And - I have set up a new page with the garden book review links. This should help anyone trying to find a book that's already been reviewed. I hope to keep it updated monthly for easy reference.
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Here's my review:
"Monet's Garden: Through the Seasons at Giverny"
by Vivian Russell
I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. Generally, I read three or four books at a time. If I find a book I read straight through, that's a great book! This book I couldn't put down.
It starts out with a history of how Monet came to Giverny, and why he chose the plantings he did. This book presents Monet as a real person - someone that argued with his wife, shared confidences with his friends, raised children, and most of all - gardened.
What I loved about this book was the feeling that I knew and could relate to Monet. He would fret over late spring freezes, worry over new plants, purchase bulbs, dig in the dirt, plan new areas, read garden magazines, and visit other gardens. He was also generous in sharing seeds and cuttings. He was a gardener, and the feelings he had for his garden are the same that each of us have for our gardens.
After Monet's death, Giverny went into a state of decline, until charitable contributions were obtained to restore the garden. The garden opened to the public in 1980. The author then takes us through each season, and outlines the work that is done for the garden to be presentable to visitors. Since Giverny is now not a private garden, but a public one, perfection is expected every time the doors are opened to visitors. I was surprised and impressed with the amount of work that is done behind the scenes in order to present a garden full of beauty through the seasons.
This book would be a good book for anyone that wants to know more about Monet, loves photos of Giverny, or is interested in the workings of this garden or any public garden.
What I loved about this book was the feeling that I knew and could relate to Monet. He would fret over late spring freezes, worry over new plants, purchase bulbs, dig in the dirt, plan new areas, read garden magazines, and visit other gardens. He was also generous in sharing seeds and cuttings. He was a gardener, and the feelings he had for his garden are the same that each of us have for our gardens.
After Monet's death, Giverny went into a state of decline, until charitable contributions were obtained to restore the garden. The garden opened to the public in 1980. The author then takes us through each season, and outlines the work that is done for the garden to be presentable to visitors. Since Giverny is now not a private garden, but a public one, perfection is expected every time the doors are opened to visitors. I was surprised and impressed with the amount of work that is done behind the scenes in order to present a garden full of beauty through the seasons.
This book would be a good book for anyone that wants to know more about Monet, loves photos of Giverny, or is interested in the workings of this garden or any public garden.
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Now it's your turn! If you want to grab the button, here it is:
1) Any book about gardening, gardens, or has a garden influence in it is fine, except:
2) No links/reviews about growing substances that are illegal in the United States. (I know I don't have to worry about my blogging buddies, but I thought I needed to clarify in case someone new tries slipping one in!)
I promise to read your post, and hope you will read as many of the other participants' posts as your time allows.
I promise to read your post, and hope you will read as many of the other participants' posts as your time allows.
Here's the linky!
Hi Holley, what an interesting book you present this month! I know Monet as a painter, and I knew he had a famous garden, many famous painters are/were gardeners too, but you paint a picture of him (excuse the pun!) that make me curious about getting to know the man :-)
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this book, I have great respect for him as a gardener. Before, I didn't really realize how important gardening was to him, but this book shows how much he loved gardening, and his garden.
DeleteYou drew me in...very interested in learning more. I sat by my fire today pouting about the cold and read Spiritual Gardner again. It made me feel better.
ReplyDeleteI have not read that book - I would love it if you would post a review and link in! Cold days are made for reading about gardening, and dreaming of spring.
DeleteGreat book review, Holley.. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Betsy
I think we all see pictures of Giverny and wish and dream.
DeleteHi Holley,
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting again and thanks for that book list from last month. My that was helpful.
I actually have read the book you reviewed and loved it.
I've joined in with one of my favorite garden design books, Plant Driven Design.
Happy Gardening!
David/:0)
Tropical Texana/Houston
I think the book list will be helpful. There were several books on the list I want to read, but can't get them right now (my stack of unread books is too high). This will help me (and I hope, others) to find those books easily again. I've heard of Plant Driven Design, but have never read it. Thanks for linking in with your review of it!
DeleteI'll have to look into this one, Holley. I have a book called Monet's Landscapes by the same author that isn't at all a garden book (more of a travel book to places Monet painted) but I really enjoyed the author's style. Nice to know she's also written about Giverny!
ReplyDeleteI wondered about this author - she wrote as if she worked at Giverny! She really has a good grasp of what goes on there. If you enjoyed her writing style, you would probably love reading this book.
DeleteThis is very intresting book! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteAnd it sounds silly, bit I also love how pretty the book is! The book cover and jacket both have the same picture on it. I know that's a silly little thing, but I just love little surprises like that!
DeleteHolley I love Monet and his gardens and garden paintings so this is a must for me...thx...I linked in with my garden book!
ReplyDeleteThanks for joining in, Donna. I think you will really enjoy it - I was so very impressed with Monet the gardener, instead of Monet the artist.
DeleteHello Holley. Thank you for hosting the meme. I entered my review on ‘Snowdrops A Monograph of Cultivated Galanthus’. My review is in Dutch. I hope the Google translation is not too bad.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you joined in! I think Google does pretty well in translating. My snowdrops are just beginning to bloom now. I look forward to your review.
DeleteGreat review Holley, you have reading down to an art managing four books at a time.
ReplyDeletehaha - I think I just have a mind that just jumps around! Maybe that's why I always have more than one project going, too!
DeleteGreat book review. I had not focused on gardening books this month as it gets me wanting to garden. I really need to work on soil structure and structures! I do have my eye on a book for next month.
ReplyDeleteSoil. Such an important part of gardening, but I agree not the most satisfying to the gardener. Plants are just so much more fun! I do hope you'll join in next month!
DeleteVery nice book review. I will say the photos from the web of this garden take your breath away. An artist!
ReplyDeleteCher Sunray Gardens
And it was amazing reading everything they do to make sure it's picture perfect! I did get some ideas from the book, though, that I hope to include in my garden - on a much smaller scale, of course!
DeleteI missed this last month and am happy to include a book review this month. Interesting book you listed today! I know someone who just moved to France and I think I will pass this book/info along.
ReplyDeleteOh, if they are interested in gardens, it would be wonderful! I hope they get the chance to see Giverny in person. Thanks for linking in.
DeleteI love reading garden books with lovely photos - gets me through the winter! I will definitely have to check out this one, thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteI think that's how a lot of us get through the winter! And, of course, then we have ideas running through our heads that we want to try in our own gardens. It's a vicious cycle, but one I thoroughly enjoy! :)
DeleteHi Holley! I bought this little book too a few years ago and I read it very often. At the beginning I bought it just because Monet is one of my fave, but then I learnt some interesting gardening lessons which I am still applying to my garden when I think of a new bed. The only thing I don't have in common with Monet is that I don't like the multi-coloured flowers and he did.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed especially the spring pictures of Giverny and obviously 'les nympheas', really... impressive!
So glad to hear you liked this book, too. And I agree that there are a lot of gardening lessons in it. He definitely had his own style of beauty which wasn't popular in his day, but that was encouraging to me to do exactly what I want in my own garden.
DeleteActually I think that nowadays north-european garden designers (see the dutch wave, or the perennial wave) have a lot in common with Monet. With different results but both of them plays a lot with suggestions and spots of colour and movement, so that they leave you an impression of nature, or of a garden, and you imagine way more that what you see, in your head...
DeleteI think you're right. I think he had a big influence on gardens, even though I doubt he realized it at the time. I like what you said about spots of color so you imagine more than what you see. I think that's a wonderful asset any garden would love to have.
DeleteThank you for hosting the book reviews! I enjoyed reading your review of Monet's Garden. I was at Giverney last July for the first time, and although the roses had finished their blooms, it was still a very beautiful garden. Thanks for bringing back the memories of that visit! (Now I will try to link to your post.)
ReplyDeleteOh, how wonderful to be able to visit Giverny in person! I don't know which time would be best to see it - when the irises are in bloom, the roses, or the sunflowers. And I would want to see the water garden when the wisteria was in bloom, and again when the water lilies were blooming! So, I guess anytime would wonderful, although there would always be something missing. Thanks so much for joining in!
DeleteHi Holley! Monet's Garden is one of my favorite books too. I especially like the paired-up illustrations showing his paintings and garden together, like the pair on pages 20-21 showing the sunflowers in front of the house and the painting The Artist's Garden at Vetheuil or the one a few pages later showing the long walk with the nasturtiums both in the painting and the historical photos. Thanks for hosting the meme. I linked in my book review as well.
ReplyDeleteAren't the photos just wonderful? Oh, to have such a garden! The thing I loved about the paintings vs. photos, was the thought that Monet saw his garden as we see ours - as the vision in our mind, not necessarily what is really there. It's almost what we bloggers do - show the prettiest pictures, and try to leave out the areas that aren't so picture perfect! Thanks for joining in!
DeleteThanks for this review Holley! I've been longing to visit Monet's garden for quite some time now, considering too that it's just a short bus ride from Paris which we frequently go to yet somehow never manage to make it there. On our next trip it's on the high priority category of things to do. I love your meme btw, will look into joining it in the very near future. I actually just purchased a book a few minutes ago after reading a book review by one of the bloggers who joined your meme :)Double thanks for a great idea!
ReplyDeleteOh, I hope you will go, and give us a tour on your blog! And I hope you will join in the meme soon. How fun that you found a book from one of the reviews! I hope it meets your expectations.
DeleteSounds like a great book! One doesn't often hear about Monet, the gardener! That would be great to get a better insight into Monet and his inspiration. And I'm sure the public gardens are gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for hosting!
I don't know what I expected from the book, but it I was pleasantly surprised. I suppose I knew Monet was a gardener, but never really thought about it, and was very pleased to know that he was as passionate about his garden as we are about ours. Thanks for joining in!
DeleteI've heard a lot about how Monet gardened and his perspective on colour in the garden. Nice to know of a good book that details his garden and him as a person, not just a professional.
ReplyDeleteThis book says that Monet loved gardening, and only painted for the money! If he hadn't been an artist, he would have still been a gardener with a job! Maybe I'm paraphrasing loosely, but after reading this book, I will always think of Monet as a gardener instead of an artist.
DeleteI remember seeing this book in the bookstore and wondering if it would be a good read. You have confirmed that it is. I look forward to checking it out. Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy it! I would have loved to have read even more about Monet and his feelings about his garden. Thanks, too, for joining in.
DeleteThat is a fascinating book; I have to check it out. I never thought Monet would be so much normal like any of us ordinary human beings to get into dirt, garden and fret. Usually these types of geniuses are bit crazy to do anything like ordinary human beings.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I have no garden book to share.
I suppose he had his idiosyncrasies, but he definitely got his hands dirty. Although, he did have gardeners, but that was a sign of the times, I suppose. But this book really shows him to be what we would consider an ordinary gardener - someone that loves and obsesses a bit about their garden! I hope you'll join us with a book review in another month or two. No worries. :)
DeleteHolley, I enjoyed your review of this book! Another one that went straight on my book wish list. Reading your blog becomes a little bit of an expensive pleasure :-)!
ReplyDeleteChristina
Yes, there's several that have made my list! But, I'm glad to know of books that others love, instead of just purchasing without any real knowledge of whether I'd like it or not. Maybe we should start a book exchange club!
DeleteI knew Monet loved gardens and flowers but I had no idea he was such a gardener himself. I just assumed he had gardeners who did all the work. This only makes me appreciate the artist even more.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know he was a real gardener, either, until I read this book. He did have gardeners, but he was right in there with them, digging in the dirt and telling them exactly what to do. He had a lot of artist friends, but his true friends were the ones that talked gardening with him!
DeleteIts good to know that someone who created so many of the masterworks we enjoy today had a birds eye view of his garden from the perspective of having his hands in the soil....
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree. Anyone that hasn't really gardened has no idea what it takes to create something of that nature. Perhaps that's why he became a master at painting his garden - he intimately knew it, and saw it through eyes of love.
DeleteDear Holley, I MUST read this book after your excellent review! Thank you for hosting this meme, and for the new page ... it's great to print out and carry when book shopping (which is my favorite sort of shopping after plant shopping). P. x
ReplyDeleteGreat idea to print out the page! I never even thought about that - isn't that funny? But I can see where it would definitely come in handy! Thanks for joining in!
DeleteYour post is timely. A few nights ago, I was planning an imaginary trip to London and Paris and stopping in Giverny. My favorite Monet quote is: "I am only good at two things, and those are: gardening and painting."
ReplyDeleteI hope your imaginary trip becomes reality! And thanks for sharing the quote. I think he preferred gardening to painting!
DeleteThis is such a great book (I actually own it...and a few other Monet's Gardens books)! I think Monet was (and continues to be) a huge inspiration to gardeners, not just, literally, for the plants, but because of his wonderful insights into light and the moods it creates.
ReplyDeleteIt's an oldie but a goodie, isn't it? I think Monet did become a great inspiration, probably due to his painting his garden. I've read that he only painted 15 minutes in one spot to capture the light perfectly at that time every day.
DeleteI so wanted to participate in this month's book review, but travel and a family emergency keep me busy. I had planned to do a review of Terrarium Craft and am glad to see that someone else covered it.
ReplyDeleteVisiting Monet's garden is high on my bucket list of things to do. I have several books on the garden already (including one by this author) and never tire of learning more about it. This book sounds like a great addition to my "Giverny" library.
I'm sorry to hear about your family emergency, and hope things are better now. Terrariums seem to be making a come back, and I'm wanting to try one out myself. I hope you'll get to join in next month. Isn't it funny how we seem to collect several books on one subject? Maybe you'll get to go there in person someday.
DeleteOh pooh, this one snuck up on me. I'll just have to read others' reviews this month!
ReplyDeleteI hope you find a good book to read from the other reviews! And I hope you'll join in next month. It's the 20th of each month. :)
DeleteSo sorry I was late with mine - will try to be better organised next month!
ReplyDeleteNo problem! I'm so glad you joined in. I'm afraid with spring coming, and all the chores I need to do lining up, I'll be less organized next month!
DeleteARGH!!! I always miss the deadline!!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry! I hope you'll make it next month!
ReplyDelete