
I bought this book in a charity shop because it had one of those pretty, old, battered covers that gave off good vibes and made me romanticize reading. What I’m trying to say is I got it for a quid on a whim and completely judged it by it’s cover. The book did start slowly and took a bit for me to get my teeth into the style of writing, but over time it grew on me until I was rushing to the end.
This book follows a young girl called Lovejoy who lives a simple but hard life with no father and a mother who regularly deserts her. She starts planting a garden in the ruins of a graveyard, letting it’s beauty consume her and shape her being. This story of a blossoming garden goes hand in hand with a blossoming relationship and as the fragile structure of her life slowly collapses, we watch as she tries to do the right thing in a world of cold-hearted adults.
The most fascinating thing about this book to me was it’s careful examination of the innocence and simplicity of youth in a ‘grown-ups world’, and the adaptability of young people to increasing hardships. I truly believe that there is an ideology that maturing means losing a spark of impulsiveness, fun or originality and creativity but this book proves that it does not have to be true, as portrayed by one of the characters, Olivia, in this novel. It sends a message that we as individuals have the responsibility to keep making kind and good choices, whilst striving to be our true selves, without the influence of others, to protect our personality and peace in life.
I feel like I just waffled there but I am writing this at 3am……
That sounds like a cool book I might try find it