Gardens both real and imagined have long captured our imaginations. They are places of mystery and magic, beauty and danger, romance and revelation; writers have used them to reflect longing and create unforgettable moments of drama, escape and wonder.
Literary Gardens explores thirty of the most atmospheric and emotionally charged gardens in literature. From TheSecret Garden and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to Rebecca and The Great Gatsby, these fictional gardens capture the atmosphere and emotion of the stories they belong to. Some feel peaceful or nostalgic, others are rich with mystery or unspoken tension each is shaped by the characters and moments that are revealed within them. In Literary Gardens, readers will uncover new stories and rediscover old favourites, guided by Sandra Lawrences lyrical storytelling and Lucille Clercs evocative vision.
Literary Gardens is a tribute to the spaces that have stayed with us long after the final page a perfect gift for yourself, or anyone who has ever wanted to step through the page and into another world.
Introduction
The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
The Enchanted Garden, Italo Calvino
Alices Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
The Garden of Forking Paths, Jorge Luis Borges
IMAGINARY SPECIES
Toms Midnight Garden, Philippa Pearce
Elizabeth and her German Garden, Elizabeth von Arnim
The Hanging Garden, Patrick White
The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis
The Pillow Book, Sei Shnagon
STRANGE WORLDS
Larrys Party, Carol Shields
Rappaccinis Daughter, Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Garden of Evening Mists, Tan Twan Eng
Halloween Party, Agatha Christie
The Garden Party, Katherine Mansfield
LITERARY PLANTS
The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Beatrix Potter
Rmyaa, Vlmki
Kew Gardens, Virginia Woolf
My Mothers House, Colette
The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, Giorgio Bassani
FAIRYTALES
Mort, Terry Pratchett
My Garden (Book):, Jamaica Kincaid
The Door in the Wall, H.G. Wells
The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros
Mr Humphreys and His Inheritance, M.R. James
THE WORLD TREE
The Black Tulip, Alexandre Dumas
No Tomorrow, Vivant Denon
The Big Sleep, Raymond Chandler
The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Visiting
About the Author & Illustrator
Index
Sandra Lawrence has written for all the broadsheets and many magazines, as well as over 20 books, including Lost Gardens of the World (Frances Lincoln), Miss Willmotts Ghosts (Bonnier) and The Witchs Garden series for the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Welbeck (The Witchs Garden, The Magic of Mushrooms, The Witchs Forest and The Psychedelic Garden). For children, she is the author of the Atlas series (Atlas of Beasts; Atlas of Heroes, Big Picture Press), Anthology of Amazing Women (Templar) and A Magical Guide to Plants (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Welbeck).Lucille Clerc is a French illustrator based in London. She mainly works in editorial design and book illustration and sometimes designs interior and exhibition spaces. Her work is inspired by the natural world and the streets and architecture of London.
