Comments on: Two Essays:Garden Bloggers Book Club

By: Paul

Paul — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 16:47:56 +0000

Got the book for xmas and from what I have read so far it is a great book.

By: Jenn

Jenn — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 22:49:30 +0000

Ah, Kathy. I think you’ve hit it. That would ‘place’ it, it would. The compost pile is as essential as any other part of my garden.

You see my surprise at this books early appearance – a bit of high bar for a second selection in a book club, but I see all kinds of folks offering reviews and their own favorite plants up in essay. We gardeners are a resiliant lot.

I was careful in my write-up on that story because I posted when the book was fresh for me, and was so early in response that I didn’t want folks to not read it because I didn’t like one story. And I was deliberately vague because I wanted them to read the piece and tell me if I was really being oversensitive (happens) or if the story really was a bit… well, as you say, composted!

I’ve got the next book coming from the shared library network, and I have a good Rodale book I can read instead/as well. This is fun!

By: Kathy Purdy

Kathy Purdy — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 21:59:42 +0000

Carol, Genie, and Tracy–That’s the beauty of an anthology, you get to pick and choose. Looking through it again, I suspect I never did read all the selections by literary writers, though I vaguely recollect enjoying Collette. But I know I read all the gardeners. I encourage you to seek out more writing by any and all of them.

By: Kathy Purdy

Kathy Purdy — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 21:53:32 +0000

Jenn–I had been wondering which essay had bothered you; I couldn’t tell from the titles and I didn’t recall a bad one. I must have skipped “Marigolds” when I read the book the first time. I probably decided to skip it after reading the first three or four sentences. Ugh. Yuck. Perhaps if I had read it earlier I would have added a caveat, or not recommended it the antholodgy at all. Since Kincaid says she envisioned the anthology as a kind of garden, that essay could only be the compost pile, full of rotting things.

By: bill

bill — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 00:49:27 +0000

i wanted to read the book but never found the time. Actually i did not even get around to buying it. maybe i eventually will.

i was an English major too and still like literature, even the stuff with punctuation marks.

By: Tracy

Tracy — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 19:40:01 +0000

Kathy – Thanks for the great blog on the book. Like all collections, there are some things I liked, some I didn’t. Ironically, the things I liked were sometimes the things others didn’t like, and vice versa, but that’s the beauty of essay collections – there should be something for everyone. Plus, it reminded me why I don’t like Lawrence’s poetry, which I haven’t read since I was an undergrad English major!

By: Genie

Genie — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 16:43:00 +0000

Kathy,

I quite enjoyed the book, myself — found the different perspectives on the various plants to be very interesting. I loved Maxine Kumin’s essay, as well — it might be my favorite in the book.

Thanks for suggesting it!

Genie
The Inadvertent Gardener

By: Carol

Carol — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 16:35:36 +0000

Having read this, I know think I will find the time to read the book. Thank you!

By: Jenn

Jenn — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 15:56:55 +0000

Ah. I was wondering who might have suggesting this one. I’m surprised it was you; I wonder what you think of the piece titled ‘Marigolds’ – do you think it fits in with the the rest of the essays? It so jarred me.

I have made lists. Very important LISTS of plants I found mentioned in that book. Mecinopsis, arisaemas, cyclamen and delphinium amoung them. There will be seed purchased – er – someday. And I will try the Foerster’s from seed, it will be interesting to see what colors come of it.