Although neither of them has any horticultural knowledge, they work together to weed the overgrown garden beds, mow the lawns, repair broken trellises and plant new plants.

Salley Vickers | Best-selling British Author Salley Vickers | Best-selling British Author

My only complaint (and this 3 stars) was with the end which I felt to be confusing and unnecessary— I don’t want to spoil, but I wish a book like this, so much about a woman finding her own soul, community and peace, could end with that being enough. Through Hass's eyes, as she's the more regular resident, we see how they differ – in decor, in willingness to befriend the locals, and in so much else. We witness her growing self-awareness and fulfilment, through her garden — “my small private paradise which I felt honoured to share with the birds” — and through her connectedness with landscape, trees, animals, a snail, the weather, and through her many literary recollections, including Emily Brontë, T. The cover and end sheets were beautiful, reminiscent of early 20th century books handed down to me by my grandmother.It does take a little while to become oriented in The Gardener, but I found the process was worth it. As we reach the conclusion here is the ‘you’ again and we think … hang on, have I missed something…? Of especial interest, and one which Vickers develops slowly, is the relevance of the mysterious pool in the wood adjacent to Knight’s Fee, and the allegations of the village that Nelly East was weird and believed she had fairies at the bottom of her garden. During the course of the book, there are some fabulous descriptions of nature – the very act of reading about gardening, flowers, the earth and the wildlife is calming and felt therapeutic to me.

The Gardener by Salley Vickers | Goodreads

You think I'm strong because I sound off and go on about things and am very direct and seem very full of myself. Together he and Hassie set about restoring and reinventing the garden which was the delight of the previous owner of Knight’s Fee, Nelly East, a wartime East End refugee who married Arthur East whose family had lived in Hope Wenlock at Knight’s Fee for several generations. There are also occasional and pertinent quotations from Housman, Hopkins and Hardy – so there you are, my juvenile hifalutin notions of literature helped me out there. The Diocese of Gloucester is looking for two creative, flexible and holistic thinkers who care passionately about nurturing leaders who will share the good news of Jesus Christ and make disciples in all our varied contexts. But my initial hopes for a modern fairytale with new lore, or deep lore or any kind of fresh thinking at all were disappointed.She has worked as a cleaner, a dancer, a teacher of children with special needs, a university lecturer and a psychoanalyst. A bit mawkish, but I’m not decrying this at all in the context of the novel: in fact I grew to like it the more Vickers revealed about Hassie and her self-image as someone who had grown up feeling unloved by her mother and outshone by her very beautiful, stylish and Cambridge-intelligent older sister, Margot. If this were an American book, it would be a Debbie Macomber; but it’s Vickers’ uniquely British gentleness that makes The Gardener a comfortable, comforting read. Hassie feels realistic and fully-formed, and part of this is due to the sense of humour which Vickers sculpts for her. This produces Murat, and Albanian from Corfu, married to but separated from his English wife, with no gardening knowledge and little English, but keen, willing and well able to learn.

Salley Vickers (Author of The Librarian) - Goodreads Salley Vickers (Author of The Librarian) - Goodreads

This to me was a reminder that sometimes you just need to read books that explore relationships, rather than always solving murder mysteries. It’s a simple story, episodic, with no danger or too much heartbreak; just a tale of place, community, and time helping to heal a person’s heartbreak, broken relationships, and loss. The novel which she released before The Gardener, entitled Grandmothers, was really quite beautiful, and I couldn’t put The Librarian down. Renowned naturalist Richard Fortey investigates by looking back over his own life, crafting as he goes an exuberant memoir that celebrates a postwar British childhood spent brewing up mythical stinks, fossil hunting and foraging for fungi. I have enjoyed a number of Salley Vickers books and initially there was some of the insightful and witty prose that I have come to expect.She has worked, variously, as a cleaner, a dancer, an artist’s model, a teacher of children with special needs, a university teacher of literature, and a psychoanalyst. While Margot continues her London life in high finance, Hassie is left alone to work the large, long-neglected garden.

The Gardener by Salley Vickers - Fantastic Fiction The Gardener by Salley Vickers - Fantastic Fiction

Hassie plans to live there permanently, but Margot, who has a job in the city, will simply visit on weekends or stay over when she needs a respite from London life.

It was at this time of day when I felt as if I were in touch with some larger, stronger reality, which lay behind the appearance of things, the hidden faces at work beneath nature’s surface…’. So, it’s a book about restoration, regeneration, solace in nature and nature’s healing power and unlikely friendships, and it’s all pretty harmless and charming in a bland sort of way, but overall I found it pretty trite and banal.