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courtofdreams18's review against another edition
4.75
While I get why this book has been compared to “A Secret History” by Donna Tartt, this association really just grinds my gears. While on the surface both books are about a mostly dude squad in academia, Tartt’s characters blur together in a morally vacant world making each character almost indistinct. Despite the fact that “A Secret History” is almost unimaginably word-heavy, I had remembering who was who. The characters, along with the writing, felt tedious. “The Orchard,” meanwhile, is a kind of ethical opposite. By which I mean, ethics — even extreme perspectives on what an ethical action or life is — takes center stage. My fav books are ones that make me think hard, and ones wherein I feel different closing the final cover. I def felt that w Hopen’s book. Also the writing was great. Funny too.
My biggest gripe were the female characters, which felt wearyingly one-dimensional — more or less plot devices around which the dudes operated. Not an uncommon trope, but one that normally bothers me so much I sometimes can’t bring myself to finish a book — oddly tho, while this bugged me, it didn’t get in the way of my desire to keep reading. Tbh I had trouble putting it down.
One thing to note: I suspect that folks who’re unfamiliar w Tanakh, Talmud, Jewish ethics, or even just Jewish mannerisms and ways of thinking, etc - might feel slightly outside this book or discern the sometimes staggering amt of what’s happening behind the scenes (like, on a reference-level, I mean). I def think it could be read by a general audience, but suspect those who’ll get the most out of it are those who sit slightly closer to the subject matter. (To be clear, I think this is a real gift of the book — a relief, not a quibble.)
One thing to note: I suspect that folks who’re unfamiliar w Tanakh, Talmud, Jewish ethics, or even just Jewish mannerisms and ways of thinking, etc - might feel slightly outside this book or discern the sometimes staggering amt of what’s happening behind the scenes (like, on a reference-level, I mean). I def think it could be read by a general audience, but suspect those who’ll get the most out of it are those who sit slightly closer to the subject matter. (To be clear, I think this is a real gift of the book — a relief, not a quibble.)
When I finish a book I love, I often feel almost bereft, a heartache that seems to cast such a pall over my real life, my days for a while feel muted… I felt that with this one. I really wanted to stay in this world a little longer, though perhaps not so much because of character attachment (tho I was fond of Aryeh). I dunno… mostly it just felt exquisite to read a book that had so much happening on a subtle-intertextual level or something. So many head nods, subtle elusions, references. Maybe it’s a sign of a beautiful book when you leave it feeling waves of sadness and also a strange sort of narcissism, as though the author wrote it — if not with you in mind — with a person like you. Books like that tend to make a person feel lonelier when they finish them, but less alone within the folds of the world between the pages.
ljjohnson8's review against another edition
4.0
The buzz I read said this was 'The Secret History' set in the world of Jewish Orthodoxy. A simplistic description but not off-target. I really liked this book. Anything I write needs to be exponentialed (I might have just made up that verb): it's a philosophy deep-dive (times 5), a wrestle with faith (times 10), a tragedy about grief and alienation (times 20). It's also the story of Ari, a teenager from the very insular world of an Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn, who is thrust into a much more secular society of less religious Jews in a wealthy community in Florida. Ari is befriended by 4 other young men at his yeshiva high school and a charismatic rabbi singles them out for - well, I think that's the question here. What does Rabbi Bloom single them out for? This is an engrossing, intellectual, sometimes challenging read and a very impressive debut novel.
kao8aa's review against another edition
2.0
I am really torn as to how to rate this book. I was super engrossed in the story but the last third of the book went completely off the rails IMO. I also feel like you need a pretty good understanding of Judaism (at least, Judaism in the US) to follow some of what is going on. I liked where it was going from the start and wish it focused more on the original plot line of faith
gallag's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked Ari and learned a lot about Judaism. It was a well written book, especially for a debut novel. I had trouble connecting with some of the philosophical conversations among the group and the Rabbi. Overall, it was interesting but the last 1/4 just seemed a bit confusing and hard to follow.
pstillbejeweled's review against another edition
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
thuglibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderful Jewish coming of age story. Ari Eden grew up in ultra-Orthodox Brooklyn, a lonely boy who days are filled with studying, more studying and rules. It's when his family moves to Miami that he realizes that there are *others.*
lazygal's review against another edition
2.0
This had so much promise, but the constant digressions into discussions of Gemara and philosophy stop the action and dragged events out for far too long. It also may be difficult to follow some of the plot if you aren't familiar with Judaism (and specifically, the frum life of Modern Orthodox Jews). This isn't The Chosen, although there are some reviews comparing The Orchard to it; yes, we have a fish out of water and deep discussions, but Ari/Aryeh/Andrew/Drew's life in Zion Hills is more like Danny spending a lot of time with Reuven, but in The Chosen we see more of the reverse (Modern Orthodox to Hasidic) than here.
Once you get past those discussions and the religious aspects, this is a coming of age story about a group of boys trying to survive senior year of high school, get into college, date, etc.. They're all stereotypes, with little growth or change during the course of the book. Some of the adults are complicit, some are simply absent, none are responsible. It also took me by surprise that in this area of Florida, basketball was an academic year-long sport. While it served a plot point, it definitely didn't ring true.
eARC provided by publisher.
Once you get past those discussions and the religious aspects, this is a coming of age story about a group of boys trying to survive senior year of high school, get into college, date, etc.. They're all stereotypes, with little growth or change during the course of the book. Some of the adults are complicit, some are simply absent, none are responsible. It also took me by surprise that in this area of Florida, basketball was an academic year-long sport. While it served a plot point, it definitely didn't ring true.
eARC provided by publisher.
boggin's review against another edition
dark
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
skylarak's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
like everyone says the women in this book are not well-written and it’s super frustrating! maybe a thoughtful exploration of what orthodox teens go through when they enter more secular spaces but i’d be more curious to hear from an actual orthodox person about that. fun explorations of deeper jewish thought.