In the Orchard

A novel

By: Eliza Minot

Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman

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 readers 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.

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

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.