Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire: A Novel (Hardcover)

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Amazon.com Review

Amazon Exclusive: Christina Schwarz Reviews Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire

Christina Schwarz is the author of So Long at the Fair, All Is Vanity, and Drowning Ruth, a #1 bestseller in both hardcover and paperback, which was selected for Oprah’s Book Club and optioned by Wes Craven for Miramax. Read her exclusive Amazon guest review of Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire:

Debut novelist Margot Berwin gives her fecund imagination free play in this lush and steamy summer read. Recently divorced and craving a blank slate, 30-something advertising copywriter Lila Nova moves into a new studio apartment “with absolutely no character” on Union Square. Lila, the sort of contemporary heroine given to amusing self-deflating wisecracks, is not, however, destined to inhabit a clean, white box for long. Within a few chapters, packed with romantic betrayal, plant lore and a couple of visits to a surreal Laundromat in the East Village, she’s on her way to “high adventure” in the Yucatan rain forest, where she’ll encounter ancient magic, poisonous creatures, a murderous exotic plant dealer, and, yes, true love. A wildly inventive novel as vivid and colorful as a jungle flower.

(Photo © Deone Jahnke)

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Berwin delivers a bangup debut packed with adventure, betrayal, love and, naturally, rare plants. New York ad woman Lila Nova, increasingly disillusioned with her job and the city, becomes enchanted by David Exley, a handsome guy selling plants at a green market. Soon, she's hooked on him, and her budding fascination with tropical plants leads her to a Laundromat that has a rare fern displayed in the window. Proprietor Armand quickly befriends Lila and gives her a trimming from the fern to take home, telling her if it forms roots, he'll show her the nine special plants he keeps in the back room. When Exley sees the fern trimming, Lila tells him about Armand's special plants, and soon the plants have been stolen and Exley has disappeared. Armand guilts Lila into coming to Mexico with him to find replacement plants, and there's magic, romance, greenery and greed as Lila and Armand venture through the Yucatan, hooking up with potential love-interest Diego and running into the devious Exley. It's a fun page-turner—escapist and wonderfully entertaining. (June)
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Pantheon (June 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307377849
• ISBN-13: 978-0307377845
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #124,854 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Romancing the Stoma..., May 5, 2009

By	Susan Tunis (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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You know that feeling, when you look at a book's cover, read the jacket copy, and think, "Okay, I know what to expect here." That's what I thought entering into Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire. I was expecting some light chick-lit with a fish out of water bent. And to a degree, that's what I got. But I also got a whole lot that I didn't expect.

Divorced Manhattan ad exec Lila Nova is a sympathetic character, but she was... harder than I expected. As the novel opens, she's trying to adapt to a new life alone in a featureless white box of an apartment. On a hunt for a little greenery to spruce the place up, she meets ruggedly handsome greensman, David Exley. It's easy to buy what he's selling, and what he's selling is a bird-of-paradise. It's Lila's first tropical plant, and it brings her a peace and comfort she never would have expected. She finds herself interested in learning more about tropicals and more about the tropical plant salesman--despite his mixed signals.

Walking home one night, Lila spies a gorgeous plant in a laundromat's window. Entering the establishment to see it closer, she enters a whimsical oasis in lower Manhattan. Warm air from the dryers and humidity from the washing machines help support a tropical paradise. There's soft moss on the floor, grass growing on top of the machines, tropical flowers and plants of every kind hanging from the ceiling, and even animals in this urban ecosystem! The proprietor of this odd laundry is an even odder character named Armand. I expected him to be a kindly old mentor type, but Armand defied my expectations at every turn. He was fascinating, strange, disturbing, mystical, and compelling. On their first meeting, Armand gives Lila a cutting from the plant that drew her in and challenges her to grow it. He tells her if she succeeds that he'll show her the "nine plants of desire" he keeps locked in the back room, and warns her to tell no one about them.

Infatuated Lila is indiscreet, and suddenly both Exley and the plants are gone. Lila feels terrible, and Armand uses her guilt as leverage to talk her into a frankly crazy journey to the Yucatan to hunt for replacement plants. Off-balance in Mexico, Lila meets the hot and erotic Diego, and it's non-stop adventure, romance, and mysticism from there. I couldn't help but think of the film Romancing the Stone, but with plants as the treasure instead of jewels.

This is a quick read. I'd be shocked if it took you more than five hours. It's just the right length to stay light and entertaining. I have a very limited tolerance for the type of mystical mumbo jumbo that some of the characters espouse, but the plants were great and the men were hunky. So, I chose to just sit back and enjoy the scenery on this magical mystery tour.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tropical plant therapy?, May 15, 2009

By	Amy Wallace "Buttonsamy" (San Rafael, CA United States) - See all my reviews

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First, let me just state that I do not read "chick lit". This was a first for me, and I read it in one day while I was at work. I managed to sneak it under my desk. Not that there is anything wrong with "chick lit", but it isn't my usual style. I thought the plot sounded interesting: A woman finds an obsession with plants that helps her discover a new-found happiness in life? Ok, I am game!

Obviously, I enjoyed reading this book immensely. If you are looking for a hot romance novel, look elsewhere. The main character had a life that she loved, until her husband tells her that he is leaving. She has no life, nothing to look forward to, no friends, etc. She moves into a boring, white and wood studio for a fresh start. One day, she meets a man selling tropical plants and he pushes her to buy a Bird of Paradise.

At first, the plant means everything to her. She says "Plant first. Then people." She isn't very confident in herself. As time moves along, she finds herself rather plant obsessed in a good way, and its bringing her a new look on life.

I loved how the book was set up: each chapter is the name of a tropical plant, and there is a quote describing it. Within the chapter, the plant it is named for plays an important role. The structure of the novel was simple, as was the writing and style, but it made the book entirely readable.

The main character was totally someone I could relate to, despite not having a similar experience in my own life. I found that while I was reading, my interest in plants and gardening grew, and I was totally engaged throughout. There isn't a gripping plot, with tons of twists and turns, but you watch the main character grow, first roots, then some semblance of a normal, happy and healthy life. It was very rewarding to read.

Even if you're like me, and don't normally read "chick lit" I recommend giving this book a try. It was pretty fulfilling, and I managed to have a wonderful outlook on life after reading it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars WORMS bookclub member, September 25, 2009

By	Joanne D. Riley "Bookworm" (Ventura Ca USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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Boring read. Nonsensical. Would not have picked it myself. Read at the request of one of my bookclub members.