Orchard : A Novel

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Summary: Wisconsite chimes in
Review: I don't know much about Wyeth, his muse Helga, or even other novels with art as a main character (unless you count "The Da Vinci Code," which looks like a poorly crafted nursery rhyme compared to Watson's book), but I DO know Door County, Wisconsin, and I can attest that Watson has captured this dramatically picturesque region as it was in the 1950s with deft and a sad and lovely nostalgia. Sad because, like most once gorgeous North American seaside areas, Door County is now a crowded, over-developed, and cynical exploitation of itself. That Watson grieves the loss of northern Wisconsin as it used to be is evident in nearly every chapter of "Orchard," with his loving descriptions of rocky (and gloriously empty!) beaches, his acolades to the rough winters and the hardy "year-rounders" who could tolerate them, and his detailed, insider portraits of apple picking, ice fishing, and small-town Christmas pageantry.

The post-war Door County he captures is innocent and still dominated by nature's mood swings. In the decades since it has become over-run with condos, golf courses, tourist traps and, yes, superficial art gallaries for the rich and naive (a few of them may even have decent art). It may not yet be a Wisconsin Dells but, to hear natives tell it, it's clearly well on the way.

In this Watson compares favorably to Dennis Lahane's "Mystic River," which captured pre-yuppie Baltimore with a similarly nostalgic view. I do appreciate the respect and compassion with which he treats a now long-gone region. Door County is as much a main character here as the two couples.

But it was Sonja's perceptions and lonely grief that moved me the most, even to the point of weeping a few times while reading this. I'm a sucker for great character portraits, and here Watson excels. Maybe, as others here have mentioned, the men aren't as fully drawn and believable. His handling of Sonja's grief, yearnings, regrets, and growing self-awareness more than makes up for it. She'll stay with me a long time.

Thank you, Mr. Watson, for a great read!

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Summary: A 50¿s melodrama of sexual politics and art
Review: The apple orchards of 1950's Door County, Wisconsin are the setting for this mellifluous story of artistic endeavor and sexual politics. Watson has a nice, easy, relaxed style that lends itself very well to this type of small town story. His style is at times poetic, and at times stark, as he paints a picture, and sets the story against the backdrop of the changing seasons.

Watson presents us with two couples whose betrayals will forever haunt them. Henry House, earthy, sexy and the owner of the apple orchard is newly married to Sonja, a Swedish immigrant. After losing their son in a terrible accident they suddenly drift apart sexually and emotionally. Ned Weaver is the controlling selfish artist who treats his wife Harriet, without respect and combs the town looking for muses for his art. When Sonja decides to model for Ned to earn some extra money, the sparks really fly when Henry finds out that other men in the town have been furtively watching the "artistic" exchange between artist and model. From the opening, Watson engages us in sexual politics, nasty game playing, petty betrayals, and family tensions and we get a feeling of inevitability as the story reaches its shattering climax. It is the men in the novel who come out looking bad - selfish, uncommunicative, nasty and controlling.

Orchard addresses the sexual hypocrisy and dysfunctional marriages of the time, while also addressing the wider themes of sexuality and art. To Ned Weaver a beautiful nude model is not necessarily a sexual being, unless he wants her to be a sexual being! And it's all on his terms. For Ned unclothing beautiful women and painting them is all about his art and work, and his work is the most important thing in his life; more important than his marriage, children or friends. Henry's challenge is to try and understand that "nakedness is craft and art"; and to transcend the idea that his wife is merely being labeled as a "sexual object" by Ned.

There is good character development in this novel, along with a wonderfully adept use of metaphor. Watson really makes us appreciate the tension and sensuality of a single action - the peeling of sunburn, the eating of an apple, the removal of slinky negligee - and he does this so economically. Deftly weaving together imagery of four very different lives, Orchard could almost be called a literary painting. This is an interesting and quite moving work.

Michael

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Summary: Excellent
Review: When I saw that many readers had given this book only three stars, I had to write. I loved it. Beautiful but simple writing, interesting time shifts, deeply understood characters... The writer who said the woman was a wimp should remember that this book took place in the late 1940s and early 1950s in a rural area, and that the woman was an immigrant. The descriptions of the artist's works were also wonderful. I highly recommend this book and intend to check out Watson's other novels.