Abbi Waxman continues her hot streak with âThe Garden of Small Beginningsâ, a sweet and funny tale of starting over and the persistence of small growing things.
Lilian Girvan is still trying to deal with the sudden death of her husband, three years previously, while bringing up her two daughters and sidestepping a toxic relationship with her self-centered, alcoholic mother. A job assignment that involves illustrating a gardening textbook leads her to take a back-yard-gardening class, which sets up the rest of the plot.
The romance thread pops its head up rather quickly (sorry; it's going to be hard to write this review without tossing in gardening puns), but it's a grown-up romance between grown-up people, and it ripens nicely (there we go again) as the book progresses through the side-salad plot lines of family relationships, new friendships, and uncertainty on the job front.
As always, Waxman's quirky observations of her own life and the idiosyncrasies of the people around her make for delightful reading. (Example â while cleaning out her desk at work, Lilian makes the following observation: âIf I find myself with a piece of paper in my hand, and I'm unsure where to put it, I lay it down on the nearest surface and hope it folds itself into a paper plane and flies wherever it's supposed to go.â) The characters â particularly the children â are believable and consistent, the situations, while not your normal garden-variety, aren't totally out in left field, and the internal descriptions of a woman struggling to break free of years of guilt and grief are touching and heartfelt.
Put this one on your summer reading list. And if you have a shady spot with a hammock in it near your garden, so much the better.
Lilian Girvan is still trying to deal with the sudden death of her husband, three years previously, while bringing up her two daughters and sidestepping a toxic relationship with her self-centered, alcoholic mother. A job assignment that involves illustrating a gardening textbook leads her to take a back-yard-gardening class, which sets up the rest of the plot.
The romance thread pops its head up rather quickly (sorry; it's going to be hard to write this review without tossing in gardening puns), but it's a grown-up romance between grown-up people, and it ripens nicely (there we go again) as the book progresses through the side-salad plot lines of family relationships, new friendships, and uncertainty on the job front.
As always, Waxman's quirky observations of her own life and the idiosyncrasies of the people around her make for delightful reading. (Example â while cleaning out her desk at work, Lilian makes the following observation: âIf I find myself with a piece of paper in my hand, and I'm unsure where to put it, I lay it down on the nearest surface and hope it folds itself into a paper plane and flies wherever it's supposed to go.â) The characters â particularly the children â are believable and consistent, the situations, while not your normal garden-variety, aren't totally out in left field, and the internal descriptions of a woman struggling to break free of years of guilt and grief are touching and heartfelt.
Put this one on your summer reading list. And if you have a shady spot with a hammock in it near your garden, so much the better.
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