• In the Orchard

  • A Novel
  • By: Eliza Minot
  • Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman
  • Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (2 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.
In the Orchard  By  cover art

In the Orchard

By: Eliza Minot
Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $18.00

Buy for $18.00

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

A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • A novel about womanhood, modern family, and the interior landscape of maternal life, as seen through the life of a young wife and mother on a single day.

At night, Maisie Moore dreams that her life is perfect: the looming mortgages and credit card debt have magically vanished, and she can raise her four children, including newborn Esme, on an undulating current of maternal bliss, by turns oceanic and overwhelming, but awash in awe and wonder. Then she jolts awake and, after checking that her husband and baby are asleep beside her, remembers the real-world money problems to be resolved amid the long days of grocery shopping, gymnastics practices, and soccer games. From this moment, Eliza Minot draws listeners into the psyche of the perceptive and warmhearted Maisie, who yearns to understand the world around her and overflows with fierce love for her growing family.

Unfolding over the course of a single day in which Maisie and her husband take their children to pick apples, In the Orchard is luminous, masterfully crafted, revelatory—a shining exploration of motherhood, childhood, and love.

©2023 Eliza Minot (P)2023 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Compassionate and lyrical . . . [In the Orchard] is wonderfully attuned to the body and its sensations . . . Minot’s focus on Maisie’s interiority reads as its own bold choice. Here is a mother’s rich and nuanced inner life, here is an author granting recognition denied by society." The New York Times

“Rapturous . . . Minot’s text is variously descriptive, perceptive, heartfelt and fanciful.”Kirkus Reviews

“Deeply personal and moving, this is an intimate look inside modern life and motherhood . . . Written from Maisie’s point of view, this is a deep dive into the mind of a mother, with a stream-of-consciousness fluidity and randomness that make for interesting and beautiful reading.” Booklist

What listeners say about In the Orchard

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

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

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

Refreshing

This was a refreshing depiction of the little pieces of life that we all navigate everyday. It is a reminder that the the present, even if it appears mundane, is worth cherishing.

Maisie and Neil, despite some challenges that many of us share, have figured out how to enjoy life through their family.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!