A Robot in the Garden

Wow, I have not read another book like this (and I read a lot of books) what a truly amazing, funny, unique gem of a book this is. The book had me enchanted from the very first page and kept me reading well into the night.

I found myself smiling throughout reading this as it's quite funny in parts, you know that warm fuzzy feeling you get sometimes when reading a book? Well this book has it by the bucket load! A heartwarming story with main characters you can relate to (even the robot who reminded me in parts of my 2 small children).

Ben the lead character finds a broken robot in his garden. He's having a rough time after losing both his parents and his marriage is rocky to say the least. He takes the robot in and decides to try and fix him and with this begins one of the most beautiful friendships you can imagine. The two become inseparable, they take you on a wonderful journey all over the world to seek out someone to help fix Tang, however in the process Tang then fixes Ben too.

I won't say anything more apart from you MUST read this book!

I'd never have come across this book and so I'm very grateful to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of it as it's seriously been one of my favorite books of all time.
An absolute treasure of a book, I read this book in a day as I couldn't bear to put it down. I enjoyed every minute and was disappointed when I had finished the last page as I didn't want it to end ....I'm hoping that the author writes a follow up book and that I can then read more of Tang & Ben.

A real pleasure to read Tang stole my heart as well as Bens heart and he will steal yours too! An absolute gem of a book charming in every way......⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a funny, heartwarming and at times heartbreaking novel this is! Tang is an adorable little robot and i didn't think I could fall in love with a robot, but I did.. he is stubborn, somethimes annoying but cute. Just like a child actually. I could see this book make a wonderful movie.

The story of A Robot In The Garden, by Deborah Install, is set in England, in a time where having androids as servants is commonplace. Robots are so old-fashioned that when Ben finds one in his garden, his wife is all for throwing it in the trash. But Ben sees something in the robot that calls to him. Why did it show up on his doorstep? Who does it belong to? What is it's purpose? These questions really also apply to Ben as he is lost and depressed since the death of his parents three years ago. So begins a wonderful road-trip novel that takes Ben and Tang (the name of his robot) on a quest to find it's maker.

I found this book to be charming and funny in only the way British humor can. With a subtly that will sometimes make you scratch your head, this book also addresses racism (robotism?), traditional marriage roles, and modern relationships.

What I liked:
Characters:

Amy:

Ben's wife, at first seems like a class A b#%tch. I hated her at first. But there are changes and growth to her character that I really loved.

Ben:

Ben seems to be socially inept, and susceptible to worrying about what others think of him. He buys into the narrative that he can't do anything right. But as the book progresses, he learns to understand how to care for (and about) others. This gives him confidence and helps him tackle other parts of his life that have gone awry. I loved Ben's growth and (later) his strength.

Road Trip:

I love a good road trip, and this one provided several wonderful interactions with colorful locals, misunderstandings, hookups, and revelations. This part of the book was so much fun!

What I didn't like:
Stereotypes:

Okay, I may be a bit sensitive because of my nationality, but I thought the author made Americans to be stereotypical loud, obnoxious morons. I suppose that is what most Europeans think when they picture Americans, but I thought the author missed an opportunity to expand on her theme of inclusiveness and acceptance. This was only a minor flaw in this book.

If you want to read a fun, imaginative road trip book, I think you will really enjoy A Robot In The Garden.

Utterly charming and adorable!!

Okay, now that I have let that out...

"There's a robot in the garden," my wife informed me.

And so it begins.

Ben and Amy are experiencing some marital problems, so when Tang shows up at their doorstep (actually their back garden) and Ben decides to take him on a trip to find its creator, things might not go as planned.

Ofcourse, going on a trip with and old fashioned robot instead of an android which is more common those days, is an invitation for hilarious mishaps and misunderstandings. But Ben is determined to bring this adventure to a successful ending and along the way the two form a special bond that only they understand.

This is a story about friendship, and growing up. But also belief in one another. And if this tale doesn't make you all warm and cuddly...you must be an android.

Review copy supplied by publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a rating and/or review.

I'm dating myself here but remember this gem from the 80s? Short Circuit with Number Five? This book is like another kind of Short Circuit, 30 years later.

It's not a re-telling. Just similar.

The synopsis kind of tells you the plot of the book from start to finish.

But that's ok. Because this is one of those books where it's all about the journey.

Ben's father died and left him the house and a lot of money. He wasn't doing well in vet school so he dropped out.

And did nothing.

His successful lawyer wife, Ann, has been patient for quite some time and we see right away that she's about had it.

When the robot shows up, she really loses it because now Ben has something to actually take him away from trying to figure out what he's going to do with his life and DO IT.

Of course Ben's an idiot. Takes Ann for granted and takes no notice of the hurt it's causing her that he's more obsessed with the robot than even talking to her let alone listen to her.

So there's no scientists or lightning storms involved here like with Number Five. Just a rich bum who finds a robot in the garden.

What prompts the journey is that the robot doesn't really function. Appears broken. But some partial writing on the robot's butt is possibly a clue to the creators of the robot, in the States. He's got nowhere to be, and plenty of cash in the bank. Why not go?

Lots of rude awakenings, lots of learning... often the hard way. Some rather odd prickly situations. Many beautiful moments to warm the cockles of your heart.

And of course, non stop hilarity as it becomes a battle of will: man vs robot.

No question that this is a 5 star book. I'm marking it as one of my best reads of 2016. And I can pretty guarantee that this book will be made into a movie. Hopefully they'll do it justice! I nominate Lee Pace to play Ben.

MANY THANKS to the publisher for the advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Really 3.5/5 stars and only because this story was overly cute. Really A Robot in the Garden is sweet, charming and adorable but I'm not six, anymore. It just read as very young....
In a world of super perfection, high quality androids, Tang is considered an ancient relic. He's an old school robot and quite dilapidated when he appears in Ben & Amy's garden. Amy would like Ben to discard Tang, but Ben has different ideas!!! There is nothing like a grown man & an old robot hitting up a road trip!!! Hilarity and chaos unfold as well as meaning and affection as Tang and Ben travel the globe searching for the proper parts needed to repair Ben. Quirky & sweet... a fun and heartwarming book.

Thanks to NetGalley, Doubleday and the author for the opportunity to read this book!

What a cute, quirky book - a fun read! Very similar in plot to another recent read, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper.

In this book, Amy and Ben are a married couple having some issues when a robot shows up in their garden. Not just any robot and certainly not the trendy house androids that Amy would like to do things around the house that Ben can't quite manage to get done. No, Tran, is an old school robot that seems to be broken and no one knows how to fix him.

So Ben starts following leads and he and Tran go on excursions trying to find his builder and get him some help. Along the way, he meets many people who guide him on to the next person. Their experiences are funny, cute, poignant.

In the end, this is a story about love, friendship, grief and growing up. Charming, to say the least. I hope someday a Tran shows up in my garden!

This quirky, well-written book slowly brought me into the story. In the end, I was completely hooked! This is a difficult book to describe to someone to make it sound as interesting as it actually is, but I will be hard trying to "sell" it to my customers. This is a lovely book and will be appreciated by many readers.

A Robot in the Garden by Deborah Install is crazy, silly, funny, and sweet. I have never read a book quite like this one. One day a young couple wake up to find a robot in their garden. From there I got to enjoy the husband questioning the robot to feeling something for the sad looking robot that would hardly speak to him. The man fights with his wife over keeping the robot. She complains that it's old, broken and can do nothing but sit and look at horses. Yet, as the story progresses I found out along with the man that the robot was more than just an old AI.

The robot had feelings just like any other human being. Soon, the sad yet dangerous journey into finding out the robot's past life and getting it fixed new will tug at readers' hearts just like it did for mine. Tang, the robot, is adorable. Like a little boy, the robot makes one laugh and cry and feel good. Tang also helps Ben find himself and help him finally heal after losing both his parents. His wife didn't understand that until much later on...I guess it's better to realize things than not to realize them at all. Love can heal and last forever...but it takes time and takes both people willing to love to work. A Robot in the Garden showed all this and more. Marriage isn't easy nor will ever be but it's definitely worth having if both want it. Deborah Install leaves many surprises and twists along the way that makes this an irresistible read. This was the first novel I have read by Deborah Install, and I highly recommend it to readers worldwide.

I want to thank Steffi Feldmen of Sourcebooks Landmark for bring this book under my attention. I would never have picked up this book and would never have fallen in love with Ben and Tang. This was a wonderfully written sweet story about the friendship between Ben and Tang your only choice when reading this book is to absolutely love them. I loved how Deborah brought their story and feelings to life she has the ability to also describe situations and places in such a manner that you can picture them in your mind. This was the first book by Deborah Install that I have read and I am looking forward to many many more of her.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark via Netgalley for the copy.

Loved the book, humorous and heart warming. The blurb likens it to Paddington Bear and I can see that. A nice robot for a change.

Once in a while, I just want a little something different that has heart, but is also light. I found that with this tale of a man who has lost his way and decides that helping a little quirky robot find his home is the way to find his way back.

After the death of his parents in a plane crash and a lifetime of never pleasing them, Ben Chambers has now also failed at his marriage when a battle over the less than pristine older robot that wanders into their garden is the last straw with his wife. Ben thinks the little guy is something special and Amy just wants him to toss it into the trash since the robot isn't sleek or as practical as the newer housekeeping androids.

Tired of being considered a failure, Ben takes the clues found on 'Tang' and he and his new little companion set off to find were Tang came from so the robot can repaired and restored to his home. Tang is unlike any Artificial Intelligence (AI) tech that Ben has ever seen. It's like someone didn't care about appearance and threw the robot together yet also managed to make Tang sentient. Tang is unique, but it seems that only Ben can appreciate him.

Their journey is not uneventful and is fraught with humorous misunderstandings, frustrating situations, introspection, new encounters, and along the way Ben and Tang form a friendship that leaves Ben ambivalent as they draw closer to the answer to Tang's mysteries. In helping Tang find home, Ben is discovering himself and what he truly wants.

I love 'road trip' style stories and this one is no exception. Ben is an ordinary guy who just wants to do something right for a change. Tang is mysterious and unknown at first and slowly his personality shows forth. There are a handful of encounters on the journey that bring interesting happenings, but also lessons for Ben along the way. I liked that the journey ended where it started and being back in his home environment showed all the changes and growth in Ben.

The author's writing, descriptions, infusion of humor and introspection were done well. Ben is the sole narrator and he was such a great protagonist that I was happy to be along for his adventure. Tang was sheer delight. The author blended a personality with a robotic brain.

The setting could be considered sci-fi or just our world as more hi-tech with the inclusion of androids and robots and more automation as part of the contemporary world. It's understood as normal and not a great deal of scientific explanation is put there to bog down the story (sorry, if that is your thing). The focus was definitely on the characters.

So, in summary, this was an engaging heartwarming journey of the heart as a man came into his own with the help of a quirky, little friend. I would recommend this to contemporary fiction or light sci-fi fans.

My thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Adorable and charming book about friendship. Loved this heartwarming and delightful story to bits!!