Healthy Living Books Books

Rating: - Gardening and Romance
Charlotte Warren, known as Lotte, divorced mother of three, architect, garden historian and horticulturist is the protagonist of The Gardener.

The novel follows Lott's growing passion and obsession with Maddon Park after she takes the post of Head Gardener there. Working for the millionaire Brody Keegan and his spoilt young model wife Amber, she finds herself on an emotional rollercoaster. Brody is ignorant but passionate about the gardens; Amber however is so uninterested that she thinks `Who needs a vegetable garden with Waitrose six miles away.'

The history of Maddon Park and gardens makes this novel more than just another love story and I found the historical gardens aspect fascinating. I love gardens and gardening and always enjoy visiting places similar to Maddon Park.
I did feel at one point though that maybe Prue Leith was struggling to keep to the plot and tie everything together. For example about two thirds of the way through there is an episode concerning Annie, Lotte's eldest, a motorbike and a helicopter! I have been unable to understand the relevance of this episode and wonder if it was just padding, or did I miss the point?

I would certainly recommend this to any gardening enthusiast as that aspect is well written and interesting, though the love story intertwined is rather predictable. A good mixture of gardening and romance.

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Rating: - Gardens, History, Poetry
Prue Leith's new novel 'The Gardener' cleverly catches the current interest in gardens and for a garden historian in search of a good holiday read this is the ideal book. The poems at each chapter's beginning are an added bonus bringing an extra dimension to a fast-moving novel.

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Rating: - Great read
A lovely tale of a determined woman and her desire to show she can cope after her divorce. Really got into Lotte's character and found I couldn't put the book down. Couldn't wait to get to the end and when I did felt sad that I'd lost a friend. Enjoyable, romantic read.

Looking forward to the next one!

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Rating: - Brava!
Pru Leith's book, The Gardener, is a fun read and makes garden historians appear sexy, bright and energetic - not the terrible old stereotype one expects. Brava! She's captured the joy of discovering lost gardens perfectly.

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Rating: - A Beautiful Read!
"Lotte is in unfamiliar territory. After a painful divorce and a great deal of soul-searching, she's abandoned her successful career as an architect for a degree in Garden History, and uprooted her three children to take a job as Head Gardener to millionaire Brody Keegan.
Brody is as ignorant about gardens as Lotte is knowledgeable, his tastes as loud as hers are quiet. The things they have in common are a passion for Maddon Park and a determination to get their own way.

As Lotte locks horns with her boss and his spoilt young wife, she finds herself on an emotional rollercoaster. She knows what is right for the garden, but - still raw from divorce, anxious about the children and frightened of entanglement - she has no idea what is right for her."

I've just finished reading this book and really enjoyed it. It's only my third book by publisher Transita so far, and I think it'll be hard to beat this. The descriptions are so good I could see the beautiful garden growing and flourishing before my eyes. I've never actually been into gardening before, but I can now see why people have such a passion for it, and how rewarding it would be to make your own into a beautiful, tranquil hideaway. I liked the characters (except Amber! Grrrrr..) and I understood why Lotte made the decisions she did, even if she was selfish at times, and did seem to sacrifice the big love of her life, although the main love for her was Maddon. I found the map of Maddon very helpful to look at, so I could get an idea of what was where, and in relation to everywhere else. Also, I was so pleased to find out that the idyllic holiday destination Lotte and her family went to in Portugal, (page 256) 'Quinta Do Barranco Da Estrada', is a real place! Even the names of the owners - Frank and Lulu McClintock - are real, so I'm hoping to visit there with my boyfriend one day :-) I recommend this book to all, whether garden lovers or not. I certainly wasn't but I'll be visiting beautiful stately homes and gardens from now on, and appreciating the sheer hard work it's taken to make it look so lovely. I'm so looking forward to tracking down and reading Prue Leith's previous two novels - 'Leaving Patrick' and 'Sisters' now. Fantastic!