Rose's Garden: A Novel [Hardcover]

Carrie Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 4, 1998

Conrad and Rose met as children, fell in love as teenagers, and married young. Conrad earned a living as a gilder, raised homing pigeons, and worshipped Rose. Rose gardened. They lived together for more than fifty years, and then Rose died. At seventy-five, Conrad found himself alone, staring at the walls of his house and neglecting Rose's garden. Then an angel came to the garden, the last person he ever thought to see wearing wings. Startled, he felt compelled to spread the news throughout his town, and to his surprise, people he'd known all his life began to reveal their deepest selves to him. ROSE'S GARDEN tells an unforgettable story of a woman whose garden extended far beyond the boundaries of property and time, and the man who came into full blossom in its bower. "A sweet, gentle first novel."--Publishers Weekly; "This is a finely crafted, deeply touching love story."--Booklist; "A wise, surprisingly deft, fablelike first novel celebrating the rejuvenating effects of love. . . . A warm, remarkably surefooted debut."--Kirkus Reviews; "Beautiful, bittersweet, and always moving, it is highly recommended. ROSE'S GARDEN is a joy to visit."--Library Journal.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When Conrad Morrissey's wife, Rose, dies after 50 years of marriage, it takes an angelic visit to save him from his grief. That is the familiar premise of Brown's sweet, gentle first novel, set in the small town of Laurel, N.H. Once the ghost of his dead father-in-law prompts Conrad to concern himself with the living instead of the dead, he discovers that Rose's mysterious friend Hero, a slightly retarded girl with whom she shared a love of gardening, has also been receiving instruction from the dead. "And what had it been to Hero? He could not guess, except to believe that her world had always been filled with voices, the spokesmen of recrimination and doubt." As rain threatens to obliterate Laurel's ancient dam, and the town itself, Conrad finds new meaning in the memory of his wife and in devotion to the White Mountains community where they both spent the best years of their lives. A town full of sympathetic characters, including the widowed neighbor who can only sleep when every light in the house is on, and the beleaguered editor of the local paper, round out this sensitive debut.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This quiet first novel, set in a tiny New Hampshire village in the White Mountains, concerns a small town's varied reactions to the grief of a newly widowed man. Conrad Morrisey lives for his wife, Rose, and his homing pigeons. When Rose dies after a prolonged illness, Conrad retreats into a shell of memory and reflection. Through these myriad reflections, the reader comes to know and like Rose and to understand why her husband loved her so dearly. During one of the novel's many significant thunderstorms, Conrad spies an angel in Rose's vegetable garden and is immediately shaken loose from his emotional inertia. He feels compelled to share the experience with anyone who will listen, and this changes his relationship with the world forever in ways he never imagined. Firmly grounded by a strong sense of place, three-dimensional characters, and poetic writing, Rose's Garden is a joy to visit. Beautiful, bittersweet, and always moving, it is highly recommended.?Bettie Alston Shea, Charlotte-Mecklenburg P.L., Charlotte, N.C.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Algonquin Books; 1st edition (January 4, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565121740
• ISBN-13: 978-1565121744
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,997,479 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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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)   

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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.