The Gentleman's Garden [Paperback]

Catherine Jinks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2005

Set in colonial Australia, this romantic novel explores love, hardship, and the strength of the human spirit. Dorothea Brande leaves the quiet harmony of her English home to accompany her soldier husband to rough-and-tumble Sydney in 1814. To soften the harshness of their life there, she begins cultivating an English garden with the help of her convict manservant, Daniel. Together, in the creation of this garden, Dorothea and Daniel find a new strength and a special kind of refuge, both in the garden and with each other. Dorothea begins to adapt to her unforgiving new environment, but her husband is steadily destroyed by it. Written in the spirit of the works of Jane Austen and George Eliot, the novel is set against a vivid backdrop of the political events of the time while the public and personal gossip of the day weave in and out of the storyline.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Catherine Jinks is the author of the young adult books Eglantine, Eloise, and Eustace and the adult novels Der Inquisitor, Pagan's Crusade, Pagan in Exile, and Pagan's Vows.

Product Details

• Paperback: 444 pages
• Publisher: Allen & Unwin (April 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1741141435
• ISBN-13: 978-1741141436
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,303,694 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

CATHERINE JINKS was born in Brisbane, Australia in 1963. She grew up in Papua New Guinea and later spent four years studying medieval history at the University of Sydney. After working for several years in a bank, she married a Canadian journalist and lived for a short time in Nova Scotia, Canada. She is now a full-time writer, residing in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales with her husband Peter and their daughter Hannah.Catherine is a three-time winner of the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year award, and has also won a Victorian Premier's Literature Award, the Ena Noel Award for Children's Literature, and an Aurealis Award for Science Fiction. In 2001 she was presented with a Centenary Medal for her contribution to Australian Children's Literature.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars story that stays with you, March 11, 2011

By 

M. Fisher (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Gentleman's Garden (Paperback)

I loved Catherine Jinks' "Pagan" books. As for her other YA books, not so much. This story felt very real to me, unlike an escapist romance which I also do enjoy if it's not poorly written. But the stories that stick with you are the ones that are grounded in reality, i.e., not everything works out perfectly, not every difficulty is ironed out, not every problem is overcome. C. Jinks' historical tales are actually historical, and you feel immersed in a very imperfect, real past. The protagonist of this book is a typical innocent lady of the time period. She has never been informed of, or imagined, some of the ugliness of the world she will have to face. Even though it was painful to imagine at times, I enjoyed the story very much. I would warn you that it's not a "feel-good" tale. However, if it were too miserable I would never have finished it, nor would I recommend it. I do not like depressing stories. The story's end is happy in a realistic way. I could only wish that the writer had fleshed out Daniel, the prisoner, more thoroughly, and that she had written even more of the lady's thought processes. Excellent book.