The French Gardener

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Personally I am really looking forward to reading more of her novels and am disappointed that at the moment there are no more sitting on our bookshelves waiting for me.

Montefiore describes the setting of the novel beautifully. Nearly every chapter comes alive with details of the characters’ surroundings. Which images are most memorable for you? Can you picture any of the gardens or buildings described? Oddly enough, I didn’t identify at all with Miranda. I’m a country girl through and through! I identified with Ava a little, but I imagine some of me went into both. I write from my heart without really intellectualizing things a great deal. I write what feels right. I find it just as easy to write about someone like me as someone very unlike me – sometimes the characters who are least like me are the most fun! I can be anyone I want to be and for the duration of the book, live another life entirely! Why did you decide to organize the novel by season? How do you think this organization will affect the reading of the book? What do you think the passing of seasons meant to your characters? I decided to divide the book into seasons because of the garden theme, of course – I wanted a whole year to watch Jean-Paul’s garden grow – but also to reinforce the main theme of regeneration. The seasons return again year after year, Ava hands her knowledge and love of the garden to Jean-Paul who then passes them on to Miranda and her children, who will pass them onto their own children one day. My father grew up in the same house that I grew up in, where we now have a cottage. My children build camps in the same parts of the garden and woods and climb the same tree house that my father and I once climbed. Ava’s love is not dead, but will grow season after season in the garden she created.How do you hope readers will understand the “magic” of the garden at Hartington? Do you believe in real magic, or are you using the word figuratively? Can love make ordinary things and places magical? Readers are always interested in which character an author aligns herself with. Is Miranda’s job as a writer and aspirations as a novelist a hint? Do you find it easiest to write about characters to whom you relate, or ones you feel distant from? On another whim last weekend, I tossed the book into my beach bag before heading out to Positano. I’m so glad I did! Using the book to shield out the too hot sun, I was easily lost in the story from the captivating prologue that sets the scene for this romantic tale in the English countryside. There wasn't a huge amount of suspense, but in romance books you sort of know who things will turn out. I would have liked to know more about the scrapbook itself, but it was a nice device to link the two time periods together.

How do you feel about Miranda’s decision to forgive David and move forward in their marriage? Has he proven himself to be a changed man? A neglected garden. A cottage that holds a secret. A mysterious and handsome Frenchman. Prepare to be “spellbound by the sheer charm” ( Daily Express , UK) of Santa Montefiore’s tender and powerful novel about passion, loss, and the healing power of love. Some of these are my own observations, others were given to me by Georgia Langton, a friend of my mother’s who’s a talented gardener. These are Ava’s words, because, on a deeper level, Ava’s spirit is still there in the garden – like nature we don’t die, but shed our bodies like leaves and flower again in spirit. Ava’s very much present, enjoying all the beauty of Nature.

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This week I read The French Gardener by Santa Montefiore. My bloggy friend, Linda, posted about it here, and I wanted to read it based on her review. I will keep my review brief and refer you to Linda's post. Linda also has another blog, News from Italy, I enjoy reading, too. I really do believe in the magic of love and in the magic of nature. Ava and Jean-Paul pour all their love into the garden and create something magical. Jean-Paul teaches Miranda and her children to love nature and they flourish. Love makes ordinary things special—it’s all about perception and focus. The old cliché that love can change the world is the truest thing ever said! The only trouble with most of us is that we love conditionally. True love is unconditional.