Rose's Garden [Paperback]

Carrie Brown (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Bantam Books (1998)
• ASIN: B000WL7CXU
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Carrie Brown lifts the ordinary into the realm of magic, August 1, 2000

By 

Liane Gentry Skye, (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Rose's Garden (Paperback)

"Rose's Garden" marks a stunning debut for author Carrie Brown.

When Conrad's wife of many years passes away, he falls into despair. A few years later, the garden Rose kept so carefullyon Paradise Hill shows neglect, also. But one spring, the garden blooms with a remarkable abundance, paving the way for the appearance of an Angel in Rose's Garden.

Conrad strives to share his visitation with the town's folk who knew and loved Rose. In doing so, he discovers a world he never knew in the townsfolk who knew and loved Rose.

Ms. Brown's unusual tale artfully weaves the magical into the ordinary. The end result is a rare, one of a kind, expression of the power of love.

Don't miss this haunting story.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Slow pace quite right for thoughtful debut novel, February 6, 2001

By 

Laura G. Carter "Castlebreaker" (Reidsville, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rose's Garden: A Novel (Hardcover)

At last, I've finished all of Carrie Brown's novels. I started backwards when I had to review "The Hatbox Baby". Then, I moved backward on my own through "Lamb In Love" and now "Rose's Garden".

I confess I didn't harken to "Rose's Garden" at first. It seemed slower than the other two novels - slower in a way that was more appealing in Ms. Brown's last two offerings. But having read her other works, I felt I could trust her to lead me where I was supposed to be going, and she did.

The story of Conrad's widowhood - how he copes with the loneliness, the pain and his fears of moving on through life without his beloved Rose - is pretty devastating to read. Such are Ms. Brown's writing abilities that I think even if you have not lost a spouse, you can feel the weight of her character's absolute grief without any trouble. At these times, when one instinctively wants to pull back, to grasp that which is lost to the physical world, the best cure often lies in reaching outward, towards the future. Conrad's increasing awareness of the strength and depth of Rose's love, coupled with the renewing power that comes when he takes his own love and flings it into the air like one of his beloved homing pigeons, is remarkable. Like his birds, who return to settle on his outstretched arms, Conrad finds his love winging back towards him in ways he neither expects nor anticipates but which come as no surprise to the reader of "Rose's Garden".

If you remain patient through the first 100 pages, you'll be richly rewarded. As with "Lamb In Love" and "The Hatbox Baby", Ms. Brown's ethereal writing style and her very human characters will haunt you long after you're done reading.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Carrie Brown, August 5, 1999

By 

S. Davidson "Shay Davidson" (Carmel, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rose's Garden (Paperback)

Once in a great while a writer with the talent and eloquence of a Carrie Brown graces us with her work. As a reader, I knew on page one I was in for a special treat. As a writer, I am in awe of the manner in which Brown crafts each phrase, describes each scene, wrenches your heart as you feel the emotions of each character. "Rose's garden" is the story of a older man struggling to deal with the loss of his life partner. It is the simple, beautiful story of a life-long love--and how one chooses to go on once that love is torn away. Brown deals with a most difficult subject while pulling us into the lives of these two people and the other colorful characters in the small town where they live. If you like novels with contrived plots and hip 90's slang, "Rose's Garden" isn't for you. If, however, you long for novels written with love and care, crafted to make you think and feel, then give Carrie Brown a try. You won't be disappointed.