Customer Reviews

Garden & Gun

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I am a strictly Southern Accents, Traditional Home, Southern Living type of girl, so I surprised myself by picking up Garden and Gun while I was having my hair done. Even more to my surprise, I loved it, so much so that I ordered a subscription. Garden and Gun is a portrait of Southern life at its finest...no stereotypes here, thank goodness. It has all the decorating, gardening, and cooking features that I look for in my favorite magazines, as well as articles I would never normally read but find fascinating. Who knew that this anti-hunting gal would enjoy an article on Davis Love's hunting cabin? Or would read with enthusiasm an article on famous race horses of the 1800's? I love this magazine so much that I have already given several subscriptions as gifts.

I just received my first issue of Garden and Gun, and while at first, I thought the name was a joke...the content is no laughing matter. It is a lovely magazine with several articles about Ernest Hemingway and the preservation of his home in Cuba and his boat. How can I not love a magazine that has one whole page with a beautiful photograph of a sailboat and a quote by Jimmy Buffett?

I'm impressed and when this year's subscription runs out, I will renew. Again and again.

It just goes to prove, don't judge a magazine by it's title.

This is a great magazine if you're interested in Southern culture. All of the articles are well written and cover a broad array of topics from hunting to cuisine to travel. Physically, the magazine is impressive as well. High quality paper, large pages and impressive photography are all positive characteristics of the magazine.

The only reason I didn't rate it 5 stars is because it only includes 6 issues in a 12 month period.

This is a top of the line literary magazine with attractions for both men and women. The writing is top notch professional. There are articles on shotguns, knives, gardening, homes and cooking, all slanted toward those who live or have lived in the southern United States. You WILL not understand nor like this magazine if you are north of Virginia or west of Texas. You will NOT like this magazine if you are on a deer stand the first day of deer season and love it. You will NOT like this magazine if you are an anti-gun liberal, although it is a non-political publication. You WILL like this magazine if you like good literature and want information about good places to visit and eat. There are errors in writing however that lead me to believe that the proof readers and/or editors live in New York City. (Clinton, Mississippi, home of Barry Hannah, is not north of Jackson, but west. An apparent mix-up with Canton, Mississippi, which is north). Part of the fun is looking for the errors, which are not numerous, but do exist. This magazine takes the place of the now yankee-ized Southern Living, and improves on it greatly.

Garden and Gun is a magazine about Southern living, with a combination of articles that appeal to both women and men. This magazine covers a range of topics that can include everything from gardening to history to hunting and beyond.

Garden and Gun is a magazine with an unusual title and this is the first aspect of the magazine that will catch your attention. What kind of a title is Garden and Gun? It sounds like some sort of twisted joke, but there is a reason for the unusual choice of title. It is intended to demonstrate the wide range of topics contained within and the balance between articles that appeal to men vs. articles that appeal to women, in contrast to most other southern reads which are often designed to appeal only to women. For the most part, this magazine succeeds with its balance, although there tend to be more articles related to gardens than to guns.

Garden and Gun has a large number of departments and they include everything from cooking, to sports, to music, to fashion, and beyond. And, of course, they all relate to the American South. One department might focus on Southern eating while another will focus on Southern architecture. Each article concentrates on the southern way of doing things and how this part of the United States has its own particular means to achieve an end. The writing is good and often features comments and interviews from ordinary people who love their southern heritage and want to share it with the reader.

Photography is important to any magazine and the photos in Garden and Gun add significantly to the magazine's appeal. The photos include a fair share of scenic places, but the appeal goes beyond that. The photos depicting ordinary things are just as interesting. The food, for example, is often photographed in a way that brings out the fine details of the featured dish and many will be impressed by how realistic it looks. You will also find interesting photographs taken in unheard of places. It could be a simple photo of a schoolhouse or a photo of an empty church. These are the types of photographs you don't expect to see in a magazine and, like a work of art, they get your imagination going.

Garden and Gun tends to jump around with its articles, and this fact may not sit well with some readers. I find it okay, but one fact I wish was different is the magazine's tendency to play it safe and stick with topics that are non- controversial in nature. We all know that southern politics are known for their conservative bend and southerners often accept socially conservative beliefs as gospel truth. These topics of controversy would make for some great articles, but Garden and Gun tends to avoid this type of material and stick with whatever is safe. Even the articles about guns and hunting are presented in a non- confrontational way.

Southerners have their own way of doing things and Garden and Gun does a good job capturing the soul of the American South. I like the photography most of all and there are some good departments in each issue. The publication has a few shortcomings, but it is good enough for the occasional read.

I first saw G&G at my eye doctor's office. He's originally from Louisiana. When I saw the name I knew my husband would like it. We both grew up in New England and have never lived in the south or spent any time there but we both really enjoy this magazine. Beautiful photographs and excellent writing on a wide variety of subjects: food, music, art, books, dogs, nature conservation, architecture and design and of course gardens and guns. My husband grew up hunting and fishing but since we moved to Santa Fe he has had little opportunity. The articles in this magazine let him 'hunt' vicariously at the perfect quail shoot, dream about owning a $100k shotgun, or plan a dream vacation of eating crab at all the best places. This magazine shows the best country and cosmopolitan sides of the New South and makes us yearn for the gracious life style it depicts.

I look forward to receiving this magazine so much, and I read it cover to cover every time. The hunting pieces I'm not so into, but they are a part of the culture in the South. This is a classy, beautiful magazine that hits off-the-beaten-path places and people. It's really a delight.

I LOVE this publication. It is one of very few entertaining magazines which both the hubby and I can enjoy!
Warning, it is only published every 2 months. I purchased the subscription in December and 4 months later, the April/May issue was the first to arrive.

This caught my attention because of its wild title but the articles are why I got the subscribtion. The quaility of the writing is fantastic. Each article is compelling and I can't put the magazine down. Even if I'm not interested in the topic of an article I read it because by the end, the author will have me interested. I can't say enough good things about the magazine. The magazine comes every other month, I think that helps with the quaility of the articles. This is a must get, plus they have a good website!

This is a great quality magazine, I do wish it was 12 issues rather than 6. This mag encapsulates the south the way the other mag used to and more. I haven't become a lifetime subscriber yet, but may if it becomes 12 issues a year. My new Favorite Southern Magazine.