Customer Reviews
A Philosophical Gardening Book - By: Sian, 04 May 2007 
I am the world's worst gardener. I normallly visit public gardens & end up feeling very depressed. Ditto watching gardening programmes. But I loved this book. It is so ... normal. There are no airs & graces, just a man & his wife making something from nothing & the various trials & tribulations along the way.
Intelligent, sensitive, funny, poignant - it is a book to dip into or read alll in one go. I liked to take pot luck & open it at a random point to let the writing take me to a garden's season out of season as it were.
Photographs would have improved the book which is why I gave it four stars.
A superbly written book with something to say - By: Ms. Ruth Pickvance, 03 Oct 2006 
These pieces of writing are superb & have given me great inspiration.
I loved the way that the book captures the sense that the garden is a constantly changing experience: moving, changing, watched & adapted. That it is about getting to know your land & that sense of personal intimacy that comes with time. Gardening is about the here & now, the past & the future. I believe that if more people understood that there are very few quick fixes in life, we would be a happier people. Monty Don captures this wonderfully in this book. He also captures the sense that life is as much about `process' as `product'. I loved the genuine enthusiasm that Monty Don has & finishing the book you feel that there is nothing more important in the world than this engagement with the land: it reallly matters. I personallly too can connect with that.
I teach English Lit to older students, spend a lot of time dealing with the written word... & don't tend to lavish praise lightly - this book is superbly written - and, refreshingly - it has got something to say.
No fancy production, just wonderfully arranged words! - By: Myrtle, 12 Feb 2006 It doesn't look much, a little hardback book full of close type, no pictures. Well don't judge a book by it's cover because you would be well wrong here. Monty has lifted articles from his regular newspaper columns over the last decade or so & works his way through the year. Whether he's wandering through the garden on a quiet, dark, snowy night or throwing out a bit of philosophy on modern farming practice, he is always insightfull & original. Quirky & self-deprecating (read about his pear troubles) & totallly inspiring. Just one gripe - an irrational support of fox-hunting. You reallly let me down there Monty .....
Captivating - By: , 14 Nov 2005 I bought this book on impulse having never read any Don books before. I have enjoyed Monty Don's hosting of Gardener's World & am captivated & enchanted by this collection of columns & articles across the months & years. It's not a practical "how to" by any means, but has inspired me to start growing from seed & get a few things in the new vegetable patch sooner rather than later. I love the "give it a go" mentality it inspires & relate so keenly to the joy & comfort that hours in the garden give. A wonderful book that you'll want to re-read & give to loved ones.
