The part of the title ‘A Classic Botanical Tour of the Classic Novels’ is the best way to describe this book. It explains different aspects of gardens and different landscaping in the Regency era that were mentioned in Jane Austin’s books.

The author makes connections between gardens, parklands, conservatories etc. in relation to the social status & wealth of the era that Jane would have perceived and experienced.

Overall, I found it could have used something more in-depth. Possibly how these gardens influenced Austin's writing e. g. like Emily Dickinson's Gardening Life: The Plants and Places That Inspired the Iconic Poet.

Very visually striking and a lovely coffee table book—I would personally buy the hardcover. However, it is somewhat light on Austen lore, though in all fairness, there isn’t much talk of flowers in her books.

I love anything to do with Jane Austen and I love gardening. What a fun premise this book is! Classics are so full of atmosphere, and this book brings us on a wonderful deep dive into a part of that atmosphere we may not have noticed much prior.

When I was in high school, I fell in love with the Regency Era through Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.” Over the next thirty-plus years, I’ve read every single word of Austen’s collected works. I’m also rural and do a ton of gardening. So, when I saw “Jane Austen’s Garden: A Botanical Tour of the Classic Novels” by Molly Williams, I knew that I had to read it.

This book was illustrated by Jessica Roux and, let me tell you, the artwork is absolutely breathtaking. There are numerous chapters on this book focusing on subjects like “Hedgerows” and “Parks,” which were common during the era and remain so to this day.

Williams retrieved snippets of text from Austen’s six major novels and personal letters that focus on gardening—vegetables, fruits, flowers, and trees—and on what I term the British gardening experience. For example, taking tours of country estates, which is a habit that continues to this day by a multitude of British citizens.

In the “Cultivating Jane” sections that appear throughout the book, Williams gives readers instructions on how to recreate the Regency feel in their own homes. For example, how to make faux flowers and how to create lavender water.

The author also includes instructions on how to shape a boxwood topiary. However, it’s a shame that Williams didn’t address the current and ongoing box blight crisis that very well could destroy the topiary that you make. The author included some excellent text from Austen’s novels. However, on several occasions, she reuses information that she previously cited at earlier places in the book.

Despite these minor issues, I can easily see this beautifully illustrated book becoming a go-to gift for fans of Jane Austen. Besides the writing and the illustrations, this book’s layout and the fonts used are absolutely perfect; whomever designed this book deserves a round of applause! This is a book that should be offered for sale at gardening centers everywhere.

I received an ARC of “Jane Austen’s Garden: A Botanical Tour of the Classic Novels” by Molly Williams from NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Forgive me, I haven't read much of Jane Austen, but I still enjoyed this book—lovely illustrations, great information, and well thought through and put together.

This book was so lovely and physical beautiful. Well done! As a huge Jane fan, reading the history of her life was intriguing. A gorgeous book!

I loved this! The tie in with Jane Austen's work was fabulous. Love how there's several activities/things to do as well! Definitely for the lovers of Jane Austen!

2025 is a significant year to fans of Jane Austen as it marks 250 years since the author's birth. There are many events happening in light of this, so much attention is being paid to the author.

Personally, I am currently taking a class on the six major Austen novels and am enjoying (re)reading them. They stand up to the passage of time incredibly well. So, with Austen so prevalent for me right now, I was very excited to see this title appear on NetGalley. I think that it will be enjoyed by those who are looking for ways to connect to the author and her stories.

Williams states that it is her intention to "create a compendium of Regency era horticultural references that Jane Austen included in her major novels." In doing this, she offers connections between the novels and nature. She also provides much else in this title such as time lines, summaries of the novels, quotes from the books, projects and more.

I especially enjoyed the illustrations that appear throughout this title. They are lovely and inviting.

Jane Austen's Garden would make an excellent gift for an Austen lover. It can be explored in any order.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for th

Jessica Roux is one of my favourite book illustrators and as a lover of Jane Austen, this immediately caught my interest. I am grateful for having had the opportunity to have an early glimpse of this; the artwork throughout is unsurprisingly stunning and author Molly Williams does a lovely job of providing as various aspects of regency gardens.

Here is the crux though; it has quite a lot of different things to offer and this can be both a good or a bad thing depending on what you are looking for in this book. It was largely not what I personally was looking for, but it might be the perfect blend for someone else. Aesthetics aside, this book delivers interesting history and a bit of trivia on plants (including fruit, vegetables and herbs), guides on how to recreate aspects of regency gardening and homegrown food for yourself as well as highlighting when and where they are relevant in Austen's novels. In addition, it also gives a bit of a background to Austen's life and once again, how gardens and botanics might have fit into the picture.

I think that for a DIY garden enthusiast, a Jane Austen and botanical history fan, this may very well be the perfect book and would make a lovely gift. I myself was expecting less guides (there were a few too many to make this feel like a book beyond a tutorial) and perhaps more on the relevance and history. For example, Williams mentions in her introduction that a modern reader might have a different image of the gardens described in Austen's books due to a slight shift in how names are used in modern times. I would have loved to hear and see more of that - you have a lovely illustrator at hand and while the book is full of them, they were more pretty than practical. I'd have love illustrations actually highlighting of what it would have looked like as the author had already raised this issue.

This book is targeted to someone who loves Jane Austen and has at least some appreciation for gardening. I am both, and I will definitely be buying the hard copy to keep for inspiration and light rereading. There is actually more information stuffed in here than I expected.
This is a delightful and beautifully illustrated book that explores the botanical references found in Jane Austen's six most famous novels. She even provides DIY tutorials for projects done during the Regency Era.

Jane Austen’s Gardens by Molly Williams was an absolute delight! Not only does the author explore the gardens and plants featured in each of Austen’s novels, but she also weaves in Regency-era horticulture, craft ideas, and beautifully researched cultural insights. The book delves into the landscapes, flowers, and plants that were such an integral part of Austen’s life, illustrating how nature was almost a character in her stories. The stunning illustrations further bring this connection to life.

That said, I think it’s important to note that unless you have an interest in both Jane Austen and horticulture, this book might not be for everyone. While it offers wonderful insights into garden history and Austen’s world, those solely interested in her novels may not find it as engaging. However, for those who love both literature and gardening, this is a beautifully crafted and informative read.

As a Jane Austen fan, I highly recommend it. As a gardener, I appreciate the well-researched historical details and practical knowledge it offers for those wanting to expand their understanding of Regency gardening. Whether you’re a master gardener or simply fascinated by the role of nature in literature, this book provides rich context and inspiration.

Lacking a garden of my own, I admit that I liked this book basically because it seems to have been written a couple of centuries ago ( I mean with respect to the type of drawings and fonts used). Otherwise I admit to a weakness I have for anything that is in any way related to Jane Austen directly or indirectly.

In mancanza di un mio giardino, ammetto che questo libro mi é piaciuto fondamentalmente perché sembra scritto un paio di secoli fa ( intendo rispetto al tipo dei disegni e di font utilizzati). Per il resto ammetto una mia debolezza per tutto quello che sia in qualche modo collegato a Jane Austen in modo diretto o indiretto.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

What a beautiful book!
A lovely addition for any Austen fan, this book wonderfully compliments the books it’s inspired by.
Packed full of stunning illustrations, an easy to navigate layout and interesting information I found it a really enjoyable read that I feel like I can go back to time and time again.
I love the references to Jane’s life, how her experiences inspired her books and how we can still see some of these botanical wonders today.
Also the craft ideas were a welcome addition and quite inspiring.

Unfortunately I think I was the wrong audience for this book. I'm a big fan of Jane Austen and love learning about the history of how people lived in different times, so I thought that this book with a botany focus would be a great fit for me. Unfortunately, I think that this book is better as an object than as something to read.

The book is divided into sections, beginning with a lot of info about Austen, and then context, informations, and activities for flora that would be found in various locations in regency life, with quotes from Austen to contextualize the choices of plants that are included. Unfortunately, though there were many illustrations, most of the entries didn't have corresponding illustrations, and some of the illustrations didn't obviously correspond to a specific entry. The plants were often a very incidental part of the quotations referenced, and the author reuses one of the quotes (to talk about two different plants that are both referenced) without acknowledging that it was something we had seen before.

The transitions between information to activities within sections also didn't make a ton of sense. They came in different orders in different sections and I couldn't figure out why they were ordered as they were. My favorite part was the glossary at the end where the author defined common garden terms of the regency era and there were a lot of illustrations to explain what the terms meant.

I was reading a digital copy of the book so I can't speak to the physical experience, but based on other reviews and the attractive illustrations, I do think this is likely a nice book for a gardener who likes to read to keep on a coffee table to be flipped through, but I do not recommend it to be read as a text.

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing for the advance review copy.

this was such a beautiful/cozy read!!! I love every single thing about this book!! the colors, the language used, the art style, the topics, the fonts, literally every single thing!!! which wasn't expected to be honest as I don't love Jane Austen's books that much. If you love plants, cozy slow-paced books, Jane Austen, and Illustrated books, you'll definitely love this!

An adorable illustrated coffee table book! It would make the perfect gift for lovers of florals, Jane Austen, or both. While taking you through the history of horticulture in the Regency era and the many references to foliage in Austen's books, you can also expect to find a variety of garden-esque crafts to help transport you to Southampton, Bath, or Chawton. Though some of the crafts are a bit less practical, and you may not feel enticed to read the entire book in one sitting, it's a great display piece. One that you can return to for a little bit of English-countryside joy whenever you wish.

The pictures are beautiful and I am going to love having this as I read through Emma this month. I also really love the projects. Perfect for a person who loves gardening, reading and Jane Austen. When this comes out, I might have to get a physical copy because it’s so gorgeous!

This is a well-researched, carefully written, and beautifully illustrated book of the gardens in Jane Austen novels. This would make an excellent gift for a Jane Austen fan or a gardener alike. The instructionals and recipes are fabulous. The book even includes a recipe for homemade sloe gin.

If you like Jane Austen, gardens, flowers, and bringing the 3 together, then this book is definitely for you.

A unique, stunningly-illustrated feast for the eyes and an amazingly well-researched, fascinating, and organized horticultural compendium. Austen fans will wallow delightfully through the pages of Molly Williams' loving ode to Jane.

Whether presenting brief histories of shrubs, trees, and fruit mentioned in Austen's works or chronicling where the plants shown were originally cited, it's all here—plus a whole lot more. For crafters and gardeners, there are multiple, detailed instructions for "cultivating" Jane—shaping a topiary, creating pomanders, growing potatoes in grow bags or strawberries in baskets—for starters. A helpful glossary appears in the back of the book. Did we say the illustrations are stunning?

Even if you're neither an Austen fan nor a gardener, the sheer beauty of this book will make it a cherished addition to your library. Five stars.