• Up from Orchard Street

  • By: Eleanor Widmer
  • Narrated by: Lorna Raver
  • Length: 15 hrs and 44 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (460 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Up from Orchard Street  By  cover art

Up from Orchard Street

By: Eleanor Widmer
Narrated by: Lorna Raver
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $21.80

Buy for $21.80

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

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)

What listeners say about Up from Orchard Street

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    209
  • 4 Stars
    146
  • 3 Stars
    65
  • 2 Stars
    26
  • 1 Stars
    14
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    138
  • 4 Stars
    53
  • 3 Stars
    25
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    6
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    120
  • 4 Stars
    67
  • 3 Stars
    23
  • 2 Stars
    11
  • 1 Stars
    4

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

The narration is stale and methodical

What would have made Up from Orchard Street better?

The story is pointless and I wasn't really sure of the plot. It dragged on mercilessly for over eight hours. I thought the grandma was hilarious but she really was a foil character and the other people seemed disingenuous and Whitney.

What was most disappointing about Eleanor Widmer’s story?

It was rated so high,y and compared to "The Chaperone". This story is a biography that is a complete fabrication of life in New York. It was unbelievable and didn't have any authentic description or detail.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Yes- she read like the story was a boring essay. She tried the accents but even those were mediocre.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

None- no feelings at all!,,

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Not what I was hoping for

What disappointed you about Up from Orchard Street?

The story started out very slow and didn't get any better. I'm usually pretty patient and finally gave up in chapter 8.

What do you think your next listen will be?

I'll continue to listen to more Belinda Alexandra books and move on to Pam Jenoff.

Which character – as performed by Lorna Raver – was your favorite?

None, they were all fairly boring, but if I had to choose I'd go with Booby.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!