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A review by sindri_inn_arsaeli
Emily Dickinson's Gardening Life: The Plants and Places That Inspired the Iconic Poet by Marta McDowell
5.0
So I've reviewed plenty of books on this site and I sometimes review them like a quaint little lady of the previous century. Have I described previous books as "utterly charming"? If I did, I have never meant it in full until right now.
As a strictly literary rating, I would be more likely to give this a 4/5 stars- there is a regular lack of contextual detail and an occasional slip in the editing (I caught a few rare instances where a dropped article wasn't caught in the proof reading), but my sentimental rating is as high as I can give.
Emily Dickinson is one of my absolute favorite poets. I am much more of a wistful gardener than an industrious one myself, but I also love garden literature. This book was a loving combination of the two, sprinkled generously with Dickinson's poetry. The selections were well matched to the accompanying text by McDowell, and the illustrations throughout were beautiful. I enjoyed the insert pages that gave more detailed descriptions of certain types of plants discussed in the book. The organization of the garden year, loosely ordering discussion of events in Dickinson's life from birth to death, was a handy guideline for a book that didn't read as a linear biography.
And now I can't wait to find McDowell's similar title on Beatrix Potter!
As a strictly literary rating, I would be more likely to give this a 4/5 stars- there is a regular lack of contextual detail and an occasional slip in the editing (I caught a few rare instances where a dropped article wasn't caught in the proof reading), but my sentimental rating is as high as I can give.
Emily Dickinson is one of my absolute favorite poets. I am much more of a wistful gardener than an industrious one myself, but I also love garden literature. This book was a loving combination of the two, sprinkled generously with Dickinson's poetry. The selections were well matched to the accompanying text by McDowell, and the illustrations throughout were beautiful. I enjoyed the insert pages that gave more detailed descriptions of certain types of plants discussed in the book. The organization of the garden year, loosely ordering discussion of events in Dickinson's life from birth to death, was a handy guideline for a book that didn't read as a linear biography.
And now I can't wait to find McDowell's similar title on Beatrix Potter!