The characters in this book were incredibly compelling, and they truly grew into their own identities throughout the story. Even though the characters and their lifestyle are completely different from my own experiences, I felt drawn into their struggles and couldn't put the book down after getting past the beginning—which did feel a little bit slow and dramatic, almost to the point of feeling forced. The story reminded me of The Secret History but better, as this book felt more meaningful (though all the philosophical allusions did seem somewhat highbrow at first). There were parts of this book that felt uncomfortable because I didn't fully relate to the main characters, though it was while reading these parts that I began to reflect on my own values. Overall, reading The Orchard was an astonishingly personal experience—emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually; the rare book that can so artfully combine these three aspects of human nature is a true treasure.

I really wanted to like this book, but I found myself skimming through the philosophical chapters, and by the end, the rest of the chapters as well. This reads like it's the only book the author has in them. The escalating tragedies at the end became increasingly hard to take.

THE ORCHARD by David Hopen is a coming of age novel about Ari, a devout Jewish teenager, during his senior year in high school. I liked how each chapter was a month in the school year starting in August and ending in June however I felt this book was a bit too long. It was interesting to read about Judaism and the writing seems especially poignant and thoughtful but at the same time trying very hard. The majority of the plot felt boring to me. At the end I just didn’t feel satisfied with any of the resolutions.

Thank you very much to Net Galley for the ARC.

This is a very good coming of age story of a sheltered Jewish teen who grew up in Brooklyn and attended a religion-centered high school. A change in his father’s work situation causes the single-child family to move to Florida where Ari is then registered at an exclusive Jewish high school which is more academically oriented. His parents buy a small house in a wealthy area and the local, popular teens take him under their wing. Though very affluent, each of the teens has their hidden issues which come out in the well-crafted story. At one point, Ari is reflecting on his growth, wondering if he was going in the right direction with these new friends: “If my ceremony of innocence had not yet drowned, it was shuddering beneath the water.”

The protagonist is somewhat of an English prodigy, but he struggles with math and science. There are many religion/philosophy discussions in the book which are very interesting; but there were many Hebrew/Yiddish words which I had to look up; (thus the rating of 4 instead of 5). I suppose many people would skip over these, but I like to know all the details and this knowledge did aid with understanding the narrative. Perhaps an included glossary of terms would have helped me out.

Yes, there is religious discussion, but at no point does it become preaching or expect the reader to agree with Judaism. This is truly a riveting, moving story.

"The Orchard" had an amazing beginning, but fell flat around the middle mark. I really liked Ari. He was a wonderful, sensitive, nervous, and well-rounded character. I could really feel his anguish and confusion when it came to his new and dangerous friends. The main problem I had though was the dialogue. Ari meets Noah, Oliver, Sophia, etc, at a fancy private school in Florida. I had a hard time believing the dialogue that was coming out the teenagers mouths. It sounded so insincere and pretentious. That's why I rated this book so low. It irritated the hell out of me. This coming-of-age story just didn't work for me. All the female characters were interchangeable. All of them had the same bitchy, clipped tone. Very unrealistic. All the male characters, minus Ari sound like spoiled douche bags. It was difficult to keep all these teenagers straight. The dark undertone of this novel was one of the highlights, but I don't feel like the shocking thing that happens to Ari's friend, Noah is all that shocking to me. It felt like one of those after-school specials back in the early '90s. This book was trying too hard to be edgy and over-analytical. Ari was the only character I cared about, everyone was shallow and self-serving. The themes of religion played a huge part of Ari's development and downfall. I wish the novel would've focused more Ari's faith than anything else.

Thank you, Netgalley and Harper Collins for the digital ARC.

I have mixed feelings on this book. The Orchard is the story of a teenaged boy finding his faith when he moves from an Orthodox Jewish community in New York to a wealthy, less religious Jewish community in Florida. The book takes us through Ari’s senior year of high school, as he drifts away from his strict Jewish practices toward drinking, drugs, and hanging out with a new group of friends. Meanwhile, the students prepare for college and learn about the Jewish faith at their Jewish prep school. The writer capably examines high school friendships and popularity. It was painful and fascinating to observe social hierarchy, dating, and college application process through the students’ eyes.

There were several things I did not like. For me, this book was too long. There was also too much dense discussion of the philosophical underpinnings of the Jewish faith and various Judaic religious texts. For the right reader, these would be very interesting, but it was too dense for me for a novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC of The Orchard, which will be published on November 17, 2020.

Aryeh (Ari) Eden’s life has always been dominated by stringent rules. Raised in a sheltered community in Brooklyn, his profoundly lonely days are devoted to intense study and religious rituals. So, when his family moves to a ritzy Miami suburb, Ari takes this opportunity to reinvent himself.
 
Not thinking about college, not even knowing what the PSAT was, never having had the typical teenager experiences such as drinking, smoking pot, and never even having kissed a girl, Ari was taken into the whirlwind life of the rich and cool kids. It was interesting to see how Ari fit in and was accepted at his new school and friends while trying to not lose who he is - his evolving life, relations with his peers, adjusting to new environment, and dysfunctional family dynamics stole my heart.
 
While this had a YA feel throughout, this book is about something deeper. It’s about morality, about right and wrong, about finding who you are. 
 
There are poignant consequences of deep philosophical questions throughout. There are also heartbreaking outcomes of teenage boys shaped by the burdens they carry that results in pulling peers into dangerous situations. I was very much interested in Ari and his struggle over who he is, and I always enjoy this kind of introspective narrative.
 
Reading this on an e-reader is best. While you don’t necessarily need to have knowledge in Judaism, the Jewish culture, beliefs, and philosophy are much referenced, especially in the first half of the book, the ability to click on a word was extremely helpful.
 
I enjoyed the experience of his evolving life, interactions with his friends, adjusting to his new environment, planning for his future, and dysfunctional family dynamics that grabbed my heart and didn't let go. Overall, this is an emotional, moving, breathtaking, powerful, beautifully written and addictive coming of age story.

Thank you NETGALLEY, David Hopen and HarperCollins Publishers for this ARC, in exchange for my honest review. ♥️

*This review will be posted on Goodreads and Instagram

Received this book from Netgalley. I'm excited to say I loved this author's first book. Ari learning about his new environment & the other kids. Pushing their religion beliefs!!
A must read book!!

This was a deep and well thought out story. I loved the coming of age aspect, getting to know the characters and watching their growth. I heard comparisons to the Secret History, which I definitely agree with. However, I didn’t like the Secret History. While I enjoyed the drama and the storyline with the kids, I found myself bored by the philosophical and religious chats. They were overdone and went on too long. I myself an Jewish, which is a reason this book stood out to me, but there were so many Orthodox and religious events/terms that I did not understand. I found myself having to google a term almost every other page, which is not something I’d prefer to do while reading a fiction novel.

The Orchard by David Hopen follows Ari in a coming of age story. Ari, who was raised the first 17 years of his life in a strict orthodox Jewish community... from home to his school is thrown into a Jewish community in Florida that is nothing like the life he left behind. See Ari navigate finding himself, friendships, family, religion and trying to fit in with a life he’s never thought he’d live.

What is a tragedy? What is a dissent into madness? What is finding clarity? What is finding yourself? How do they all seem to tie together when we least expect it.

This book is beautifully written, it is, if I dare say so, a modern tragedy in some respects. While, I have not been in this scenario and haven’t grappled with religion and faith the author does a wonderful job of putting the characters in circumstances that everyone can feel empathy towards. From poor, innocent, naive Ari to his mirror Evan, to his rag tag group of companions he meets along the way this novel covers it all. The coming of age portion and the torturous feelings of uncertainty in yourself and rebellion of your parents and questioning everything you know really hits home.

I would definitely recommend this one.

"The Orchard" by David Hopen was a very complex story!

In this coming-of-age story the main character is Ari Eden who is 17 years old and lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. He describes himself as 'existing alone' even when with family and friends. Clearly he's living an uneventful life abiding strict religious rules at a rundown high school within an Orthodox Jewish community. But, Ari doesn't know life can be any different for him, he's never thought about it, he's always lived as he does now. When his family moves to Miami, F.L to an affluent Modern Orthodox Jewish community and high school he is shocked by the vast differences in lifestyles between the two. Yes, Ari's life is going to change drastically, in oh-so-many ways!

Ari is excited about the opportunity to meet new people, create a new persona, make a new start. But, when faced with this challenge, he fails as he knew he would. He has always felt alone and different. Now Ari understands he will remain this way and acknowledges it as a fact of his life.

Ari's new house is across the street from golden boy Noah Harris, who is also entering his senior year of high school. Noah introduces Ari to his group of friends who begin to welcome him. This clique of rich, intelligent, wild-partying, hard-drinking and drug-taking-kids also takes advantage of Ari's inexperience and quiet, accommodating demeanor. He can't believe all that is happening around him and tries desperately to avoid their bad behavior, holding his own for as long as he can. But peer pressure is a ghastly battle that Ari fights and mostly loses!

Ari's new group of friends and his new high school exposes Ari to many different experiences. He begins to blossom in his new learning environment which gives him the confidence to pursue a higher education, something he has never thought about before. He has thoughts of love, something new to Ari who has never even kissed a girl before. Yes, Ari gains greatly but he also loses greatly through this coming-of-age story. His journey is intellectually stimulating, emotionally intense and tragically devastating.

I did find this book to be somewhat cumbersome for me in two areas:
1.) There was a language barrier for me. I'm not familiar with Judaism or the vocabulary associated with Yiddish and Hebrew. My Kindle didn't recognized most of the words I attempted to reference and I had no plan or desire to have a dictionary at my side the entire time I was reading this book.
2.) The philosophical discussions were way over-the-top for me. I found myself buzzing through most of the Evan & Ari discussions and portions of the Talmudic study group discussions with Rabbi Bloom.

With that said, this was a book I wanted to continue reading. I was so unsure how this story would end and I loved that, but when I arrived there, I wanted more! More about Ari, for sure! It's not because I felt the story was lacking depth. No way! I just liked the main character that much and wanted more of him! I'm still thinking about this book and still wanting more over a week later! I hope to see more from this author and I definitely recommend this book!
#TheOrchard #NetGalley
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Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins Publishers and Ecco for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Well, this was certainly appropriate for 2020. A bunch of privileged white boys who abide no rules and are awarded time and again spite of their appalling behavior. The female characters were completely one dimensional.

I was really excited for this one but it fell a bit flat for me. I ended up not finishing because it was too slow for me. Normally that might not be a problem, but trying to break a book slump it isn't the right choice.

I almost wish there was a quick list in the front of the book explaining some of the Jewish traditions that are discussed in the book. I don't know a lot about Hasidic Jews and ended up having to stop reading and look things up throughout the book. I'm not saying that is the books fault, I want to know more about the Jewish religion, I just wish it was made a little easier to learn the terms before reading so it wouldn't disrupt the story.

Wow.... just wow! I’m sitting here trying to put my feelings for The Orchard into words and all I can come up is “wow”. I will try to come up with more about this amazing novel by David Hopen. Now disclaimer this book is a slow burn but in the best possible way. David writes this coming of age book that will stick with me for a long time.

Reading The Orchard by David Hopen is a bit like tasting a new wine. There is the aroma of Chaim Potok, the mouthfeel of Philip Roth. And it's Kosher - well, sort of. Our modern Asher Lev is Ari, a boy who has spent his school years in an Orthodox yeshiva in Brooklyn. The family must move to Miami for his father's work and Ari picks up his studies in a very different sort of yeshiva. He is both flattered and horrified by the friends he makes. His journey to his own understanding of "life" is an absorbing story and well worth reading, especially if you have happily spent time with Roth and Potok.

As a debut novel, The Orchard is a fascinating coming-of-age story and an elaborate existential treatise. Aryeh (Ari) Eden's life in Brooklyn is one of orthodox Jewish traditions in a community where everyone studies mostly religion with a few secular subjects. Ari gets the shock of his life when his father announces that they are moving to Miami, Florida.
Ari is a thoughtful teenager who loves to read. That passion is fed with more substantial classes in English and small philosophy discussions at his new Jewish high school. Girls are another shocking addition to his new school, and Ari's adjustment becomes a very steep learning curve.

Ari narrates his journey through his final years in high school in the past tense. He describes his feelings for a lovely young woman, Sophia, and a smart challenger in a cerebral way in the form of Evan, a super brain.

Their story and the philosophical exchanges and challenges made this book intense and sometimes difficult to digest.

The Orchard is an intellectual debut novel that gave me many moments of questioning the basic existential questions of life. I found the book fascinating, sad, and beautiful. It is in the plus column for readers to enjoy this year.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance

Thank you to NetGalley, Ecco, and David Hopen for providing me with an ARC of this title. Though there were many aspects of this book that I surely enjoyed: small group of talented and intelligent friends, father-figure "professors", the use of literature, religion, and philosphy, chapters based on months in school; I felt that there was just too much going on with this story. I think adding to that, all the fascinating elements of Orthodox Judaism that I knew nothing about and could not make heads or tails of the vocabulary for, put me out of my depth. For those who compare this to Donna Tart's history, that assessment feels very spot on for me. I think that had this book been tightened up a bit and some of the expository parts cut shorter, this would have been a winner for me. David Hopen is obviously a very smart, intelligent author and I look forward to future works.

“Divorce yourself from ordinary life and find yourself moving away from being human and toward something… I don’t know, something thrilling and risky and very much divine.”

Okay, wow! I just finished this and am still reeling. I had high hopes when I saw this book being compared to The Secret History (a ~dark academia~ novel I enjoyed) and was not disappointed in the slightest.

Following Ari Eden, a high school senior uprooted from a sheltered life as an Orthodox Jew in Brooklyn to an upscale Modern Orthodox community in south Florida, this novel is a coming of age that asks the characters and us to consider some of life's greatest moral questions. An outsider in his new home, Ari is quickly absorbed into his prestigious Jewish academy's star group of enigmatic boys that are charming, academically-talented, athletic, and attractive. Through his newfound friendships and special interest from the school’s headmaster, he tests his faith and philosophy in ways he’s never imagined with transformative, yet tragic consequences.

Much like The Secret History, the book revolves around a young man that feels like an outsider in a group of magnetic students that meet in a small class to discuss philosophical principles, while engaging in questionable behavior that leads to ~darkness~ ~betrayal~ ~secrets~ and more. I definitely think that if you enjoyed The Secret History, then you will most likely enjoy The Orchard as well, with a few bonuses (positives I found compelling):

1. The book is completely based on Jewish culture/lore, which I found incredibly interesting, since orthodox Judaism isn’t a very common backdrop in literature. It helped that I read this on a Kindle, so I could easily access the definitions/translations of all of the Jewish terminology used throughout the narrative. And while it would help to be Jewish to have a better understanding of the culture and the mythos woven into the plot, it is absolutely not necessary to enjoy the story -- it’s a coming of age with universal appeal.

2. The characters interested me. I felt for Ari, and his existential dread/malaise spoke to the dissatisfaction I felt in my own teenage years. Each character in the group brought nuance to the story, making the ending have that much more impact (it made me cry.... And I NEVER cry for books, so…).

3. The last act was absolutely wild, and I found myself anxiously turning the pages to find out what happens next. It was compelling, beautifully-written, and emotionally impactful. In that respect, I found the ending to be more satisfying than the ending of The Secret History -- it leaves you wondering what actually happened and the meaning of it all.

4. The depth of philosophical and literary understanding David Hopen has is astounding. There are so many interesting conversations about different great philosophers and the narrative is embellished frequently with literary quotes (fitting, since the narrator himself is a literary phenom). Whether or not the author was trying to flex his academic muscles, you can tell he did a ton of research and put a lot of work into making his story, and characters, as lush and deep as possible.

And while there is A LOT to love and respect about this beautiful novel, it could have been made better by some additional editing of the middle section of the book. It was long and not as interesting as the last part of the story, featuring what felt like many repetitive scenes that could maybe be condensed to offer a tighter reading experience. Other than that, I don’t have anything else to criticize.

For fans of literary fiction/campus novels/ ~~dark academia~~ this book should definitely be on your list! I’m eager to see what David Hopen does next.

At first I really enjoyed this story of a lonely young man’s journey from his strict Orthodox life in Brooklyn, ruled by ritual, tradition and religious study, to a Jewish academy in the affluent suburbs of Miami. Ari is sympathetic character and I became truly invested in his story, as he tries to fit in with his spoiled peers and struggles to navigate this alien world of drugs, girls, parties and academic competition. As he becomes part of an elite group of students, cherry-picked to be involved in complex philosophical and moral discussions with a respected Rabbi, I found the book lost it’s way. As the group of friends begin to fracture and Evan, their charismatic and troubled leader, begins to push more and more boundaries, I found the story becomes scattered.
I had such high hopes for a book compared so favorably to Donna Tartt’s ‘The Secret History’ (which happens to be my favorite book). Sadly I just felt disappointed. There were just too many similarities to that story’s themes and plot points, without ever reaching it’s brilliant heights. 3.5⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC.

This was a difficult read for me because I know next to nothing about Judaism and there were references in this book throughout, so I felt pretty lost.

I enjoyed the coming of age story of Ari and his new "friends". It was very dramatic, and many parts of the storyline had me anxious to find out what was going to happen.

However, my 3 stars are due to the fact that much of this book was way over my head and I'm pretty sure I missed the deeper meaning of it.

If you know a lot about Judaism, this book is likely a good choice for you. For me, like I said, I think I missed the whole point of the book due to my lack of knowledge on a large part of the subject matter.