom others are always disappointing them, for whom grudges and resentment act as pillows that make them comfortable and prop them up. The meaning-makers, they look past their anger; they look around the nuisance of themselves to the fertile ground beyond, where positive energy grows. Isn't that what hell is? The difficulties we put ourselves through and then wonder who's to blame?...One good way to know if you are ignoring pain, or if you are projecting your pain is if you are blaming other people for the way you feel...(andthen we find out that the olderwoman has many different stories for how and why her daughter Annie died.)
225 The grass. The autumn trees. Her family. Heavedn is all of the ordinary: waiting in the car to pick someone up. the petty squabbling and prickly bickering, getting milk from the cooler at the store, the annoyance of getting out the trash in the rain, the lavishness of impatience, the hot water running out in the shower, the plant not growing well and dying, the dirty floor in the kitchen, the empty bank account, the discomfort in the belly, the paradise that is confusing thoughts, the worry and tenderness and sick-heavy love that holds on to her heart, all of it saying Life, Life, Life. Raising her family was bustin herself opena and loving her children was leading her into so differently than before. Where could she harness whatever power was within it? Where does one put all of that? Into more power, more grace, more growth?
If she were a prisoner of war, or dying in a hospital bed, or war, or if she were terminally ill, or one of her children were terminally ill, or lost, or addictedm there is no doubt that it would be her daily life --some days drudgery, some days with dips into transcendence like a dip into a pool...it would be daily life that she would long for, not some perfect, constant paradise. Peace isn't anything without disturbance, and love isn't love without any of its opposites trying to foil it up.
237--239 She sees the apples, berries, blackberry, white flowers, glossy berries...what did any of that have to do with money? The children run after her along the stream. I might just run in." She does, and falls backward." Esme is in her arms. Neil barks at her, "Can you hear me? You might be bleeding." It sounds like he is joking. She is fine. Stars and galxies, nebulae, they all look like glowing tissue floating in fluid. It is all the same.
As I read other reviews of this book, I'm stunned by the comments. "Nothing happens in this book." "It takes place in one day." Well, yes, but in the beginning of the book pregnancy and birth happen, life happens, children grew up and say the brilliant things children say, observe the world i the way only children can...utterly surprising the adults with their understanding and language. I kept journals of my children's words.."Mommy, look, the creek is all silverware!" When riding on the child seat behind me through a cemetery near our house we came to a dead end, Josh sang out, Dead people, dead ends" over and over again. I have hundreds of these comments. I will find more of Eliza Minot's books. I've read her sister's work. Now I've found her. Hurray!!
"Exercise the kindness muschle," Xavier would remind her..."otherwise it will never get strong." Xavier had been taught in pre-school what seemed to escape mankind throughout time."
"When Xavier was in the three year old class, Janet, the pre-school director, had told Maisie, "This child doesn't respond to no," after she'd heard Maisie saying, "No, Xavier, we don't have time for that."...when Maisie began with , Xavier would inevitably tune her out. It was just as easy to say, "We're running late, can you get your shoes one?" and he would happily scamper into his shoes and they'd be off."
73 "Just remember," said Nana, "wherever you put your focus, that's what will grow and grow and grow. It will be your treasure, whether you intend it to be your treasure or not. If you look for disappointment, you'll grow disappointed and resentful. If you look for things to be grateful for, you will grow grateful and kind. Look for things to be amazed by, Maisie, and you'll be full of amazement and curiosity." So true, I think.
85 the family's debt ridden life...a theme that runs through the story, but doesn't overwhelm the novel, that God. It's more about the world and the children and the orchard and the sensation of nursing and of the individual people in this family.
121 "Money was only money, a thing that stood for a certain kind of value. What was value? Love was the valuable thing obviously". And she goes on to think of how they have all these children to protect and have gone so far into debt, a recurring theme that interrupts the glorious moments of nursing and tending and enjoying her children and her husband, Neil.
The delight of Xavier's birthday, by the stream, two herons flew overhead, their long legs tucked along their undersides and Xavier's friend says, "like pteranodons," exclaimed X's friend, Amir.
201-202 After she births, into a new room of life she will find hersel, where it's as though she's been placed in a new story, a new set on a new stage , where she is handed a little breathing football-of-a-thing (and directions then for how to love it) and more about being pregnat on 205
216-218 "When you get ready to live," says the woman, you've got to be ready to have a lot of joy and a lot of sorrow. The wonderful thing about life is that it has a way of teaching us how to live it." She then shares that she had a child who died...choked on a grape. "I think about her at least every hour...what I could have done different to protect her, what sort of person she would be, and all the wonderful things about being alive that she missed...." ...Children...all they really want to know is how you love, how you love other people, and how you love or don't love your own life."
Maisie complains about money problems. "Problem schmoblem. Problems are there to be solved. You can either choose whether you want to be stupid and feel sorry for yourself, or you can look to find meaning. There are the meaning makers and there are the takers for whom nothing will ever be enough, for whom others are always disappointing them, for whom grudges and resentment act as pillows that make them comfortable and prop them up. The meaning-makers, they look past their anger; they look around the nuisance of themselves to the fertile ground beyond, where positive energy grows. Isn't that what hell is? The difficulties we put ourselves through and then wonder who's to blame?...One good way to know if you are ignoring pain, or if you are projecting your pain is if you are blaming other people for the way you feel...(andthen we find out that the olderwoman has many different stories for how and why her daughter Annie died.)
225 The grass. The autumn trees. Her family. Heavedn is all of the ordinary: waiting in the car to pick someone up. the petty squabbling and prickly bickering, getting milk from the cooler at the store, the annoyance of getting out the trash in the rain, the lavishness of impatience, the hot water running out in the shower, the plant not growing well and dying, the dirty floor in the kitchen, the empty bank account, the discomfort in the belly, the paradise that is confusing thoughts, the worry and tenderness and sick-heavy love that holds on to her heart, all of it saying Life, Life, Life. Raising her family was bustin herself opena and loving her children was leading her into so differently than before. Where could she harness whatever power was within it? Where does one put all of that? Into more power, more grace, more growth?
If she were a prisoner of war, or dying in a hospital bed, or war, or if she were terminally ill, or one of her children were terminally ill, or lost, or addictedm there is no doubt that it would be her daily life --some days drudgery, some days with dips into transcendence like a dip into a pool...it would be daily life that she would long for, not some perfect, constant paradise. Peace isn't anything without disturbance, and love isn't love without any of its opposites trying to foil it up.
237--239 She sees the apples, berries, blackberry, white flowers, glossy berries...what did any of that have to do with money? The children run after her along the stream. I might just run in." She does, and falls backward." Esme is in her arms. Neil barks at her, "Can you hear me? You might be bleeding." It sounds like he is joking. She is fine. Stars and galxies, nebulae, they all look like glowing tissue floating in fluid. It is all the same.
As I read other reviews of this book, I'm stunned by the comments. "Nothing happens in this book." "It takes place in one day." Well, yes, but in the beginning of the book pregnancy and birth happen, life happens, children grew up and say the brilliant things children say, observe the world i the way only children can...utterly surprising the adults with their understanding and language. I kept journals of my children's words.."Mommy, look, the creek is all silverware!" When riding on the child seat behind me through a cemetery near our house we came to a dead end, Josh sang out, Dead people, dead ends" over and over again. I have hundreds of these comments. I will find more of Eliza Minot's books. I've read her sister's work. Now I've found her. Hurray!!
October 8, 2022
Nighttime feedings, morning breakfast, and a journey to the local orchard make up just another day in Maisie’s life. But with those come anxiety about money problems, successful parenting, and her relationship with her husband. Between the postpartum challenges of a weeks old baby and raising her older children, Maisie wonders if this is all there is to life.
In The Orchard by Eliza Minot is a striking look at the internal monologue and thoughts of a young mother and wife. While the story is set in the timeline of one specific day for the family, Minot intertwines excerpts from other events in Maisie’s motherhood story to build the reader’s comprehension of what life has been like raising her family while giving up her career. The conversations between moms in her friend group and the details of life with a newborn are authentic and draw the reader into the world of the Miller family.
I give In The Orchard a 4 out of 5 stars. I found it difficult to keep up with the position of events in the novel on Maisie’s timeline of life. The narrative becomes muddled in some areas as Minot slides from present day to past without warning. This is further compounded when the story transitions between one past event to another quickly. However, Maisie’s internal struggles are relatable and a realistic representation of motherhood.
I suggest this novel as a great book club read for a wide variety of audiences. It would lend itself naturally to discussions and camaraderie among the readers. I enjoyed seeing my own struggles as a spouse and mother play out through Maisie and found myself wishing to discuss the story and compare struggles with my friends the way Maisie does with hers.
**Thank you NetGalley and Knopf for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own**
In The Orchard by Eliza Minot is a striking look at the internal monologue and thoughts of a young mother and wife. While the story is set in the timeline of one specific day for the family, Minot intertwines excerpts from other events in Maisie’s motherhood story to build the reader’s comprehension of what life has been like raising her family while giving up her career. The conversations between moms in her friend group and the details of life with a newborn are authentic and draw the reader into the world of the Miller family.
I give In The Orchard a 4 out of 5 stars. I found it difficult to keep up with the position of events in the novel on Maisie’s timeline of life. The narrative becomes muddled in some areas as Minot slides from present day to past without warning. This is further compounded when the story transitions between one past event to another quickly. However, Maisie’s internal struggles are relatable and a realistic representation of motherhood.
I suggest this novel as a great book club read for a wide variety of audiences. It would lend itself naturally to discussions and camaraderie among the readers. I enjoyed seeing my own struggles as a spouse and mother play out through Maisie and found myself wishing to discuss the story and compare struggles with my friends the way Maisie does with hers.
**Thank you NetGalley and Knopf for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own**
June 10, 2023
excited to have won this book in a goodreads giveaway and as soon as i read it i’ll be back with my thoughts!
April 24, 2023
2.5 Stars
This is one of those stories told over the course of one day that follows the stream of conscious thought of a mother from up in the middle-of-the-night nursing her baby, to a day with her family at the apple orchard. It is her reflections on mothering, money, marriage, family life, and while there are some poignant moments that would be worthy of discussion in a book group or amongst friends. Those moments, to a mom of 3 under 7 like me, felt relatable, but they got lost a little bit in all the other random thoughts. I would find that much like this mom's mind, mine would wander as I read, and I would have to force myself to attend back to the book. Without spoiling the ending, literally on the very last pages a big thing happens (maybe?) and the book ends with ambiguity about what exactly is happening to the mom at the apple orchard. So overall I left this feeling a bit relieved and confused.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a free E-Arc in exchange for my honest opinion.
This is one of those stories told over the course of one day that follows the stream of conscious thought of a mother from up in the middle-of-the-night nursing her baby, to a day with her family at the apple orchard. It is her reflections on mothering, money, marriage, family life, and while there are some poignant moments that would be worthy of discussion in a book group or amongst friends. Those moments, to a mom of 3 under 7 like me, felt relatable, but they got lost a little bit in all the other random thoughts. I would find that much like this mom's mind, mine would wander as I read, and I would have to force myself to attend back to the book. Without spoiling the ending, literally on the very last pages a big thing happens (maybe?) and the book ends with ambiguity about what exactly is happening to the mom at the apple orchard. So overall I left this feeling a bit relieved and confused.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a free E-Arc in exchange for my honest opinion.
December 1, 2022
Thank you Netgalley and Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House. In the Orchard by Eliza Minot. What a wonderful invite into the brain of a mother. A mother who is totally in love with being a mother. A mother trying not to let their economic situation overtake the wonder of family life. A mother dealing with post baby blues jumping from euphoria to reality. There's no real story here but the authors words are so captivating that I couldn't stop reading. It made me relive family life when our children were in their formative years and for awhile I was back there.The literary descriptions are so magical I had to reread them often and closed my eyes to imagin them. It was a very special read and highly recommended to both old and new mothers/parents.
February 16, 2023
2.5 ⭐️ There are true moments of beauty and passages that sing in this novel, but not enough to keep me engaged. I stopped and started this book several times. I might not even have finished if I weren’t committed to writing a review for Net Galley, who provided me a copy in exchange for my honest review.
February 23, 2024
This is one of the few books I plan on keeping and rereading later in life. The main character tells many stories on being a woman, daughter, and mother that I appreciate now, but may fully understand another day. Overall, I tended to get lost rather than walk away with something meaningful. The ending was also left me uneasy.. but I get it, maybe? Slow read, but I kind of needed that with my busy schedule and mostly just read a part or two in the mornings!
September 18, 2022
I'll be honest: the cover is what sold me on this book initially. I found the lush green grass, the baby on the blanket, to be calm but almost ominous. I'm not usually one to love single-day stories, but this one sounded interesting.
A main problem in this book is the organization, which I don't think is ultimately Minot's fault. Yes, she wrote the manuscript, but it's up to an editor to put it in an order the reader can best connect to the book. And it's also up to the editor to trim back some of the similes and metaphors: we are hit with one essentially every sentence for the first 20 pages.
I'll be honest: If I hadn't wanted to finish this to provide feedback to Netgalley, I don't think I would have read past the first 20%. Maisie's musings on periods and vaginas and milk letdown were getting too detailed and repetitive for me, as a person who has all that same plumbing and would be able to relate to it. And while a good amount of her thoughts make sense, a good amount of the deep conversations in this book are not believable.
I also found myself extremely annoyed with her husband. Maisie is a mother alone in this relationship, which is astounding to me because she thinks only positive thoughts toward Neil, who is essentially a lump when it comes to parenting. I didn't feel anything for him, even with Maisie thinking on him lovingly (the few times she did). I found this lacking, especially because (at that soccer game) Minot makes a point to have the women talk about division of labor, and then shows that there is absolutely no division of labor in the Moore household, yet Maisie doesn't seem to realize that.
I also found myself impatient to get on with the story. We don't even wake up and begin the day until 50% in. For 50% of these pages, you are sitting in Maisie's bed with Esme, while her useless husband sleeps next to her, and Maisie's mind wanders. I like a lot of Maisie's wonderings, to be fair — she has interesting thoughts on love and childhood — but I went in expecting a little less stream of consciousness and a little more dialogue. It was because of this heavy emphasis on stream of consciousness that I would find myself unsure what was happening when we finally left Daydream Land and came back to present. And many of the Present Scenes were odd, and felt unrealistic, the interaction with Amber and the horse especially so.
Even with all of that, once we actually got TO the orchard, I was interested in the walking around and movement. This improved the thought-wanderings as well, because there were external factors to influence Maisie's thoughts, instead of just her wandering mind. If we had gotten to the orchard earlier — as the title and marketing suggests — this easily could have been a 4-star book for me, even with the abrupt and out of place ending.
This felt very much like Outline to me, but I actually liked this a lot more than Outline. I think this ultimately is an editor problem, not a writer problem.
A main problem in this book is the organization, which I don't think is ultimately Minot's fault. Yes, she wrote the manuscript, but it's up to an editor to put it in an order the reader can best connect to the book. And it's also up to the editor to trim back some of the similes and metaphors: we are hit with one essentially every sentence for the first 20 pages.
I'll be honest: If I hadn't wanted to finish this to provide feedback to Netgalley, I don't think I would have read past the first 20%. Maisie's musings on periods and vaginas and milk letdown were getting too detailed and repetitive for me, as a person who has all that same plumbing and would be able to relate to it. And while a good amount of her thoughts make sense, a good amount of the deep conversations in this book are not believable.
I also found myself extremely annoyed with her husband. Maisie is a mother alone in this relationship, which is astounding to me because she thinks only positive thoughts toward Neil, who is essentially a lump when it comes to parenting. I didn't feel anything for him, even with Maisie thinking on him lovingly (the few times she did). I found this lacking, especially because (at that soccer game) Minot makes a point to have the women talk about division of labor, and then shows that there is absolutely no division of labor in the Moore household, yet Maisie doesn't seem to realize that.
I also found myself impatient to get on with the story. We don't even wake up and begin the day until 50% in. For 50% of these pages, you are sitting in Maisie's bed with Esme, while her useless husband sleeps next to her, and Maisie's mind wanders. I like a lot of Maisie's wonderings, to be fair — she has interesting thoughts on love and childhood — but I went in expecting a little less stream of consciousness and a little more dialogue. It was because of this heavy emphasis on stream of consciousness that I would find myself unsure what was happening when we finally left Daydream Land and came back to present. And many of the Present Scenes were odd, and felt unrealistic, the interaction with Amber and the horse especially so.
Even with all of that, once we actually got TO the orchard, I was interested in the walking around and movement. This improved the thought-wanderings as well, because there were external factors to influence Maisie's thoughts, instead of just her wandering mind. If we had gotten to the orchard earlier — as the title and marketing suggests — this easily could have been a 4-star book for me, even with the abrupt and out of place ending.
This felt very much like Outline to me, but I actually liked this a lot more than Outline. I think this ultimately is an editor problem, not a writer problem.
June 4, 2023
There are no small things in this novel. Eliza Minot absolutely shines when bringing the emotional gamut of feelings in day-to-day family life onto the page. She did this so well in her novel "The Brambles" that I still remember entire sections as if they happened to me personally. Whether it's eating jam, or visiting an orchard with her family, including her "too young" to leave the house two-week-old infant, Esme, the result is vivid, funny, just plain memorable.
"It's through successfully processing grief--the grief for every second that passes by--that we become more tolerant, more open, and more loving.'"
"'It's so weird when you finish a book,' he said, 'and you keep wondering how the people in it are doing. You, like, wonder where they are.'" Maisie's brother, Miles, says in one of many effective flashbacks to childhood. To which their father responds, 'They'll stay with you.'" And Eliza Minot's characters most certainly do. These characters, especially Maisie, ground themselves in the present - the steady thrum of day-to-day life.
A wonderful microcosm of a family, like many other families, doing their dead-level best to navigate life and, importantly, NOT missing the little things. Not at all.
"It's through successfully processing grief--the grief for every second that passes by--that we become more tolerant, more open, and more loving.'"
"'It's so weird when you finish a book,' he said, 'and you keep wondering how the people in it are doing. You, like, wonder where they are.'" Maisie's brother, Miles, says in one of many effective flashbacks to childhood. To which their father responds, 'They'll stay with you.'" And Eliza Minot's characters most certainly do. These characters, especially Maisie, ground themselves in the present - the steady thrum of day-to-day life.
A wonderful microcosm of a family, like many other families, doing their dead-level best to navigate life and, importantly, NOT missing the little things. Not at all.
April 14, 2023
This is my kind of novel—an immersive, slightly meandering look at an important subject— in this case, motherhood. We are taken into the world of Maisie, a mother of 4 young children as she cares for them, reminiscences about the loss of her own mother at a young age, interacts with other mothers on subjects such as the work/home balance, and goes with her family, including her husband Neil apple picking.
Her children are well portrayed, as are all the characters who touch upon her life. The subject of her and Neil’s money troubles is referenced, but not gone into depth—but that is okay as paying for a family if 6 is beyond many families’ means.
It was an absorbing story and explained the course of motherhood in a realistic fashion. Those looking for an action-filled thriller should just move on, but this story is the real deal.
As always, I listened on audio. Narrator Rebecca Lowman was ideal fit for this material—she portrayed the emotionality in this story, and even does the voices of the children well.
Her children are well portrayed, as are all the characters who touch upon her life. The subject of her and Neil’s money troubles is referenced, but not gone into depth—but that is okay as paying for a family if 6 is beyond many families’ means.
It was an absorbing story and explained the course of motherhood in a realistic fashion. Those looking for an action-filled thriller should just move on, but this story is the real deal.
As always, I listened on audio. Narrator Rebecca Lowman was ideal fit for this material—she portrayed the emotionality in this story, and even does the voices of the children well.
August 9, 2023
Exquisite portrait of parenthood/early motherhood. I can’t think of another book that renders so fully what it’s like to be in the midst of mothering a newborn—the slippage between the self and the baby, children in plural, and the whole rest of creation. Lots of beauty and wisdom in these pages.
April 19, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
In the Orchard: A Novel
Author: Eliza Minot
Knopf ARC – NetGalley
Publication Date: April 25, 2023
🍎
In The Orchard: A Novel by Eliza Minot will get mixed reviews because of the subject, the run-on sentences, and the unusual format. But I liked it. The story centers around husband and wife Neil and Maisie, parents of four young children. Specifically, we get into Maisie’s mind as she goes through one day when they take the kids to an apple orchard. I remember when my three girls were little, and the days seemed endless. Now, I wonder where time has gone and how they have their children now. There is never enough sleep; a baby always breastfeeding, fights, tantrums, hugs, kisses, early morning wake up, late night nightmares, wiping butts, and blowing noses. All the while comparing your efforts to other mothers who seem to operate so efficiently and “better” than you do. The author calls it porous sleep, and I recall it with dread because sleep is such a precious commodity, and mothers don’t have the luxury of “blackout sleep.” Debates with husbands about the division of labor, lack of funds, juggling finances, and endless hours of loving slave labor. The author writes: “Having children was being at a blurred precipice where living and dying meet all the time.” That made me laugh, and it almost made me cry because I would gladly go back and do it all over again. It was my highest calling and the best of days. I think Maisie feels the same. As the writer states: “It’s the people we love who teach us the most.” #motherhood #sweetness #families #wife #husband #labor #jobs #lifelessons #lackofmoney #lackofsleep #kindness #comparison #children #dreams #life #literaryfiction #ramblings #fiction @eliza.minot @aaknopf @netgalley #InTheOrchard
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I received a complimentary copy of this ARC. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to Knopf Books, NetGalley, and the author for the opportunity to read this book. Pub. Date: April 25, 2023.
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#book #books #bookaddict #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #bookstagramer #bookshelf #reader #booklove #bookreader #reader
In the Orchard: A Novel
Author: Eliza Minot
Knopf ARC – NetGalley
Publication Date: April 25, 2023
🍎
In The Orchard: A Novel by Eliza Minot will get mixed reviews because of the subject, the run-on sentences, and the unusual format. But I liked it. The story centers around husband and wife Neil and Maisie, parents of four young children. Specifically, we get into Maisie’s mind as she goes through one day when they take the kids to an apple orchard. I remember when my three girls were little, and the days seemed endless. Now, I wonder where time has gone and how they have their children now. There is never enough sleep; a baby always breastfeeding, fights, tantrums, hugs, kisses, early morning wake up, late night nightmares, wiping butts, and blowing noses. All the while comparing your efforts to other mothers who seem to operate so efficiently and “better” than you do. The author calls it porous sleep, and I recall it with dread because sleep is such a precious commodity, and mothers don’t have the luxury of “blackout sleep.” Debates with husbands about the division of labor, lack of funds, juggling finances, and endless hours of loving slave labor. The author writes: “Having children was being at a blurred precipice where living and dying meet all the time.” That made me laugh, and it almost made me cry because I would gladly go back and do it all over again. It was my highest calling and the best of days. I think Maisie feels the same. As the writer states: “It’s the people we love who teach us the most.” #motherhood #sweetness #families #wife #husband #labor #jobs #lifelessons #lackofmoney #lackofsleep #kindness #comparison #children #dreams #life #literaryfiction #ramblings #fiction @eliza.minot @aaknopf @netgalley #InTheOrchard
🍎
I received a complimentary copy of this ARC. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to Knopf Books, NetGalley, and the author for the opportunity to read this book. Pub. Date: April 25, 2023.
🍎
#book #books #bookaddict #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #bookstagramer #bookshelf #reader #booklove #bookreader #reader
February 21, 2024
This novel started strong for me. Maisie Moore is the young mother of four little children, including a newborn. She has a dream in which all of her and husband’s debts are wiped out, then wakes in the middle of the night to her dismal reality. Their house is mortgaged to the hilt and all of their credit is maxed out. My husband and I lived on a shoestring when our children were little and I wasn’t working outside the home, so I really identified with that. The book promised to be about the conflict between wanting financial security and wanting to be at home with her children during their early years.
Instead, it then turns into the 21st century mom version of Mrs. Dalloway. It’s written in an almost stream-of-consciousness style. We are subjected to all of Maisie’s disorganized thoughts and feelings about everything, but mostly about her children. That goes on for pages and pages. Then it gets worse. Despite their dire financial straits, Maisie and Neil can somehow afford a soccer league for their oldest child that is clearly upscale with coaches from Europe. We find Maisie at a soccer game having a conversation with other soccer moms that no group of mothers would have in a million years. They are all soooo honest about their struggles with their children, and soooo philosophical. The conversation bounces from one deep thought about motherhood to another. Clearly, Minot has had some deep thoughts on the topic and decided to just shoehorn all of them into this completely unrealistic many-pages-long conversation that does not advance the plot – such as it is – at all.
I just gave up at that point. Maybe this book gets better as it goes along, or maybe my mothering years are just too far behind me to get it, but had no interest in reading any further.
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Author of The Saint's Mistress
Instead, it then turns into the 21st century mom version of Mrs. Dalloway. It’s written in an almost stream-of-consciousness style. We are subjected to all of Maisie’s disorganized thoughts and feelings about everything, but mostly about her children. That goes on for pages and pages. Then it gets worse. Despite their dire financial straits, Maisie and Neil can somehow afford a soccer league for their oldest child that is clearly upscale with coaches from Europe. We find Maisie at a soccer game having a conversation with other soccer moms that no group of mothers would have in a million years. They are all soooo honest about their struggles with their children, and soooo philosophical. The conversation bounces from one deep thought about motherhood to another. Clearly, Minot has had some deep thoughts on the topic and decided to just shoehorn all of them into this completely unrealistic many-pages-long conversation that does not advance the plot – such as it is – at all.
I just gave up at that point. Maybe this book gets better as it goes along, or maybe my mothering years are just too far behind me to get it, but had no interest in reading any further.
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Author of The Saint's Mistress
June 27, 2023
pp. 43-45
Maisie sighed. "Tantrums," she said as though exhaling a cigarette. The baby (Esme!) in Maisie's large belly moved precipitously, like a fish coming to attention, as if to say, Tantrums? Did someone say tantrums? and was eager to discuss.
The question made Maisie weary. It wasn't that she generally minded talking about kids, but most of the time, while largely pregnant or largely preoccupied with caretaking, she wanted to talk about something surprising or nothing at all. Something like the uncontacted tribe. But, as for the kids: Some days were fine, and it was easy to think that having small children was a plain and simple treasure of explosive love, pieces of your married hearts running around in the world, full of hope and wonderment, days brimming with happy chaos and burgeoning growth, a cuckoo house full of surprise, full of tumult. Some small moments made up for all the monotony and aggravation, even all the anxiety over things like money, like the time when she looked quietly around the corner into the living room and Harriet was sitting next to Xavier, smoothing his hair down tenderly, admiring him as he looked at a book. She leaned close to him on the sofa, looking at the book he was reading. He looked up at her gently, his face with a sweet smile.
"Want me to read to you?" he asked her.
She nodded. Xavier raised his arm up like a little man and put his arm around her as she wriggled in close to him. The next time Maisie looked, Romeo was out there, too, large on Harriet's little lap.
It was slow, very slow, very mundane but also thrilling, watching toddlers toddle through the house, watching a baby try to fit a round peg into a square, the hilarious expressions at trying new foods.
Other days were not so full of warm calmness. Other days, it was as if Maisie saw nothing more than the shrill screaming coming out of Harriet's fanatical face for a full-on-forty-minute tantrum. She was like an egomaniacal starlet who was losing her mind, headed toward sedation or an overdose. Harriet might screech and scream the same type of thing over and over, oddly reminiscent of the provocative bad boyfriends of Maisie's past: "You're making me not know what I'm thinking! You're making me forget!" lying on the floor and pinwheeling in circles with kicking legs, the terrible stuttered breathing as if she's about to gag, her little red face screaming: "You know what I'm talking about! You're just not saying you know!" Maisie might think, If I was a Salem Puritan, I would think this child was possessed as Harriet flails uncontrollably on the floor, flopping around, almost convulsing. In her more adult moments, Maisie was aware that it was a very fine line between being very funny and very heartbreaking (a young girl distraught and crying!) and so downright aggravating that Maisie sometimes had to suppress the urge to kick her daughter as she walked around her.
July 18, 2023
A simple story of a young mother’s inner thoughts as she floats through her day with her family. I was drawn in with the descriptive and unfiltered perspective of Maisie’s life, as someone who doesn’t have children I felt the postpartum hormones pumping through each beat. Moreover, this is a story for any young female who feels she is not doing enough to provide, whether you have a family to support or not. Sometimes it’s hard to speak our fears, and it felt so nice to see all of these universal themes written on pages.
August 17, 2024
This is an interesting book of unexpected depth. The author’s style feels to me like Virginia Woolf. It is the interior of a woman’s mind - which is a life examined through the prism of a single day. In this way it feels like Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway or To the Lighthouse. Its ending has kept me thinking for days.
June 25, 2023
it was interesting to read this right after reading “on earth we’re briefly gorgeous.” with the latter, i appreciated it but kept thinking “what is the story?!?” it seems like people have a similar complaint about this book. i do not. i absolutely loved going deep into the thoughts of this mom for 24 hours as she lives a very significant day, two weeks postpartum with her fourth child. my guess is the closer you are to relating to this character the more you will like this book. although the end is somewhat ambiguous, i felt definitively about what happens. i cried 2-3 times, and given the frequency with which maisie mentions her own hormones, it seems noteworthy to mention i got my period about an hour after i finished this.
September 22, 2022
First, thank you to the publisher and author for providing me with a digital copy of this title via Netgalley.
UGH this book! The cover is pretty, the summary sounded tempting. I was excited to be given a copy. But then I started reading... and on the 5th night of reading, I still found myself wondering "what is this book about? What is the story here?" I felt like every night I was starting the book over in a hellish ground hogs day cycle and never getting anywhere. I finally looked paused reading and looked it up in goodreads hoping someone could help me figure out WHAT IS GOING ON? After seeing other reviews with the same complaints, I quit. I am not wasting anymore of my time hearing all about her body, her kids, and waiting for her to get out of bed and actually DO SOMETHING.
UGH this book! The cover is pretty, the summary sounded tempting. I was excited to be given a copy. But then I started reading... and on the 5th night of reading, I still found myself wondering "what is this book about? What is the story here?" I felt like every night I was starting the book over in a hellish ground hogs day cycle and never getting anywhere. I finally looked paused reading and looked it up in goodreads hoping someone could help me figure out WHAT IS GOING ON? After seeing other reviews with the same complaints, I quit. I am not wasting anymore of my time hearing all about her body, her kids, and waiting for her to get out of bed and actually DO SOMETHING.
December 16, 2025
This was one of my favorite reads of the year. Dripping with raw truth and beauty, In the Orchard is an easy-flowing dose of existentialism.
What made me pick this up in my little local book shop was the gorgeous cover art- I knew I’d buy it the moment I saw it and DID buy it once the book jacket gave me an indication that it would cover some motherhood-womanhood themes. I took it home and read the first few pages, a bit disappointed because I wasn’t quite sure which direction this was going in. It opens with a dream sequence- usually a no-no in writing- so I wasn’t sure what I was getting into or if it would work (it did, dreams are a motif in this story). It may be worth noting that my background as a doula might contribute to how readable this was for me. I’ve seen some other reviews say they didn’t like it for the reasons I did- there is a certain graphic quality to Minot’s descriptions about the female body and birth and motherhood. I find that sort of thing quite beautiful and empowering, so I was happy to read about it.
I will say- there were other themes that I think may have warranted some kind of warning. It was sometimes hard to read & triggered my OCD quite a bit. It made me think of the moms with postpartum anxiety (which the book touches on) reading this and I think THAT could be “too much” for some, as it was for me.
With that caveat, I posted this to my doula page because I think that’s a good space for it. It’s sort of vignette-style writing that’s so gorgeously done, encompassing everything it is to become a mother and process the change in identity (or sharing of identity? Conservation of identity?) that comes along with it. There are two groups who I think will really get it- mothers and other birth workers.
There’s a book that’s popular right now called On Earth we’re Briefly Gorgeous- also vignettes of very artsy, poetic prose- but that one missed the mark for me. I felt like the flowery writing really overshadowed everything else and made it too “precious” and hard to understand half the time… if you’re going to do “slice of life” writing in vignettes, In the Orchard is HOW. YOU. DO. IT.
It was beautiful. I actually laughed out loud at some of the children’s conversations- so candid, authentic, & genuine. 5 stars & recommending!
What made me pick this up in my little local book shop was the gorgeous cover art- I knew I’d buy it the moment I saw it and DID buy it once the book jacket gave me an indication that it would cover some motherhood-womanhood themes. I took it home and read the first few pages, a bit disappointed because I wasn’t quite sure which direction this was going in. It opens with a dream sequence- usually a no-no in writing- so I wasn’t sure what I was getting into or if it would work (it did, dreams are a motif in this story). It may be worth noting that my background as a doula might contribute to how readable this was for me. I’ve seen some other reviews say they didn’t like it for the reasons I did- there is a certain graphic quality to Minot’s descriptions about the female body and birth and motherhood. I find that sort of thing quite beautiful and empowering, so I was happy to read about it.
I will say- there were other themes that I think may have warranted some kind of warning. It was sometimes hard to read & triggered my OCD quite a bit. It made me think of the moms with postpartum anxiety (which the book touches on) reading this and I think THAT could be “too much” for some, as it was for me.
With that caveat, I posted this to my doula page because I think that’s a good space for it. It’s sort of vignette-style writing that’s so gorgeously done, encompassing everything it is to become a mother and process the change in identity (or sharing of identity? Conservation of identity?) that comes along with it. There are two groups who I think will really get it- mothers and other birth workers.
There’s a book that’s popular right now called On Earth we’re Briefly Gorgeous- also vignettes of very artsy, poetic prose- but that one missed the mark for me. I felt like the flowery writing really overshadowed everything else and made it too “precious” and hard to understand half the time… if you’re going to do “slice of life” writing in vignettes, In the Orchard is HOW. YOU. DO. IT.
It was beautiful. I actually laughed out loud at some of the children’s conversations- so candid, authentic, & genuine. 5 stars & recommending!
October 7, 2022
I've been a fan of Eliza Minot's writing since "The Tiny One," (as well as her sister's, Susan Minot). "In the Orchard" is lyrical and luminous, with steady, sensuous details and description.. The writing itself is so scrumptious it would be easy to focus on the language alone., The story takes place in one day of apple-picking for Maise, her husband and their children. However, because of the strength and music in Minot's writing, the novel shines with insights of mothering and the nature of love. Highly recommended for those who adore literary and lyrical writing. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC, I was so thrilled to read it.
November 6, 2022
Thank you so much NetGalley and Knopf.
Maisie is a mom of four young children and she dreams of a life where things are easier and she is debt free. The writing is lyrical. At times, I wasn't sure exactly where the story was going, but I think that relates a lot to being a parent. It takes place on a single day in the orchard. I read some reviews that say it lacks a plot and a point, but I can tell you as a parent a young child, I feel like my days can feel without a point or a plot. Eliza. Minot is quite talented!
Maisie is a mom of four young children and she dreams of a life where things are easier and she is debt free. The writing is lyrical. At times, I wasn't sure exactly where the story was going, but I think that relates a lot to being a parent. It takes place on a single day in the orchard. I read some reviews that say it lacks a plot and a point, but I can tell you as a parent a young child, I feel like my days can feel without a point or a plot. Eliza. Minot is quite talented!
January 25, 2023
Mom of 4 (newborn from Emergency C Section) goes off on a tangent (about 1 day) at an apple orchard.
Trying to get over having no debt with being financially stable and carrying on raising a family.
Keep dreamin' girlfriend because there's never a break. Never a time when you're fully debt free as the bills come monthly regardless of wealth.
Now, let me tell you I should and could write plenty about emergency c-sections and in fact reading other reviews I wonder myself how you're able to move following one. I was shored up on my back stuck at the Ronald McDonald House after having one & needed assistance merely walking.
My issue is there's no direction with this ergo the reason for the 'tangent' description as we meander throughout the story lost.
I was hoping for more concrete storyline that followed a general sense of direction. In fact, considering Netgalley app showed this having only 161 pages I figured I'd zip through but it was a bit fluffy in many spots.
Hoping to connect on many levels as a single mom x 3 (2 in college with one in high school) never happened. Having 3 high risk kids from birth with one med disabled for life and one emergency c-section from a placental abruption didn't have me connecting here.
I never breastfed nor had assistance in raising my kids (married but spouse resided 5 states away w only weekend visits) left me seeking more.
As someone whose son spent 2 months in NICU and battled for life going code blue multiple times and with babies dying nearby I simply can't get over that I couldn't connect. Sadly, this was not as in depth or as full as I'd hoped it might become and the ending simply fell flat.
Thank you to Eliza Minot, Knopf, Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.
Trying to get over having no debt with being financially stable and carrying on raising a family.
Keep dreamin' girlfriend because there's never a break. Never a time when you're fully debt free as the bills come monthly regardless of wealth.
Now, let me tell you I should and could write plenty about emergency c-sections and in fact reading other reviews I wonder myself how you're able to move following one. I was shored up on my back stuck at the Ronald McDonald House after having one & needed assistance merely walking.
My issue is there's no direction with this ergo the reason for the 'tangent' description as we meander throughout the story lost.
I was hoping for more concrete storyline that followed a general sense of direction. In fact, considering Netgalley app showed this having only 161 pages I figured I'd zip through but it was a bit fluffy in many spots.
Hoping to connect on many levels as a single mom x 3 (2 in college with one in high school) never happened. Having 3 high risk kids from birth with one med disabled for life and one emergency c-section from a placental abruption didn't have me connecting here.
I never breastfed nor had assistance in raising my kids (married but spouse resided 5 states away w only weekend visits) left me seeking more.
As someone whose son spent 2 months in NICU and battled for life going code blue multiple times and with babies dying nearby I simply can't get over that I couldn't connect. Sadly, this was not as in depth or as full as I'd hoped it might become and the ending simply fell flat.
Thank you to Eliza Minot, Knopf, Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.
January 2, 2025
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.
May 19, 2023
"She does know one thing though, that she didn't used to know: that the special, close attention that she is learning to pay toward her children, is actually toward her own heart, and her own universe. She is learning that the closer she gets to their small smells, their little humor and mischief and verve, the closer she is getting to an unfound mystery. Hitting it from time to time like a vein of gold, a trickle thin branch of a mother lode, vibrant and dazzling in dark rock."
In the Orchard is a beautifully written snapshot of the fever dream that is motherhood. The author captures the disorientation of the early postpartum weeks well and also describes the introspection, uncertainty, and enlightenment that motherhood brings in a way that is as entertaining as it is accurate. I admit that sometimes the stream of consciousness of Maisie the main character is a little abstract and tough to follow but overall I thought that the author provided a rather accurate portrayal of the sleep deprived thoughts of a new mother.
As a mother in the fourth trimester myself and with an older child I could easily relate to the main character Maisie. The book is a diary of Maisie's thoughts jumping back and forth from present moment baby snuggles with her 2 week old Esme at a family trip to the orchard and past memories of Maisie's older children and of her own childhood. Maisie thinks about how she relates to other mothers, her own financial hardships, her relationship with her husband, and overall broad philosophical ideas about life.
If you are a fan of literary fiction and on the motherhood journey, this book may be for you!
In the Orchard is a beautifully written snapshot of the fever dream that is motherhood. The author captures the disorientation of the early postpartum weeks well and also describes the introspection, uncertainty, and enlightenment that motherhood brings in a way that is as entertaining as it is accurate. I admit that sometimes the stream of consciousness of Maisie the main character is a little abstract and tough to follow but overall I thought that the author provided a rather accurate portrayal of the sleep deprived thoughts of a new mother.
As a mother in the fourth trimester myself and with an older child I could easily relate to the main character Maisie. The book is a diary of Maisie's thoughts jumping back and forth from present moment baby snuggles with her 2 week old Esme at a family trip to the orchard and past memories of Maisie's older children and of her own childhood. Maisie thinks about how she relates to other mothers, her own financial hardships, her relationship with her husband, and overall broad philosophical ideas about life.
If you are a fan of literary fiction and on the motherhood journey, this book may be for you!
July 16, 2023
There’s no real plot here, just random observations, occasioned by everyday experiences of family life, about motherhood by a young mother with 4 young children aged 8 to newborn infant. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything with such intimate details and reflections about motherhood. The author’s general sensibility is summarized in this passage near the book’s midpoint: “She does know one thing that she didn’t used to know: that the special, close attention that she is learning to pay toward her children is actually toward her own heart, and her own universe. She is learning that the closer she gets to their small smells, their little humor and mischief and verve, the closer she is getting to an unfound mystery, hitting it from time to time like a vein of gold, a trickle-thin branch of a mother lode, vibrant and dazzling in dark rock” (151). This, too: “Telling Neil [her husband] I love you fell flat of encompassing the trust, erotica, fear, and ineffable tenderness combined with impatience. It was sometimes more effective to say nothing, make love, or just lump into the moment, body against body in togetherness” (172). With so much contemporary literary fiction focused on dysfunctional families, it’s nice to have such a positive yet clear-eyed portrayal of motherhood, marriage, and family. Valuable, too, though, to acknowledge, lurking prominently in the background, the anxiety caused by the financial struggles of middle-class families. My only misgiving: Some of the dialog feels pretty artificial–and occasionally a little saccharine. But for the most part it nicely balances the trials and rewards of motherhood.
April 22, 2023
In the Orchard by Eliza Minot is a recommended internal monologue of a young mother and wife over the course of one day. Maisie Moore reflects on motherhood when up late at night nursing her newborn and then during a family outing to an apple orchard. This one is for poets and those who love language, especially mothers. Those interested in a plot might want to give it a pass.
Admittedly, I had several passages that I saved for the meticulously, masterfully crafted writing or the profound insight conveyed, but there are also many, many more excessively descriptive passages that felt over-the-top. If you are a mother, you will understand and even sympathize with Maisie. However, you might grow weary of the repetition in her contemplation of motherhood, nursing, other mothers, and the Moore's inexplicable crushing debt. Readers may find themselves talking back to some of Maisie's inner dialogue. Many young families are careful and follow a strict budget rather than spending beyond their means. 3 stars for the passages I highlighted.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Knopf Doubleday via Edelweiss.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2023/0...
Admittedly, I had several passages that I saved for the meticulously, masterfully crafted writing or the profound insight conveyed, but there are also many, many more excessively descriptive passages that felt over-the-top. If you are a mother, you will understand and even sympathize with Maisie. However, you might grow weary of the repetition in her contemplation of motherhood, nursing, other mothers, and the Moore's inexplicable crushing debt. Readers may find themselves talking back to some of Maisie's inner dialogue. Many young families are careful and follow a strict budget rather than spending beyond their means. 3 stars for the passages I highlighted.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Knopf Doubleday via Edelweiss.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2023/0...
August 1, 2024
Was super excited to read this after hearing Eliza read sections of it for my summer writing program. i appreciate her vision and her drive to tell this kind of story, i think it’s beautiful and honorable and vivid. there are moments where i felt the philosophizing dialogue was a bit heavy handed. i also felt like i wanted to see more of maisie’s personality. we get her worries, her excitement, her rage, her love, her peace, her patience, her frustration, her shame. we get her whole inferiority. but we seem to get a sense of every other character’s personality through their dialogue, even the children, whereas i felt like i couldn’t see maisie. her words are few and far between, and usually mean “okay.” and there is an emphasis on talking less in many contexts, but there seems to be moments where we could’ve seen her in a social context where she wasn’t just observant. that would’ve helped me find a vision of her within her life that is informed by her complex thoughts but isn’t completely overwhelmed by them. maybe she is completely overwhelmed though. maybe that’s the concept. I’m working out how i feel as i write. maybe that’s the vision, which is understandable too.
November 4, 2023
IN THE ORCHARD focuses on the life of a young mother in the suburbs with her small children and husband - a bustling, happy scene. When they go on an outing to an orchard, the journey unfolds with all the minute details of motherhood - those so often forgotten, rarely examined. IN THE ORCHARD takes the time to savor the mundane moments - tending small creatures. But's there's a harmony, even in the inconvenience of schlepping strollers and bags, tending to boo boos and breakfast. The book conveys the rarely expressed joy of small hands and faces and reminds the reader to take note. Time passes so quickly we forget to savor these moments - until they are gone forever. Literature often focuses on bad moms, those overwhelmed by the task of it, those who abandon the job. But Minot allows motherhood - the hard effort and warm reward of it - to take center stage. Her story, like the fleeting moment of raising young children, is full of sumptuous texture and detail. The story surfaces heartbreaking and beautiful as the flash of gold in a glistening stream.
May 30, 2023
I’m still processing how to handle this book. I know I didn’t hate this one, but I also didn’t really love it – it was rather odd. The whole book took place over a single day, which was interesting. It didn’t really flow nicely though and at times was rather jumbled. I wasn’t always sure what was going on either. Another issue I had was not much of anything happened over the course of the day. However, this book was a beautiful representation of motherhood with an infant. I remembered back to when my baby was two weeks old and life was rather jumbled and fractured. I also had some issues with how many times the author talked about the main characters clitoris. It was a lot of clitoris talk for no reason. It was just odd and out of place. I really wanted more from this one, and I can see how this is a fabulous author, this book was just a miss for me.
Thank you so much to Knopf @aaknopf for sending me a finished copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you so much to Knopf @aaknopf for sending me a finished copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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