Audiobook Review – The Golden Orchard by Flora Ahn , Narrated by Kathleen Choe (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Time Travel/Science Fiction
Length: 5 hours and 15 minutes
Publisher: Audible Original
Release Date: January 23, 2020
ASIN: B083PR6HV1
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Free Audiobook through Audible Originals
Rating: 4/5 stars
“Maya loves to cook with her grandmother – her Halmunee – to connect with the rich family history associated with each dish, a history Maya’s mom would prefer stayed in the past. While cooking with Halmunee, something remarkable happens – the food creates such a strong memory that Maya and Halmunee are transported back in time through the memory itself. Halmunee explains that the women in her family have the gift of time travel through food and Maya can do it too, if she practices. While eating her way through the past, Maya meets Jeff: another young time traveler who brings her to the Golden Orchard, a garden of memories filled with the trees of so many people’s lives. Maya learns that time moves in ways she couldn’t imagine and sometimes family keep their memories secret to protect the ones they love.”
Series Info/Source: I got this as a free Audible Originals audiobook through my Audible account. This is a stand alone book.
Audiobook Quality (4/5): This audiobook was very well done and pleasant to listen to. I have no complaints. I would recommend listening to this on audiobook if you enjoy audiobooks.
Story (4/5): Maya’s mom is increasingly busy with work which leaves Maya alone a lot of the time with her grandmother Halmunee (who has Alzheimer’s). Maya’s grandmother loves to teach Maya about traditional Korean cooking and…time traveling. When Maya learns that she also had these time traveling powers she is determined to learn more about both her powers and her absent father.
Characters (4/5): I really enjoyed all of the characters in here. Maya and her mother are trying so hard to make everything work. Halmunee is trying to teach Maya how to be a good person in her own way despite struggling with Alzheimer’s. This is a book full of good and kind characters and I enjoyed it.
Setting (4/5): I loved all the time traveling back to traditional Korean settings. It was interesting to learn about Korean culture and to watch Maya learn about her larger Korean family.
Writing Style (4/5): This was a neat idea and the whole thing was very well put together and easy to read. I enjoyed the characters and the mystery. I did think some of the time travel elements and twists towards the end of the book got a bit muddled.
My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this and, as a free audiobook from Audible Escapes, it’s one I am happy I listened to. I liked learning about Korean culture and thought that the time traveling power was unique and interesting. This is a great “family” book and includes some adventure, an excellent mystery and a lot of good messages about family.
