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readingwithadi's review
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
the1andonly's review
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
lindsayb09's review
3.0
I was definitely expecting more "Gothic" from this story, as well as more of a back and forth of the two time periods. Instead the book is 98% Maude's diary, and 2% Peggy reacting to it. Nothing remotely spooky or atmospheric happens for the first 95% percent (except the few times Maude is convinced that she had been visited by her mother's ghost, but I didn't find that very creepy).
The twist at the end does make it worth it, though I still think it could have been much shorter. This feels like it could have been a tight 100 page novella - skip most of the first 150 pages that lead up to Maude coming to Orchard House, tighten up the section of Frank falling in love, and cut to the end. We don't need all the slice of life scenes in between.
In the end I know the reader is supposed to question who is telling the truth and whether we're supposed to feel bad for Maude or Henry, but I have to say that I didn't particularly like either of them. Kitty is complicated, as someone who knowingly carried on an affair with a married man, but I still find her the most sympathetic character.
The twist at the end does make it worth it, though I still think it could have been much shorter. This feels like it could have been a tight 100 page novella - skip most of the first 150 pages that lead up to Maude coming to Orchard House, tighten up the section of Frank falling in love, and cut to the end. We don't need all the slice of life scenes in between.
In the end I know the reader is supposed to question who is telling the truth and whether we're supposed to feel bad for Maude or Henry, but I have to say that I didn't particularly like either of them. Kitty is complicated, as someone who knowingly carried on an affair with a married man, but I still find her the most sympathetic character.
no_more_shelf_control's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
When @chasing.english recommends a Gothic mystery, pay attention my friends.
THE HOUSE IN THE ORCHARD by Elizabeth Brooks is like being slowly led through a maze only to find yourself all alone as the sun is setting.
I still don't quite know how to escape this story.
Maude is a young teen coming of age in 1876 and writes in her diary the events surrounding her orphaned state and being sent to live with a much shunned woman. This shunning is a bit out of Maude's naive understanding, but she begins to piece it together when ....
This diary is found by the daughter-in-law of Maude's brother Frank after the death of her husband. When she reads this captivating account, she is unsure what to think of this home she inherited or her family.
This feels like a very classically written Gothic mystery, reminiscent of DuMaurier's Rebecca (a favorite of mine). This story takes time to tell and the dread builds and builds. What is not as classical is the clear message of the repression of women in a toxic patriarchal system of abuse.
I wasn't sure about how much I would love this while I was reading. By the end, and certainly as I keep thinking about it, it will be one of those fantastic reads that I keep chewing on. I have read the end at least 3 times and still don't feel settled!
A marvel for sure.
THE HOUSE IN THE ORCHARD by Elizabeth Brooks is like being slowly led through a maze only to find yourself all alone as the sun is setting.
I still don't quite know how to escape this story.
Maude is a young teen coming of age in 1876 and writes in her diary the events surrounding her orphaned state and being sent to live with a much shunned woman. This shunning is a bit out of Maude's naive understanding, but she begins to piece it together when ....
This diary is found by the daughter-in-law of Maude's brother Frank after the death of her husband. When she reads this captivating account, she is unsure what to think of this home she inherited or her family.
This feels like a very classically written Gothic mystery, reminiscent of DuMaurier's Rebecca (a favorite of mine). This story takes time to tell and the dread builds and builds. What is not as classical is the clear message of the repression of women in a toxic patriarchal system of abuse.
I wasn't sure about how much I would love this while I was reading. By the end, and certainly as I keep thinking about it, it will be one of those fantastic reads that I keep chewing on. I have read the end at least 3 times and still don't feel settled!
A marvel for sure.
emilyinherhead's review
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Reviewing this way after the fact, I have close to no recollection of plot details. I only remember that I really loved it, and that the vibes were mysterious and on point. And the writing! Elizabeth Brooks, you absolute queen. Here are some quotes I wrote down as I was reading:
It’s all very well to think, and to write long diary entries, but I need to decide on a course of action. (44)
I was torn by contradictions: wanting to be clever; wanting to be ladylike; wishing to go unnoticed and wishing to be remarked upon; worrying I was too haughty; worrying I was not haughty enough; trying to be everything at once and failing to be anything at all. (105)
Naming matters, she thinks. When you name something, you call it into being. (150)
Oh, but the sadness! The sadness was real and heavy, as if that ghostly arm had stolen inside my rib cage, plucked out my heart, and replaced it with a rock. (180-181)
I think and think and think, but never make any progress at all. I seem to live and move inside a great fog of doubt, and I don’t know how to disperse it. (229-230)
My thoughts flow best in ink, and whatever is not fixed on the page will not, I fear, be fixed in my brain. (250)
We sat among the fruit trees with the sunlight dabbling our pages, making it hard to concentrate; at least, I thought so, but nothing distracts Emily, who powers through books like a steam engine, and would continue to do so if the orchard caught fire and burned her to a crisp. (253)
coolbaud's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Perfect Gothic with plot twist.
elisam83's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
_jaybee_'s review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Finished this in only a few days. There aren't many tension-driven plot points, genuine curiosity about what happens to the characters kept me going. I enjoyed the gothic elements as well and that the supernatural was kept to a minimum (I like hints of supernatural but nothing too heavy handed). I also appreciated the format of it being told as an adolescent diary. Other reviews have mentioned that as a dislike because it offers a narrow, unreliable viewpoint, but for me that's what adds to the mystery. In fact, I wish there would have been more credible doubt from adult Frank in the beginning (instead of what seemed like unfounded anger and general grumpy-old-man tendencies, which I mostly wrote off) to undermine the diary's authority even more, rather than saving it for the end.
emsalwaysreading's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25