The Writer's Garden

What a fantastic and wide-ranging book. Showcasing gardens for from around the world, not only Europe, with a visual feast of photography. The book also offers a narrative about the writers and authors who lived in the properties and gardens. Having visited quite a few of these gardens it was a pleasure to revisit them today, and a pleasure to look at others I didn't know of.

This is a beautiful book of gardens of famous authors. I love that it uses commissioned photography and didn’t rely on stock images. The photos highlight the gardens and descriptions include information about the property and how long the author lived and what they wrote while there. There is a emphasis on England and American authors but others make the list as well. I also appreciate knowing that many of the places are open to the public. I’ve been to a few of the locations. Authors include: Beatrix Potter, George Sand, Edith Wharton, Louisa May Alcott, Ernest Hemingway, Leo Tolstoy, Roald Dahl, and many more. This seems to be a reprint from a book originally published in 2014. I’m not sure if has been changed or updated from the earlier edition.

Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group - White Lion for the ARC via NetGalley and I am leaving a voluntary review.

This is a book of lovely full-page photographic images or multiple pics per page of gardens and homes of just under 30 authors, including Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, Henry James, Jack London and more. Most of the gardens are apparently open to the public, so for lovers of books and gardens/gardening, this could add a nice layer to future travel plans. The author researched the authors and their homes/gardens, and includes much written historical context, which was very interesting. There is a nice index in the back to look up many historically relevant facts or names. I think this book would make a wonderful gift to fellow readers in your life. I'm thinking of getting it for some book club friends! 5-stars.

I see that this book was previously published in 2014, so this must be a new print, which is great news. Pub date 9/26/23. 240 pages.

Thank you, Quarto Publishing Group, and NetGalley, for providing an eARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

#netgalley @netgalley #thewritersgarden

A casual, fulfilling read! If you love books and gardens, the cottagecore aesthetic, and the idea of frolicking in a wildflower field with a journal in hand, you will love this book!

Anyone could see why a writer would flourish in these locations, they’re simply stunning. Richard Hanson does a phenomenal job at documenting these places and Jackie Bennett is masterful with her words. I really felt like I was there, sitting in the seats on Antonio Fogazzaro’s Lake Logano balcony. Walter Scott’s literal castle in Abbotsford would have been the perfect place to document the first romance novels.

It’s enriching, fun, and I will be buying a physical copy!

Thank you Quarto Publishing Group - White Lion and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review!

SUCH a great concept and such a pleasant coffee table book. I appreciated how many female authors were featured. I also, as a Southerner, appreciated seeing photos of Rowan Oak.

Almost any fan of 19th or 20th century literature will find something to enjoy in this volume that takes a look at our favorite writers in context of the spaces they chose to inhabit. Liberally sprinkled with beautiful photos and full of biographical details and updates on the current state of the properties, this book will quite possibly inspire a bucket list of must-visit destinations. I'm keenly interested in literary tourism myself, and this was enjoyable armchair traveling. I skimmed over the authors I was less interested in and slowed down for the ones I like. I suspect this will be the way most people will interact with this book.

Gardening may run in my family, but so far I’ve managed to kill every plant I brought home. Still, something in me yearns to have a beautiful garden for inspiration, relaxation, and play. Until then, I’ll have to live vicariously through some of the world’s greatest authors.

The Writer’s Garden is a beautiful and comprehensive book supplying stunning photographs with insight into how gardens (and by extension, gardening) inspired, motivated, or calmed some of the great literary minds. I told my husband this book has ruined me because now I’m not only dissatisfied with our own yard, but I want to travel and see each of these famous gardens, thereby extending our travel wish list. He didn’t seem to mind, and happily began discussing Ernest Hemingway’s home in Key West.

Along with Hemingway, Bennett includes an amazing list of authors including Louisa May Alcott, Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, Roald Dhl, Rudyard Kipling, and Beatrix Potter, to name a few. Each chapter is devoted to one author, providing a brief autobiography, and then a deep plunge into their love affair with their gardens and how it was influential in their life, both personally and professionally. I was pleasantly surprised at how thorough each chapter was. For example, I had no idea Henry David Thoreau helped Louisa May Alcott’s father in the renovations of his grounds, how Ernest Hemingway spent $20,000 on his salt-water swimming pool, or how Edward James integrated sculptures into his garden after a devastating storm destroyed thousands of his orchids.

The Writer’s Garden is my ideal coffee table read. I loved reading this book right before bed, losing myself in the gardens and stories of iconic authors, and pondering how I might be able to turn my little plot of land into a touch of Eden.

The book, an update from an original edition that appeared in 2014, showcases twenty-eight classic writers and their gardens. Some of the gardens served as inspiration to the writers while others used their gardens simply as a peaceful retreat for practicing their craft.

These are gardens and homes that have been preserved and many are now open to the public. In some instances, arrangements were made before the author's death and properties were donated to organizations such as the National Trust in England and similar entities. Others were rescued by volunteers who recognized their literary significance and banded together to prevent probable destruction. Case in point – William Wordsworth's Lake District home and garden was already slated to be razed to make way for a bus station when a group of local citizens raised the necessary funds to purchase the property just days before the tear-down date.

The majority of the gardens are located in Europe and feature writers such as Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, Leo Tolstoy and George Sand. Six gardens are in the United States (Louisa May Alcott, Jack London, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Thomas Mann and Edith Wharton).

I love classics and gardens, and this book appealed greatly to me.

It’s laid out beautifully, with multiple photographs of each garden, clean text, and in the back of the book - garden visiting information 😍, along with selected reading suggestions.

While you might be tempted at first glance to just go through the beautiful photos, you’ll eventually want to read the accompanying text to each garden and home, and likely learn a lot.

If you’re a fan of classic authors and beautiful gardens, you’ll want to add this one to your bookshelf. It also serves as a great source of inspiration, if on a smaller scale for many readers.



Thank you to Frances Lincoln and NetGalley for the DRC!

Bibliophiles and gardeners, here is a perfect book for you (and me). Visit the gardens of a number of writers, enjoy what you see, and learn about the importance of each writer’s garden.

The photos throughout are just gorgeous. In addition, the text is quite informative. For example, learn in the very first entry about why Louisa May Alcott’s father bought a particular property and what was grown there. I like that each entry has a section on the writer themself.

There is so much to see here, so this book will provide enjoyment for many hours. J have so many favorites that it is so difficult to pick a few. That said, I especially enjoyed Louis May Alcott’s Orchard House; Jane Austen in Kent and Hampshire, Frances Hodgson Burnett at Great Maythem Hall, Agatha Christie at Greenway, Thomas Hardy on Dorset and, Beatrix Potter at Hill Top.

I would love to own the hard copy of this title and to visit some of these gardens in person. As the author points out, we are so lucky that they have been preserved, even as they evolve.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

Beautifully illustrated and with narrative about the writers who inhabited and were inspired by the gardens in question. I wished perhaps for more depth of analysis, tying the botany to the themes of the writing deeper, but that is a desire particular I suspect only to me.