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    The Orchardist
    The Orchardist
    The Orchardist
    Audiobook14 hours

    The Orchardist

    Written by Amanda Coplin

    Narrated by Mark Bramhall

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    “[A] mysterious, compelling, elemental novel….In The Orchardist, Amanda Coplin shows us what’s unknowable.”
    —Bonnie Jo Campbell, author of National Book Award finalist, American Salvage

    “Within this world are compelling characters and their equally compelling stories. The Orchardist is an outstanding debut.”
    —Ron Rash, New York Times bestselling author of Serena and The Cove

    “Coplin is a masterful writer, the teller of an epic, unvarnished tale that sits comfortably with other novels in the tradition of great American storytelling.”
    —Wally Lamb, New York Times bestselling author of The Hour I First Believed

    At once intimate and epic, The Orchardist is historical fiction at its best, in the grand literary tradition of William Faulkner, Marilynne Robinson, Michael Ondaatje, Annie Proulx, and Toni Morrison. In her stunningly original and haunting debut novel, Amanda Coplin evokes a powerful sense of place, mixing tenderness and violence as she spins an engrossing tale of a solitary orchardist who provides shelter to two runaway teenage girls in the untamed American West, and the dramatic consequences of his actions. 

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateAug 21, 2012
    ISBN9780062204851
    The Orchardist
    Author

    Amanda Coplin

    Amanda Coplin was born in Wenatchee, Washington. She received her BA from the University of Oregon and MFA from the University of Minnesota. A recipient of residencies from the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Massachusetts, and the Omi International Arts Center at Ledig House in Ghent, New York, she lives in Portland, Oregon.

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    Reviews for The Orchardist

    4/5

    707 ratings96 reviews

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    • 4/5
      A fine story with a deep sense of place and intensely felt characters tied to the places with layers of imagery.
    • 5/5
      I finished The Orchardist today. I gave it to my Mother as a birthday gift in April after reading a promo, then we loaned it to a neighbor who loves excellent writing and then this holiday weekend it was my turn to be captivated by your writing. As a voracious reader and a retired librarian, I have read more titles than I can count. It is difficult to perceive this special book as a "first" novel. As my Mother so precisely described said, "It draws you in". Thank you for your story. Thank you for your writing that mesmerizes - it is lyrical, it is intelligent, it is thoughtful - and without doubt generates emotion through your rich character development and exquisite design of describing the atmosphere and setting in which the characters live and evolve. Thank you for sharing your gift of writing with us. I hope you never stop writing. ♥
    • 4/5
      4★ ?intense.....psychologically complex...vividly descriptiveI'm hesitate when I think about describing The OrchardistOn a basic level, it revolves around an isolated rural stretch of land in the Pacific Northwestand a host of characters bound to one another through the land.The time is turn of the 20th century," a gentle solitary orchardist, Talmadge, tends to apples and apricots.Then two feral, pregnant girls and armed gunmen set Talmadge on an irrevocable course not only to save and protect but to reconcile the ghosts of his own troubled past."The first few paragraphs created a mental picture of William Talmadge that was striking.Coplin continues this intensity in presenting other characters and a razor sharp vividness in defining the landscape.The characters evolve in such a manner that a few simple descriptive words seem inadequate.At one point I may see Della as raw, feral, frightening.Then perhaps she's almost childlike and fearful.Talmadge at one time may be gentle and ordered and then stubborn and obsessive at another time.Both characters and themes are psychologically complex and emotionally intense.The story evolves on many levels.This debut novel definitely held my attention
    • 4/5
      Lyrical, unique voice, and the book kept me interested most of the time. The characters felt a little removed, maybe because of the way the book is written. All in all, a good read.
    • 3/5
      In an interview in the back of the book the author describes how she had a vision of a stolid old man in an orchard, with a young girl clinging to his pants, and a young woman in the background among the trees, and an overall air of grief among them, and that she wrote this book from that image. To me, this book felt like viewing a painting or photograph of her description, and thus I felt impressions of the characters from a very narrow distinct viewpoint, but not an overall understanding of them or ability to relate to them.
    • 5/5
      Excellent. Talmadge is caring for the family orchard, growing apricots and apples, then taking them to market on Saturdays. He notices two girls in the trees, but they are starving and skittish. So, he leaves them food until they start to trust him and live with him, learning the ways of the orchard. But Della can't be tied down and after her sister commits suicide, Della lights out on the road, leaving her baby Angelene behind, who grows up in Talmadge's care. Along the way we see Talmadge's way of life disappear as the migrant workers trickle down to almost nothing. his health fails and distributorships take over.
    • 5/5
      Beautifully written, moving, and powerful story of Talmadge, a stoic and kind-hearted individual who lives alone at his orchard after his parents died and his sister disappeared. He encounters two young pregnant teenage girls, Jane and Della, hiding in his orchard, attempting to escape a harrowing past. He feeds them and keeps his distance. Slowly a nurturing relationship develops. The story moves into what happens to the girls and how an unconventional family unit forms from the most unlikely sources.

      I found it extremely poignant, sensitive, and evocative. It is quietly poetic, as the characters manage to find a glimmer of hope and happiness from the ashes of tragedy. It deals with the ramifications of past abuse, the fragile nature of trust, and parental feelings of frustration with trying, but not always succeeding, in helping family members make sound decisions. The primary characters are all likeable notwithstanding their foibles and eccentricities. I found myself rooting for all of them, especially the troubled ones. Each of the main characters deals with grief in his or her own way.

      Though it takes place in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, the themes are timeless. They include the search for happiness, identity, and companionship; the desire to help others and to be useful; the need to get through life as best we can and leave a legacy for the future. Even though it is not action packed, it moves along at a steady pace. The characters are vividly developed, especially Talmadge. We see the difficulty of a man of few words attempting to give his heart to these wayward souls, persisting through multiple rebuffs, becoming heroic.

      Amanda Coplin’s skills are remarkable, especially considering this is a debut novel. The prose is elegant. The author has a manner of expression that imparted clues to an individual’s essence. The scenes are easy to depict in the mind’s eye. Not only are the characters extremely memorable, but their relationship to the land, the orchard, is profound. I look forward to reading her future works. This book is truly a masterpiece and I have added it to my favorites. Loved it and highly recommend it to those who enjoy a quiet novel of what makes us human and the interconnectedness of our lives.
    • 4/5
      historical fiction (Washington state, late 19th century). Page turner! I read the first 150 pages in one sitting, then finished the rest of the book the next day.
    • 4/5
      A diversion from my eco-lit reading, this book centers on our human perceptions and feelings. Even so, only the naïve reader would fail to recognize in it how connected to and dependent on the natural world we are.

      Yes, this is a book about mortality, but only in part. It is as much a book about our joys and frustrations, our caring and depravity, our longing and despair, as we journey through our respective life cycles. It is a down-to-earth, engrossing story that keeps the reader turning pages just as life does. With a basic plot and ample craft, the author has depicted the ageless story of life as we essentially experience it. Reading this book left my old bones weary but content.

      My only reservation is that like the orchard in the story, the writing could have benefited from a bit of judicious trimming here and there. Though many writers are prone to dressing up their babies, excess descriptive text can bog down a story and distract the reader.

      “I am just a leaf. Just a leaf falling from the tree so that a new bud may grow.”
      ~ Gemma Malley, The Legacy
    • 4/5
      I wasn't sure about this book as I started reading, but it became oddly compelling as I continued to read, and before I knew it, I was drawn in completely. Many different aspects of the characters' lives are explored, making this interesting on several different levels. I had to get used to the way conversations were written, and there was a small amount of confusion, but it didn't take long to accept it. I particularly like reading about the different relationships between Della, Angelene, and Talmadge. The human spirit is strong, but sometimes severe situations make people handle it when ways of which we may not approve or understand. I appreciate that this novel explored that.
    • 4/5
      When two pregnant and starving sisters steal apples from Talmadge’s fruit stand in 1900, they meet a shy and lonely man. Talmadge lost his father in a mine collapse when he was nine; his mother died three years later; and his teenage sister vanished from their orchard at the foothills of the Cascade Mountains in 1865. Now in his early 50s, his only friendships are with a mute Nez Perce horse wrangler and the herbalist who nursed his dying mother. The disappearance of his sister is a constant heartache.

      He decides to befriend the sisters, Jane and Della, whose names he learns from a poster advertising a reward for their capture. They have escaped from a terrible man who brutalized the young girls in his brothel. When he tracks the sisters to Talmadge’s orchard, Jane attempts to make a final escape.

      Talmadge is left to care for Della and Jane’s newborn baby, but is never fully able to contain Della. She’s a young woman constantly on the move, unable to hold still, or to love or be loved. She’s unlikable and totally heartbreaking.

      Angelene's happy upbringing represents an end to the line of damaged lives. She's loved, trained and nurtured by Talmadge, like one of his trees. She is perfectly suited to a life spent growing things.

      Despite the sense of foreboding, the bonds between characters and their quiet perseverance lends a sense of hope to the narrative. The author weaves together ife and death, loss and recovery, failure and redemption. If you are looking for a book that goes from point A to point B to point C with a logical and satisfying conclusion, this isn't the book for you. But for me, the author created a psychologically complex novel of considerable emotional power.



      TBR 1332
    • 4/5
      3.5
      LONG and very dry reading at times, but so compelling. I found the "quotationless dialogue" difficult.
      Great characters - but FRUSTRATING!
    • 3/5
      Extremely slow story of a bachelor orchardist in turn-of-the-century Washington state whose life is changed when two young girls, running away from a child-brothel, take refuge on his land. The writing is nicely crafted, and the local-to-me location gives it a certain amount of interest, but … nothing really happens.
    • 4/5
      There were nights when I stayed up too late to finish a section. Other nights, it was such a chore to continue reading, I fell asleep. The fact that there were no quotation marks was hard to get used to. I didn't know if the character was talking to themselves or to someone else. The author extensively used hyphens (dashes?) and after a while, it was annoying because it made me go back to re-read the sentence again. Having noted the stylistic problems I had, it was an interesting story set in an unfamiliar location. I dug out my road atlas to see just where all of these places were located. It was a good geography lesson for a new resident of Washington State. The fact that Talmadge didn't really know how to interact with Della or Jane shouldn't have been a surprise. He had lived alone for so long and his memories of his mother (who looked for a solitary life) and his sister who disappeared, I don't think anyone in the family did much talking. What did surprise me was how he stepped up to the plate and cared for Angelene. His obsession about Della was over the top, but I suppose when someone is trying to rescue you from yourself, that's how it seems. I appreciated the no-nonsense style of Caroline Middey, but why was she always called by her full name? There was no one else in the story with a name remotely like hers.
    • 3/5
      A novel of loss, of grief, of solitude. Coplin's literary debut offers a poignant look at what forms the bonds between individuals and how these bonds can both propel us and destroy us. Poetic and artfully crafted, triumphant yet devastating, The Orchardist draws the reader into rural Washington at the turn of the century as one man struggles against his great losses in life in the isolation of his orchard, yet is drawn out by the emphatic pull of two young women escaping dark pasts. Despite a gripping start and gorgeous writing style, the story line seems to peter out in the last half resulting in a need to finish the book due to a sense of duty and a desire for closure, yet ultimately leaving the reader feeling weary.
    • 4/5
      Quite good. Some stylistic choices I didn't quite get. The lack of quotations when characters were speaking was only noticeable for the first 50 or so pages. Calling Caroline Middey her full name was redundant and unnecessary. Noticeable always.

      The story was fascinating and the strong female characters were a delight, even if there situation was often anything but.
    • 4/5
      fabulous novel that spans the lifetime of a man who starts his own orchard in the early ages of western United States. The author provides an excellent sense of place- and the characters are complex as is the storyline. But, not so complex you get lost or lose interest. I really enjoyed this read and look forward to other books by this author!
    • 4/5
      A slow, evocatively written read, mostly about relationships, family, and memory. The author's interview sheds more light on the story, and was a nice inclusion, not always the case. Comparisons to Steinbeck are apt, I think. Not a lot of happiness, but some contentness, some peace-- and the question I have: is that enough?
    • 4/5
      This was beautifully written. The description of setting and nature is up there with Steinbeck in my view. As sad as the day is long, say in summer, in Alaska...I think maybe we need a new genre...American Tragedy. No offense to Mr. Dreiser, whose book I haven't read. If you are the sort that is freaked out by a lack of quotation marks, beware. I never noticed until I was more than half way done, since I was reading on my old Kindle, and that is still weird enough as it is. An excellent exploration of what makes a family, and lots of opportunity for in-depth character exploration for your book club. Don't miss it.
    • 5/5
      A craggy solitary orchardist's life intersects with two pregnant teens fleeing from a truly unspeakable situation. The book follows life, birth, death, companionship, love, nurturing. All of which is mirrored in the orchards, where fruit trees must be tenderly cared for in order that they bear their fruit, as the characters bear theirs.The fruit trees are a powerful metaphor whose fruit is not always plump and juicy; sometimes it is rotten.A compelling book you will not soon forget
    • 5/5
      Set in the early 1900s, Talmadge has lived a simple, solitary existence for decades as an orchardist in a rural stretch of NW America until two pregnant children start appearing at his homestead looking for food. What ensues is a highly emotive story of broken lives and a paternal love that forever seeks to protect.This book is fabulously drawn out, with plenty of surprise twists and turns, good pace and razor sharp settings. The backdrop of the peaceful orchard in the upper valley worked superbly - as a reader you felt like you were coming home every time the book switched back to it. Most of all, the characters are incredibly vivid, and Talmadge in particular is just wonderful - I wanted to reach into the pages of the book and hug him tightly for his selflessness, his steadfastness and his unconditional love.
    • 4/5
      Audiobook performed by Mark Bramhall

      In the late 19th century, a reclusive, gentle orchardist lovingly tends his apple and fruit trees in rural Washington. One day two teenage girls appear; first they steal some fruit from his market stand, and then show up on the outskirts of his orchards. Skittish and nearly feral they keep their distance while observing William Talmadge, who tries his best to win their trust. Just as Jane and Della have begun settle in, men arrive with guns, and Talmadge is faced with the girls’ terrible past. The events of that day deeply affect the two girls, and set Talmadge on a mission to save and protect, not always will the result he intended.

      This is a beautifully written debut novel that exemplifies “show, don’t tell.” Just as you get to know your neighbors or friends over decades, one event and reaction at a time, the reader gets to know Talmadge over the course of the novel. We learn immediately that he bears the disfiguring scars of smallpox. We get some basic background information of his arrival in Washington with his widowed mother and younger sister, how they came to settle in the valley and begin the orchard. We witness his relationships with the Native American men who trade horses, with Caroline Middey, a local herbalist and good friend, with the girl Angelene, and with all the various other characters, major and minor, and get a strong sense of the man he is.

      A man of few words he rarely directly reflects on the guilt he carries over the loss of his sister, and over what happens at the orchard. Rather, his actions speak to his deep-seated pain and desire to make amends. His personal sense of justice results in the fierce loyalty of a select group of acquaintances; I hesitate to call them friends because they are rarely seen simply enjoying one another’s company. The sense of his aloneness is furthered by Coplin’s not giving several of the characters names – they are simply “the wrangler” or “the men.” Della, Angelene and Caroline Middey all play significant roles and are given long passages detailing their stories, but the novel really focuses on Talmadge.

      Coplin also writes with eloquence about the land and the time period – when travel was primarily on foot on by horse or by mule-drawn wagon. When a person had time, and needed to observe closely the cycles of nature and the response of the land to water, wind, sun, and cold.

      Mark Bramhall does a marvelous job voicing the audio book. His slow and deliberate delivery is perfect for the kind of quiet, deliberate, thoughtful man that is Talmadge. And despite his naturally deep voice, Bramhall does a respectable job of voicing the women, even the young Angelene.

    • 2/5
      Toward the end of this book, the title character reflects on a life that has been dramatic and sordid in spite of itself. I felt rather the opposite about this story. It's uncanny how so many salacious events could make for such a sleepy plot. I mean that almost literally--listening to this book in the car, I felt myself start to nod off once or twice. If you like horses and/or fruit, then there's enough in this book to sustain you. If you're expecting anything else, whether that be a wild west yarn or a heartwarming not-all-families-are-related tale, look elsewhere.
    • 2/5
      I'm not sure what drew me to want to read this book but I bought it and then took 2 years to get to it. In away I feel like it took 2 years to read it. The story and writing were enjoyable in the beginning but soon began to get tedious. Like other reviewers here I was ready to give up around 200 pages. I have a hard time giving up on books so I took a break and finished the book in 2 more sittings. The pace did pick up as the story unfolded and there was closure but the book left me feeling unmoved.
    • 4/5
      Yes this book was slow going, yes sometimes you were just waiting for something to happen, but I still liked it a lot. I thought it was an interesting story about different characters that are not often subjects for a novel. You really did understand all the idiosyncrasies of the main characters and why they behaved in a certain way. I liked the author's fluid and descriptive writing style
    • 3/5
      Well written but became very draggy in the middle and never really picked up.
    • 4/5
      feels like something that should have been assigned in high school. lovely and lyrical.
    • 3/5
      a story set in the pnw at the turn of the century. some wonderful writing, a very comfortable read. interesting characters
    • 4/5
      This book delivered much more than I expected... Part of me fell in love with it because of my connection to the location. The relationships throughout were touching, sometimes laconic and frustrating, yet always rewarding. But it was, ultimately, the connection everyone shared through the land that kept me reading. The one character I was riveted with was the youngest character introduced- for me, she was the soul of the story.

      This is a truly lovely read.
    • 5/5
      What an astonishing book. I considered and passed by this novel several times before giving it a chance, and I'm glad I did.
      This is a quiet tale...not in terms of plot but in how the author presents the different lives. There is a lot of upheaval for the individuals, and each has to work out their relationships with each other in their self-made family and with others. But the voice and how each of the events and relationships are presented is paced in a way that makes you feel the lives they are leading.
      Really an exceptional experience.