Up from Orchard Street

By: Eleanor Widmer

Narrated by: Lorna Raver

Length: 15 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Three generations of Roths live together in a crowded tenement flat. Long-widowed Manya is the family's head and its heart. She's renowned throughout the neighborhood for her cooking, and every noontime the front room of the flat turns into Manya's private restaurant. But Manya is no soft touch, except, perhaps, where her granddaughter Elka is concerned. Precocious Elka is her closest companion and confidante. Through Elka's eyes we come to know the fascinating characters who move in and out of the Roths' lives. Money may have been short, but opinions were not, and their tart tongues and lively humor abound. In this riveting story lies the heart of the American immigrant experience: a novel at once wise, funny, poignant, anguishing, exultant, and bursting with love.

©2005 Eleanor Widmer (P)2005 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

• 2005 Audie Award Nominee, Solo Narration (Female)

"Poignant snapshot of a long-lost era and place....[This] first novel offers pungent, nostalgic vignettes of Jewish life on Manhattan's Lower East Side." (Kirkus Reviews)

Reminisent of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

It's a young girl, coming of age story. No twists, turns or suprises. It was enjoyable, but not more. While writing this review I've changed my starts from 3 to 4. It's really somewhere in-between.

Beautifully Written

First, this is not a plot driven novel. If you require a story line that moves quickly, this one is not for you.

That said, if you pass this one up you will miss a deeply absorbing experience. This is the first Eleanor Widmer I've "read". Her characters are so complex, so real, flawed and lovable, you feel as though you know them.

The setting is heartbreakingly detailed. It really is a wonderful work.

Loved it!

This was an engaging book that held my interest. I hated to have to say goodbye to the characters!

great read

I'm neither Jewish, nor Russian, nor a New Yorker...but I felt I had entered a profoundly interesting, and moving family history. The narrator of this was incredible and brought each character to life.

Epic story of immigrant life in New York

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. As someone who has worked years in the food industry this "up from your boot straps" story described by way of classic home cooking really struck home for me.

Lorna Raver is one of the best narrators in the business. Her talents are well used here.

This ranks as another book I envy anyone experiencing for the first time.

I loved this book

My mother would have loved this story. It doesn't matter that the nationality is different, the city different. The story of the strong, honest immigrant family is universal. They used what they had, making something out of nothing., to be shared with others who had less. The stories my mother told of her young years during the depression, with 3 generations all living under 1 roof, were the same. I know she would have remembered her own loving grandmother, so wonderfully described in this book. What a precious heritage we enjoy! Well written, well read. Thank you.

Memories from a simpler era

I purchased this book based on the reviews, something I rarely do. This book was magical. As you listen, you become a member of this multi-genrational family. You laugh and cry along with them. This is more than a coming of age story, it is a glimpse into a bygone era and the culture of immigrants making their way in America. I was left wanting to hear more of this family's life.

The narrator gives a phenomenal performance. It is always a pleasure to listen to Lorna Raver.

Tenement Life From a Child's Point of View

As the author states in the afterward of the book-this book is part biography, part fiction and all true. It tells a sweeping story of living in poverty in the tenements of NYC through the eyes of young Elka. The book reminded me of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn at first. However, I can understand why it isn't on a youth reading list anywhere. This story is peppered with frank talk about sex, infidelity and off-color jokes. Much of this was unnecessary for the story. It is a shame that this content makes it inappropriate for young people because it is an engaging tale filled with growth, insight and change.

I agree with another reviewer that I would have liked a better time line. I found myself wondering what year it was when the action took place and hoping for an easier tracking of time progression. Instead there were vague mentions of "the war". Having firmer grounding in time would have made the story fit more easily into the world going on around it.

Lorna Raver, the narrator, did a great job. I really enjoyed her enthusiasm. It was a long book but the listening time flew by and my attention was held effortlessly. Parts of the book are difficult listening, as the poverty, chronic illness, filth and constant struggle are harsh realities. That said, it is a good story and I'm glad I listened.

Delightful

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and the narrator added to the spell it cast for me. Maybe things are a little sugary, as the one completely hostile reviewer indicated, but I didn't find it terribly unrealistic. The author could have made more of the difficulties in her family's life and of the character flaws in her relatives, but she didn't ignore them. No one is an untarnished angel, except (perhaps) Manya. The environment isn't completely sanitized - racial and ethnic hatreds are certainly there, along with the awfulness of tenement life. These are real people, drawn with a loving hand.

Sweet old world story - just get it on sale

Where does Up from Orchard Street rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book is on the high end of the middle. It's a perfect 4 stars. I got the book during one of the audible sales, and this made it especially enjoyable for what it was. The story is deeply moving and I found the characters to be very familiar. The narration and the experience of listening to it was very sweet. The experience of listening to this book felt similar to spending time with an aging family member telling stories of their past. The story gets a little syrupy by the end and the main character is just a bit too idealized. By the end of the book it was too predictable that everything would always work out for this seemingly magical little girl.

Any additional comments?

I live in New York, so this book was especially enjoyable for its historical depiction of a major NYC neighborhood. The story is a great reminder that this city and our country is constantly changing and within one person's lifetime a community can take on a completely new identity.