A Gardener's Tale [Kindle Edition]

Alon Shalev (Author)

Book Description

The garden has seen it all – the cruel events of a thousand years of the struggle between the Pagan religions and Christianity in rural England. A Gardener's Tale follows two years in the lives of a village and the stranger who comes into their community. As the villagers fear for the breakdown of their community, they discover an ancient path that brings them together. A Gardener's Tale includes English history, a family now tragically dispersed, a village community falling apart. Birth, love, death and rebirth remain its never-ending cycle, which includes the magic of nature, the purity of love and the power of true friendship in the hands of a gardener, who harnesses them all.


Praise for the 1st edition

"A beautiful and elegiac evocation of a timeless Britain and of a man of the ancient ways of the earth who brings peace and healing where the flames of persecution once burned." — Vivianne Crowley, High Priestess of Britain

"If you are intrigued with history and mythology, and are touched by true friendship, you can't help but be literally charmed by this book." — Sandra Sanchez, Denver, Colorado

"I am a fellow gardener and I found 'A Gardener's Tale' not only a fascinating story where each character is vibrantly alive, but a source of tremendous knowledge of the use of herbs, gardening and some historical facts of witch hunts in old England." — Evelyn Toch, Jerusalem, Israel

"In the great tradition of old-time English legends, this book drew me in slowly, delicately and surely…I recommend the book to people who enjoy…a hollistic, earth-based approach to life…" — Eliza, New Jersey, USA

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alon Shalev (Fellerman) was born in London in 1964. After receiving an honour's degree at the Roehampton Institute, he helped establish Kibbutz Lotan, served in the Israeli Defence Forces and traveled throughout the Far East and the United States.

A Gardener's Tale, his first novel, serves as a reflection of what he saw and experienced, alongside a reappraisal of his roots.

Today, Alon remains an active member of Kibbutz Lotan, along with his wife, Ariela, and their young son, Pele. He is a Holistic Health Practitioner and Tai Chi Chaun teacher, working in the clinics of Neve Briut (Oasis of Health) and currently finishing his second novel.

Product Details

• File Size: 520 KB
• Print Length: 428 pages
• Publisher: Three Clover Press; 2 edition (November 5, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0064TKJAW
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #714,965 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gardener's Tale is a wonderful place to visit. July 31, 2001

By Sandra Sanchez

Format:Paperback

If you love gardening (or simply being in them), are interested in natural healing and the uses of herbs, if you are intrigued with history and mythology,and are touched by true friendship, you can't help but be literally charmed by this book. The tale itself is exotic, the garden lush and intricate and so it is fitting that the prose is simple and straightforward and sets the pace exactly as the main character would have it: calm, sensitive, quiet. A Gardener's Tale is told with all the awe and respect that storytellers have employed from the very beginnings of human society (for this was, and is, how precious knowledge and essential understanding are passed on from one generation to the next, from one century to the next). I was careful to pace my reading so I could live that much longer in the beautiful garden. I recommend it highly and rate it a 6 out of 5! I'm also hoping to enjoy more work by this author.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars HI THERE TO ALON SHALEV AND ALL OF YOU. March 15, 2002

By Sarah Mathais

Format:Paperback

This is just a short letter,to say again,how much I enjoyed your book " A GARDENER'S TALE ".

I would very highly recommend it to many people to read it too, that way they can also be enriched, charmed, calmed and be pulled into the story in the special open,tender and pure way that it is written.

It's a great way to become calm, quiet and bewitched from the words and lines and the way that one feels the way you wrote,and in the heartwarming and sensual story that you tell.

Can I call it: Magical/Bewitching? Yes.
Spiritual & Sensual? Yes.
Thought-provoking, sharing and Enriching? Yes.
Enlighting? Yes, all those and more.

I can call it all this and more. It's also a very specially written book by, I think, someone who knows how to feel and sense things,thoughts and ideas, sometimes maybe silently just by looking/seeing, pure and tenderly.

I once again, highly applaud your writing this book and I look forward eagerly to your next book soon.

Yours Sincerely,
Sarah Mathias -Eilat.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A source of tremendous knowledge and a great read! April 9, 2002

By Evelyn Toch

Format:Paperback

Alon,
I want to tell you that I read your book with immense interest and enjoyment. I am a fellow gardener and I found "A Gardener's Tale" not only a fascinating story where each character is vibrantly alive, but a source of tremendous knowledge of the use of herbs, gardening and some historical facts of witch hunts in old England (and undoubtedly other areas as well).

I sincerely hope your book reaches a wide sector of readers who will enjoy the story and learn from it!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gardener's Novel! August 27, 2001

By "[e-mail]"

Format:Paperback

I love gardening and so it was easy to get caught up in this novel. All the characters come across strongly, not least of which is the garden itself. I reccommend this book to all gardeners' during the winter months - just the tonic!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A book who's time will come! August 24, 2001

By "lightstar3"

Format:Paperback

An excellent and creative explanation of the Pagan path. Alon gives a historical and modern perspective wrapped up in a story that you want to curl up by the fireplace and read. Thru his character's storytelling, we can learn a lot about the Pagan lifecycle and Mother Nature herself. A book who's time will come!

5.0 out of 5 stars I Was So Charmed March 14, 2012

By Lee Jordan

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

What a lovely tale. The Lord of The Manor has neglected his garden so he decides it is time to hire a gardener and put it in order. He interviews many gardeners. But the one he chooses, he chooses for no other reason than it felt right. However, the gardener turns into a mystery to the Lord and the village. Odd things happen.

The garden includes a lake, a forest and acres of ground. Wonderful English countryside of Dorset. It is a contemporary time, but I felt transported back to Avalon. And I felt like I was part of the garden. Recommend

5.0 out of 5 stars A good read! February 5, 2001

By "phytotherapist"

Format:Paperback

As a herbalist who is drawn towards earth spirituality and stewardship, I felt that there was a lot for me to take from the novel. It is also a good story!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A pleasure of a story! February 4, 2001

By eliza

Format:Paperback

In the great tradition of old-time English legends, this book drew me in slowly, delicately and surely. The pace is calm and gentle. I grew really connected to the characters; was interested in them and their well-being; missed them when I finished the book. The story is well woven. The descriptions of the gardens are beautiful - like a guided tour. I recommend the book to people who enjoy reading about gardening, a hollistic, earth-based approach to life, and a good story.

More About the Author

Alon Shalev lives and writes in two worlds. He is the author of three social justice-themed novels and a series of Young Adult Epic Fantasy. He swears there is a connection.

In 2009, while on a family camping trip in Northern California, Shalev began writing an epic fantasy novel to read to his sons around the campfire. Over the next three years, both sons and the ancient redwood forests bore witness to the summoning of the Wycaan Masters.

His first epic fantasy novel, At The Walls Of Galbrieth, won the 2013 Eric Hoffer Book Award - YA Category and was a Grand Prize Finalist. The sequel, The First Decree, was released in March 2013, and the third book in the series, Ashbar, is expected in October. All books are published by Tourmaline Books.

More details of these novels can be found at the author's website (www.alonshalev.com) and he blogs weekly at www.elfwriter.com.

Shalev's activism is rooted in his teenage years campaigning with the Anti-Apartheid movement, for the release of Jews from the Soviet Union, and helping the burgeoning green movement. This led him to explore using fiction as a platform for social justice

Shalev continues to write in both genres. In 2012 Unwanted Heroes (pub. Three Clover Press) was released. Unwanted Heroes brings together an old, battle-scarred Chinese American war vet and an idealistic and pretentious young Englishmen, who share a love for San Francisco, coffee and wine. They soon discover they share even more when repressed memories bring them together as they find in each other unlikely allies to set themselves free from the tragic past that binds them both.

Other novels include:
A Gardener's Tale: a story of healing of family, land and community, along with a look at the Pagan religion and its time-honored impact upon rural communities.

The Accidental Activist: a fictional account of the astonishing 'McLibel' trial that captivated Britain in the 1990's, a David .v. Goliath court case that highlights the treachery and ruthlessness of the multinational corporations and how the advent of the Internet can curb them, when a few individuals refuse to back down. It is a defense of Freedom of Speech and the acknowledgment of the Internet as a tool for social change.