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Vivian Swift

Gardens of Awe and Folly: A Traveler's Journal on the Meaning of Life and Gardening Hardcover – March 1, 2016

by Vivian Swift (Author)

58 ratings

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Nine masterpiece gardens.
Nine stories of grandeur, sorrow, disaster, triumph, discovery, and joy.
From Scotland to Key West, from Brazil to Paris--even right next door--there is always something to learn about being human from a great garden.

Print length

176 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Bloomsbury USA
Publication date

March 1, 2016
Dimensions

8.17 x 0.73 x 9.25 inches
ISBN-10

1632860279
ISBN-13

978-1632860279
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"An engaging guide to gardens in locales ranging from Key West and post-Katrina New Orleans to Paris ('gardening capital of the world') and Marrakech . . . whimsical." ―Kirkus Reviews

"[A] seductive illustrated travelogue . . . there is loveliness and wit through whimsical words and pictures . . . Her splashy watercolors, washing joyfully throughout, include a lesson on how to paint fall leaves." ―Publishers Weekly

"Charming . . . a voyage to nine gardens around the world and [Swift’s] many adventures exploring them." ―Times-Picayune, Inside Out Magazine

"Swift artfully combines history, humor and horticulture to recount journeys to nine magical gardens in different parts of the world . . . This delightful journal touches the heart and moves the spirit." - The Oregonian

“I probably cannot adequately convey how much I absolutely loved reading When Wanderers Cease to Roam . . . It's charming, delightful and captivating . . . A perfect gift for travelers, those with artistic souls, those with a sense of wonder, those who are hug-the-hearths--in short, nearly everyone on your gift list.” ―Nancy Pearl, NPR.org, on WHEN WANDERERS CEASE TO ROAM

"J'adore Vivian Swift--my favorite travel writer, my favorite travel doodler. This book is a little secret pocket of treasure and intimacy. Enjoy every careful and carefree detail!" ―Elizabeth Gilbert on LE ROAD TRIP

“Swift's narrative feels like a vacation . . . A fun, funny, and wonderful experience; highly recommended.” ―Library Journal on LE ROAD TRIP

About the Author

Vivian Swift is the author of When Wanderers Cease to Roam: A Traveler's Journal of Staying Put and Le Road Trip: A Traveler's Journal of Love and France. When not traveling, she lives on Long Island Sound with her husband.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bloomsbury USA (March 1, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1632860279
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1632860279
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.65 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.17 x 0.73 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,148,674 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #326 in Gardening & Horticulture Essays (Books)
- #1,242 in Garden Design (Books)
- #3,522 in Travel Writing Reference

Customer Reviews:
58 ratings

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Vivian Swift

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www.vivianswiftblog.com

Just like all my books, my blog goes very well with a glass of wine. Nothing fancy. . . I'm thinking a Pinot Grigio from Trader Joe's.

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1 star		4%

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Top reviews from the United States

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A Traveling Gardener, Linda

Traveling to Gardens

Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2016

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Visiting gardens wherever I travel is my greatest delight, yet friends ask, “Why? Don’t you see the same plants over and over?” Vivian Swift in her new book Gardens of Awe and Folly, has the best answer to this question. She writes, “If all you ask of a garden is What?, then all you’ll probably get in reply is a planting list. But ask instead, Why? How? When? and most of all, Who? and then you’re in for a nice, long conversation.”

Swift’s book is classified as Garden Essays, but it far exceeds this label. She describes her work as “an illustrated book for grownups,” with watercolor art, stories, thought provoking collages, and life lessons. Swift shares conversations she had with nine significant gardens. Not actual conversations with the gardeners but the stories found within and around the garden gate.

She is in awe of the complexity of the native plant societies and the powerful color of Majorelle Bleu. The spirit of gardeners is illustrated through Karen rebuilding her garden after hurricane Katrina. Karen purchased a French vintage garden gate, a “Katrinket, a ridiculously expensive, indulgent, and therapeutic thing” to help lift her out of misery. Swift appreciates the folly of gardeners taking on the burden of rearranging nature to create their vision of beauty and provides examples from garden history to make us all feel better.

After you have immersed yourself in this reading adventure, examining every little detail of this beautiful book, you will want to keep it close by. Then in an instant you can open it again to celebrate a sunset in Key West, have tea in Morocco, feel the chill of a winter rain in Scotland, walk in the light of brief autumn hours on Long Island, and sip champagne among a dozen roses in New Orleans. Thanks to Swift, you’ll be prepared for your own conversations with gardens no matter where you travel.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

DS Farrell

A BEAUTIFUL DIATRIBE?

Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2016

Verified Purchase

This isn't the review I wanted to write. I loved Swift's first two books, and I've followed her blog for years. I pre-ordered this book, and I squealed with delight when I got the e-mail from Amazon telling me the book had shipped. I expected to love this book.

And, in fact, with the first pass through it, looking at the paintings, I did love it. The paintings are exquisite. 5+ stars. I also liked the fact that the book included several hidden gem gardens. But all that came to a screeching halt with pages 40-41, where the author tars native plant enthusiasts with broad strokes. It's important to understand I'm not quibbling with the inclusion of the story about the Australian pines. That story lends itself to a serious consideration of the native vs non-native debate. However, I am dismayed by the bias of the quotes refuting the legitimacy of any focus on native plants.

The issue of native vs non-native is MUCH more complex than just the one story included here. Having been in the native plant milieu for over 20 years, I know that the enthusiasts run the gamut from zealots (exclusion of all non-natives and only wild genotypes from within a 50 mile radius are acceptable) to those who are fine with cultivars of natives and any native that will grow in a given spot. Most native plant people distinguish between problematic (invasive) non-natives and non-problematic ones. Most are like me in planting annuals and including non-problematic non-natives in their gardens.

More troubling is the failure to include mention of the plethora of research that has found a reduction in diversity when non-native plants dominate. Since one of the articles cited on page 40 is a New York Times article which quotes a study from UC Davis, I contacted a friend who has a PhD in zoology from UC Davis and who owns a native plant nursery in upstate New York. He quickly responded that the issue was so HUGE it would take him a while to craft a response, but in the meantime he pointed to a more recent (3/11/15) Times article by Doug Tallamy. The how & why of the difference in diversity is discussed in this article, pointing to how birds are adversely affected by this lack of diversity, a finding that seems to be well supported by research. Some non-native plants do outcompete native ones. States determine which plants are invasive, based on observation of their impact on 'natural' areas. The failure to include this type of information seems irresponsible to me. (7/2/16 UPDATE: [...])

The failure to acknowledge the complexity of the native plant issue also led to missed opportunities in the book. For example, the chapter pointing out the similarities between Eastern U.S. was interesting, but it failed to connect this fact to the fact that many of the non-native plants that are considered invasive are from Japan.

It pains me that these oversights/exclusions lower value of this beautiful book.

16 people found this helpful

Helpful

Jeanie

Five Stars, Five Reasons to Love "Gardens of Awe and Folly"

Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2016

Verified Purchase

My personal gardening skills leave much to be desired and my painting skills are far from ready for prime time. So why would I leap into "Gardens of Awe and Folly" with difficult-to-contain enthusiasm? Simply because it is by the remarkable Vivian Swift, whose paintings and text (which is both fun and informative) highlight nine gardens from her own Long Island to such exotic or sophisticated locales as Rio, Marakkech, Paris and London, among others.

With delightful humor, a generous sprinkling of quotes, information about plants I never considered, an eye for architecture and enchanting paintings, the book is a journey into the worlds of poets, devoted amateur gardeners, gardening tips and the pecking order of the 17th century health care system! Added into the mix is a two page spread where the author demonstrates her painting technique for picture-perfect autumn leaves.

Five reasons to love this book? The paintings, the humor, the gardening tips, intriguing back stories and finally, beautiful production values and the sheer beauty of the finished product.

If I must find fault with Gardens of Awe and Folly it is quite simply because Vivian Swift stops at nine gardens, while I would have loved her to go on and on. Take this book, as I hope you would take the other two books by Vivian Swift ("When Wanderers Cease to Roam" and "Le Road Trip") and savor every second. Perhaps you'll be like me and start reading all over again -- after you order a copy or two for your favorite garden-loving friends!

10 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

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Dee

Great to dip in and out of

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 9, 2020

Verified Purchase

Great coffee table book for any keen gardener or anyone who loves to travel

Sreekala

Loved it!!!

Reviewed in India on August 31, 2016

Verified Purchase

Excellent book. The art and the choice of gardens are very good. All the gardens mentioned are completely different in style. Reminded me of Sri Vaikom Muhammed Bashir who was an avid gardener. He said once that he always made a garden wherever he lived as an unconscious tribute to the lost Garden of Eden. I was pleasantly surprised to find a faint echo of this sentiment in the last pages of this book too. A keeper, this one! The author's blog too is delightful - [...]

MC

I now have Vivian's Trilogy~

Reviewed in Canada on April 2, 2016

Verified Purchase

I have all 3 of Vivian Swift's books.Treasures every single one of them.The charming artwork makes these books keepers that you can look at over and over again..~Like my favorite childhood books that were so special to me ..

cmariebenoit

Très beau livre

Reviewed in Canada on April 6, 2016

Verified Purchase

Un très, très beau livre. Aussi intéressant que les deux précédents. J'ai déjà hâte au prochain.

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