Penelope Lively Life in the garden

'Rich and unusual, a book to treasure.

Few recent gardening books come anywhere close to its style, intelligence and depth.

Moves between Lively's own horticultural life and a broad history of gardening' Observer 'Wonderful.

A manifesto of horticultural delight' Literary Review 'Beautiful.

Perfect for literary garden lovers' Good Housekeeping 'Exquisite and original' Daily Telegraph 'Enchanting.

Reading this book is like walking with a wise, humorous guide through a series of garden rooms .

and finding that vistas suddenly open out, on to history, fashion, politics, reflections on time and the taming of nature' Tablet 'A perfect bedside book.

In part it's a memoir of the gardens in Lively's life, starting with the exotic Egyptian garden of her childhood and continuing up to her small present-day garden in a north London square' Sunday Express 'A gentle survey of the garden's place in Western culture, which morphs into a personal meditation on time, memory and a life well lived' i 'Scholarly bedtime reading' The Times, Books of the Year.