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

4.8 out of 5 stars 61

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.


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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 ‏ : ‎ 1.62 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.17 x 0.73 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 out of 5 stars 61

About the author

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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.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
61 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2016
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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Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2016
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
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Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2016
Pop the champagne or brew a pot of tea, then settle in. This book is one to be savored s-l-o-w-ly, because it's full of beautiful paintings that you'll want to look at closely, and interesting botanical and historical details, knit together with Vivian Swift's intelligent, witty, personal point of view. I wish I had a travel companion like her to visit these gardens around the world (Morocco, Scotland, Brazil, New Orleans!) but this book is almost as much fun. (I mean, how cool is it that the author not only wrote the text, hand lettered it, *and* painted each of the 100s of paintings?) It would be a wonderful gift for anyone who appreciates gardens, watercolors, or simply a well-designed book with great visual flow. It's a book you can pick up to read again and again.
13 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2016
OK, so I could just squeal and drool and go on and on about how much I love Vivian Swift's books, but I'll try to be specific. I can't decide what I like most about this book - the detailed watercolor illustrations, the writing, the hand-set type (swoon) - because I love it all. Her illustrations make the gardens come alive and the writing makes me want to see every garden in person. Perhaps the best is Ms Swift's attention to detail in every part of the book (and her others, too)- the precise watercolors, the clear, thoughtful, and funny prose, and the typography - no detail too small to be addressed with perfection.
This is a book to savor in bits, taking in all the art and descriptions while trying to make the book last as long as possible.
5 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2016
This is my first Vivian Swift book and I am enthralled by it. I began reading about Paris because I am most familiar with that location, however I quickly let go my own memories and allowed myself to be led by Swift’s words and paintings. Touring her 9 gardens is a delight . The prose is clever and full of interest, even for a non-gardener. The illustrations are marvelous, miniature paintings with exquisite detail. This is a travel book like none other and I look forward to following Ms.Swift on future journeys.
4 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2018
Yes, fabulous book & condition! I appreciate being able to buy “Like new” Books for such value. This is a beautiful collectors book, and the cover is half the
Books for such value. This is a beautiful collectors book, and the cover is A good portion of what makes it so. I ordered the other book of hers through another vendor, and the cover was missing. I didn’t realize how important it was. Thank you for the impeccability!

Top reviews from other countries

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Dee
5.0 out of 5 stars Great to dip in and out of
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 9, 2020
Great coffee table book for any keen gardener or anyone who loves to travel
MC
5.0 out of 5 stars I now have Vivian's Trilogy~
Reviewed in Canada on April 2, 2016
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 ..
Sreekala
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!!!
Reviewed in India on August 31, 2016
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 - [...]
cmariebenoit
5.0 out of 5 stars Très beau livre
Reviewed in Canada on April 6, 2016
Un très, très beau livre. Aussi intéressant que les deux précédents. J'ai déjà hâte au prochain.