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barbala's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
candacesiegle_greedyreader's review
5.0
When we think of the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, it's with the kind of excitement that we viewed the fall of the Berlin Wall a few years earlier--wow, those Soviets must be itching to be free, to travel, to not have to stand in line to buy anything, to have more options! In Kristina Gorcheva-Newberry's excellent novel "The Orchard," we see a different response. Primarily a book about friendships, they are friendships forged during a period that Soviets saw as frightening rather than thrilling.
Anya and Milka have been friends almost from birth. Milka's father died when she was a child, and after her mother remarries she spends most of her time at Anya's with her friend's scientist parents and grandmother who survived the Blockade of Leningrad during WWII. The family has a dacha only 30 minutes from their Moscow suburb, and the girls spend lazy summers in a rustic place with an apple orchard. They grow into teens who love Freddie Mercury and the Soviet rockers of the time. They get boyfriends whose named Trifonov and Lopatin, whose personalities shadow those of characters with similar names in their favorite play, Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard."
This is a beautifully written book that will embrace you from the first page and take you on a journey of love and longing. These kids are like teenagers everywhere but the swirl of change around them makes them like teens from nowhere else. Kristina Gorcheva-Newberry is an exciting new voice and I look forward to her next novel.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for digital access to this remarkable book.
Anya and Milka have been friends almost from birth. Milka's father died when she was a child, and after her mother remarries she spends most of her time at Anya's with her friend's scientist parents and grandmother who survived the Blockade of Leningrad during WWII. The family has a dacha only 30 minutes from their Moscow suburb, and the girls spend lazy summers in a rustic place with an apple orchard. They grow into teens who love Freddie Mercury and the Soviet rockers of the time. They get boyfriends whose named Trifonov and Lopatin, whose personalities shadow those of characters with similar names in their favorite play, Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard."
This is a beautifully written book that will embrace you from the first page and take you on a journey of love and longing. These kids are like teenagers everywhere but the swirl of change around them makes them like teens from nowhere else. Kristina Gorcheva-Newberry is an exciting new voice and I look forward to her next novel.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for digital access to this remarkable book.
lindsaylhunter's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Maybe I just don't know enough about Soviet history but this fell very flat for me. It would have saved itself if the characters were in any way likeable. All in all, it was one hell of a slog to the finish line.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion and Death
Moderate: Incest
bookedbymadds's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
kleonard's review
5.0
In this riveting and heart-wrenching novel about two young women growing up in the Soviet Union, we find every element of the traditional Russian novel turned to new purposes and deftly created amid the turmoil of the 1970s and 1980s. There is a ferocity in Gorcheva-Newberry's language that drives the book even as it lingers on details and relaxed, timeless moments. For anyone who has read books about the USSR from thrillers or non-fiction, this novel will broaden their concept of this period, and how everyday life was lived.
sophieboddington's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
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
4.0
cecilialau_'s review against another edition
4.5
Anya is our narrator in this very descriptive story taking place in Russia in the eighties. (And normally I can get “bored” by too many descriptors but I fully went with it in this book).
It is mostly a story about friendship between two girls who grow up together, and their love for each other is special and intense but in the way of exploring who they are and the curiosity that drives that desire.
I really enjoyed it and they were so authentic and real and sincere and discouraged and defeated and fierce and flawed and there was a sense of contentment while a strong desire to dream and hope for a different life - beyond the Iron Curtain.
There is an author’s note at the end of the book that lets the reader know how personal it is and how her own life inspired this piece of historical fiction.
The way Anya realises that Milka is not gaining weight despite a very healthy appetite due to her family life (lack of emotional support) is really profound and so important to point out, I think
It is mostly a story about friendship between two girls who grow up together, and their love for each other is special and intense but in the way of exploring who they are and the curiosity that drives that desire.
I really enjoyed it and they were so authentic and real and sincere and discouraged and defeated and fierce and flawed and there was a sense of contentment while a strong desire to dream and hope for a different life - beyond the Iron Curtain.
There is an author’s note at the end of the book that lets the reader know how personal it is and how her own life inspired this piece of historical fiction.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Rape, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Murder, Alcohol, Abandonment, Pedophilia, Violence, Blood, Death, Cursing, Pregnancy, Bullying, Sexual assault, Drug use, Abortion, and Grief
mjs_18's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide