Customer Reviews

Grandmother's Garden

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Written by May Browley Hill, an art student and passionate gardener, this book is terrific! Using archival photographs and paintings of famous gardens, she creates a beautiful book. For lovers of Monet's Giverny, there are photos plus Monet's paintings of the gardens. Childe Hassam's paintings of Celia Thaxter's garden on Appledore Island joined with actual photos are wonderful. Many other equally charming gardens are featured. After reading and savoring this book, budding artist-gardener types may be inspired to capture their own gardens on paper.

I am stunned to see some bad reviews for this book! I came across it accidentally at the library and intend to buy it soon. It is certainly not a "garden book" in the sense of what to plant where. What it is is an extraordinary history of grandmothers' gardens and accompanying art, culture, and values. I love cottage gardening, history, the Arts and Crafts movement, Gertrude Jekyll, etc. and this book is about many of these things. I've also learned through it of many interesting books and writers and plan to research them. Highly recommended. Well written too.

I was disappointed. It was more a history of gardens than anything else. They described historic gardens in cursory detail. Yes, it's a pretty book but most of the photos are in black & white because these gardens are the real thing (i.e. from the turn of the century), the color photos are of artwork. If you're looking for inspiration or how-to's, bypass this one.

I was really disappointed in this book - it's more of an art history book than a gardening book, and it's a history of some fairly insignificant art at that (with some exceptions). I found the text to just be a list of artwork. It was extremely uninformative. Even the illustrations weren't all that attractive, since so many were in black and white.

I'd borrowed this book from the library and I had to go out and buy it! If you are a painter and love the era of early American Impressionism, you'll love this book because it shows you the paintings and it shows you the actual gardens that inspired them. I see gardens as potential painting subjects - especially the "cottage gardens" or "grandmother's gardens" - that were so inspiring to the artists of the late 1800s. If you don't paint, you probably won't get the point of this book.

Everyone interested in this book should read the introduction. The author's interest was piqued when she discovered that little had ever been written about a type of garden truly indigenous to the United States, what she names, "Grandmother's Garden". The book is a treasure for anyone interested in history, flower gardening, art, and biography. One of the most original, interesting, and beautiful books I know of. It is in a category by itself.

As I verbally reviewed this book from the public library to my daughter she told Santa and I found it under the tree. It has been on my bedside table for 11 years, with a highlighter, ribbon marker and Post-It notes on marked pages. Sometimes I read excerpts and use the references to become acquainted with gardeners from long ago. Sometimes I examine the photos and study the architecture of the homes in grandma's time. Sometimes I study the beautiful art to discover Childe Hassam's connection to Celia Thaxter from Appledore Island, off the Isle of Shoals.
The poem at the beginning of each chapter; another gift to me as well as the quotes from gardeners in different regions that speak in a language that only another gardener could relish. I place these quotes (and be sure to give credit to author) as I send a special note to a friend.
This book will be a resource for many years to come as I request other titles listed in the extensive selected bibliography on pages 220-231. Wow, that is a lots of titles. The index is pages 232-239, and notes are pages 214-219.
My words are inadequate. This rich book could be discussed monthly in a book club , while never exhausting the wealth of topics. Turn the page to 110 to discover Celia Thaxter's An Island Gardern. Thank you Santa.

I would want to know, in the case of used products, details about it's condition.
With books, the condition of the dust jacket and cover, any marks inside, torn pages, condition of binding.
This book was in excellent condition, a good read and wonderful pictures.

Read this book from a local library, and determined that I would like to add it to my collection. Found it available through Amazon as a used book. When I received it, it was in brand new condition, as if I had just purchased it from a book store.
Delivery was shorter than advised.
Overall, fabulous service from the book-seller.

I waited and waited to afford to buy this book. It's on its way back to Amazon. What a disappointment..short superficial chapters and useless pictures. I suspect you'll see this book on remainder tables everywhere ...very soon.