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alisonyx's review against another edition
4.0
This is one of those books that really doesn't deserve 4 stars, but I'm giving it 4 anyway because at no point was I bored, and I really, really wanted to know what was going to happen at the end.
But still...there were so many problems and things that irritated me. First of all, no fucking teenagers walk around quoting Shakespeare, Kant, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche, to name a few. None. Zero. Especially not ones who've spent the majority of their schooling in an extremely sheltered religious school where they barely learned any math (I mean...he takes geometry as a senior at his new school...). The pontification and religious ramblings were way too much for me to handle. And not only are they having these conversations at all, but they're having them while they're drunk and high. And listen, I went to a rich high school where kids showed up high, did tons of drugs, acted like damn fools all the time, and I can think of one person who was able to academically function at the level of Evan and Ari (oddly enough...I think he went to Stanford).
Also...were we supposed to think the acid trip was really an acid trip? Was it just that they were on a LOT of acid that they lost 2 days of their lives and had such vivid, dream-like hallucinations? Because I've done hallucinogens and believe me, the weirdest shit I saw was tattooed grass and a dog with four eyes, and I did a shit ton of laughing. I did not travel to heaven and wear purple robes.
I actually didn't have a problem with the lackluster female characters. Not everything needs to have representation of every single group. At the end of the day, this book is about the relationship between these five boys, and how they irreversibly change one another's lives. Of course there had to be a love interest who was nothing more than a love interest because it's a book about teenagers.
And lastly...if Rabbi Bloom was so invested in the well-being of these boys, then why the hell didn't he do anything about Evan, who very clearly has some sort of schizoaffective disorder. The kid is very obviously manic and seriously psychotic. Like, not existential literature exploring human behavior kinda psychotic, but genuinely PSYCHOTIC.
Actually that wasn't the last thing - Ari going from an ultra-Orthodox community to being able to stay out late and never have a curfew was entirely unrealistic but I just suspended my disbelief on that one.
Yet here I am giving it 4 stars. Why? I couldn't tell you. I wanted to know what happened. I liked Ari (mostly). Maybe it reminded me a little bit of my high school years - albeit extremely exaggerated and also I did not go to a Jewish school/am not Jewish. Something about it intrigued me, resonated with me. And here we are. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
But still...there were so many problems and things that irritated me. First of all, no fucking teenagers walk around quoting Shakespeare, Kant, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche, to name a few. None. Zero. Especially not ones who've spent the majority of their schooling in an extremely sheltered religious school where they barely learned any math (I mean...he takes geometry as a senior at his new school...). The pontification and religious ramblings were way too much for me to handle. And not only are they having these conversations at all, but they're having them while they're drunk and high. And listen, I went to a rich high school where kids showed up high, did tons of drugs, acted like damn fools all the time, and I can think of one person who was able to academically function at the level of Evan and Ari (oddly enough...I think he went to Stanford).
Also...were we supposed to think the acid trip was really an acid trip? Was it just that they were on a LOT of acid that they lost 2 days of their lives and had such vivid, dream-like hallucinations? Because I've done hallucinogens and believe me, the weirdest shit I saw was tattooed grass and a dog with four eyes, and I did a shit ton of laughing. I did not travel to heaven and wear purple robes.
I actually didn't have a problem with the lackluster female characters. Not everything needs to have representation of every single group. At the end of the day, this book is about the relationship between these five boys, and how they irreversibly change one another's lives. Of course there had to be a love interest who was nothing more than a love interest because it's a book about teenagers.
And lastly...if Rabbi Bloom was so invested in the well-being of these boys, then why the hell didn't he do anything about Evan, who very clearly has some sort of schizoaffective disorder. The kid is very obviously manic and seriously psychotic. Like, not existential literature exploring human behavior kinda psychotic, but genuinely PSYCHOTIC.
Spoiler
He tries to murder Ari. He drugs his friends with some sort of super-LSD. He SETS HIS SCHOOL ON FIRE (which I predicted about 25% through the book, by the way.) And they even note that he writes completely incoherent ramblings in the margins of the literature they're discussing. Dude is s i c k a s f u c k.Actually that wasn't the last thing - Ari going from an ultra-Orthodox community to being able to stay out late and never have a curfew was entirely unrealistic but I just suspended my disbelief on that one.
Yet here I am giving it 4 stars. Why? I couldn't tell you. I wanted to know what happened. I liked Ari (mostly). Maybe it reminded me a little bit of my high school years - albeit extremely exaggerated and also I did not go to a Jewish school/am not Jewish. Something about it intrigued me, resonated with me. And here we are. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
lancelotlegris's review against another edition
5.0
some books stick with you for the rest of your life, and this is one of those for me. i cannot put into words how profoundly “the orchard” shattered me. hopen’s writing is elegant and soul-wrenching, a masterpiece of tragedy and madness.
flannery512's review against another edition
5.0
I’m surprised by how much I liked this book, the characters, the story, the ideas
inksuinka's review against another edition
4.0
Great read. I'm surprised this book hasn't had more recognition, I've barely seen mentions of it. In addition to the obvious comparisons to The Secret History, The Orchard reminded me of the vibes in The Goldfinch and These Violent Delights, both of which are favourites of mine. I really enjoyed the listening experience and liked the atmosphere. I'm in my 30s and was taken right back to my teenage days and the recklessness of youth. I had almost no prior knowledge of judaism and enjoyed learning more about it.
notinjersey's review against another edition
4.0
I am definitely not the type of reader who says I can only relate to books who feature characters who are like me, but when I found out about this #ownvoices Jewish book that takes place in a Modern Orthodox community, I had to request it right away, as I consider myself Modern Orthodox as well. The Orchard is a literary and philosophical book with deep discussions of Jewish thought. Ari is a high school senior from a very religious school in Brooklyn when his family moves to Florida and he is thrust into a world of the profane. While I understood most of the Hebrew and religious references, I didn’t easily follow a lot of the things the boys learned about and discussed in their classes. Ari faces a religious crisis, caught between tradition and modernity, of whether to adapt to fit in or remain true to his upbringing. Even if readers do not understand where he is coming from, they will learn from his crisis of faith. This book gave me a lot to think about and I think it would make for an excellent discussion piece. I have some friends in mind to hand it to in order to discuss it with them!
kaylareadsbooks's review against another edition
5.0
When Aryeh (Ari) Eden leaves ultra Orthodox Brooklyn for Modern Orthodox Florida, his whole world is turned on its head. He's introduced to parties, girls, pushing boundaries and being encouraged to do that and so much more. For the first time in Ari's life, he has friends and places to go but its not what he thought it was going to be. When Evan starts coming up with ideas for the group to try, Ari realizes that this new life might not be all that he thought it would be. Especially when he starts to lose a lot.
I am beyond in love with this book. When I started it I wasn't sure if I was going to love it because I haven't read many books that fall under literary fiction. But I am so beyond glad that I read this one and that I own a copy of it, I spent majority of my time reading this book with a pen in my hand so that I could underline different quotes and write my notes in the margins. I finished it on a Thursday and I couldn't sleep because I was thinking of this book, certain moments keeping me up late at night.
This was the first time I read a book where I was able to understand and grasp the philosophy that was being referenced. I loved that there were lines written in Hebrew and I loved just how Jewish this book was.
When I was reading this book, I read it through three different lenses. I read it as someone who comes from the same background as the friends that Ari meets when he moves, as someone who is a Judaic studies educator and as someone who works in community inreach. By working in community inreach, that means I work with kids who are similar to Ari and his friends, teens who are looking to grow in their Judaisim and their connection to G-d.
The characters in this book are all different yet very similar at the same time. Ari, Evan, Noah, Amir and Oliver are all smart boys who are curious as to why they are doing what they do. They are thirsty for knowledge and also physical pleasure. They are trying to understand the world they live, and trying to find out if they truly believe in this or it's something they have been told they have to believe in.
I loved this so much. The way it takes different aspects of being Jewish and Jewish religon and culture and bring them to life. The writing is beautiful, creating vivid imagery. The characters are well developed.
My favorite characters are Ari, Ari's mother, Noah, Amir and Kayla. They all add so much to the story. Oh! I also love Amir's mom.
I know this review is pretty limited with what I am saying but I feel like if I add more I might end spoiling a lot and I want everyone to read this. If you like literary fiction, dark academia and books that make you think I highly recommend this one!!
I am beyond in love with this book. When I started it I wasn't sure if I was going to love it because I haven't read many books that fall under literary fiction. But I am so beyond glad that I read this one and that I own a copy of it, I spent majority of my time reading this book with a pen in my hand so that I could underline different quotes and write my notes in the margins. I finished it on a Thursday and I couldn't sleep because I was thinking of this book, certain moments keeping me up late at night.
This was the first time I read a book where I was able to understand and grasp the philosophy that was being referenced. I loved that there were lines written in Hebrew and I loved just how Jewish this book was.
When I was reading this book, I read it through three different lenses. I read it as someone who comes from the same background as the friends that Ari meets when he moves, as someone who is a Judaic studies educator and as someone who works in community inreach. By working in community inreach, that means I work with kids who are similar to Ari and his friends, teens who are looking to grow in their Judaisim and their connection to G-d.
The characters in this book are all different yet very similar at the same time. Ari, Evan, Noah, Amir and Oliver are all smart boys who are curious as to why they are doing what they do. They are thirsty for knowledge and also physical pleasure. They are trying to understand the world they live, and trying to find out if they truly believe in this or it's something they have been told they have to believe in.
I loved this so much. The way it takes different aspects of being Jewish and Jewish religon and culture and bring them to life. The writing is beautiful, creating vivid imagery. The characters are well developed.
My favorite characters are Ari, Ari's mother, Noah, Amir and Kayla. They all add so much to the story. Oh! I also love Amir's mom.
I know this review is pretty limited with what I am saying but I feel like if I add more I might end spoiling a lot and I want everyone to read this. If you like literary fiction, dark academia and books that make you think I highly recommend this one!!
aviva28's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
snoopylvr's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
dodwyer's review against another edition
2.0
Every character in this book was extremely unlikeable and felt pretty two dimensional to me. I felt like the characters weren't developed enough for me to really feel like they had individualized personalities beyond one or two basic traits, which ultimately meant that I found myself feeling pretty disengaged from the story, despite its many twists and turns.
The philosophical conversations were too intense/heady for me to get invested into, and my lack of familiarity with Orthodox Judaism meant that a lot of it was unaccessible to me. Maybe this book just wasn't written for me as I'm sure a lot of cultural and religious references went over my head that would make the book more enjoyable, as some other reviewers have pointed out.
Although there were some moments and quotes that I genuinely enjoyed, by the last third of the book my primary emotion was exhaustion and confusion.
The philosophical conversations were too intense/heady for me to get invested into, and my lack of familiarity with Orthodox Judaism meant that a lot of it was unaccessible to me. Maybe this book just wasn't written for me as I'm sure a lot of cultural and religious references went over my head that would make the book more enjoyable, as some other reviewers have pointed out.
Although there were some moments and quotes that I genuinely enjoyed, by the last third of the book my primary emotion was exhaustion and confusion.
jrsullivan's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5