{"id":39615,"date":"2021-07-07T23:13:24","date_gmt":"2021-07-08T03:13:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=39615"},"modified":"2021-07-07T23:13:24","modified_gmt":"2021-07-08T03:13:24","slug":"review-of-the-garden-of-small-beginnings-by-abbi-waxman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=39615","title":{"rendered":"Review of The Garden of Small Beginnings, by Abbi Waxman"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The Garden of Small Beginnings<\/em><\/p>\n

by Abbi Waxman
\nread by Emily Rankin<\/p>\n

Penguin Audio, 2017. 9 hours, 51 minutes.
\nReview written June 15, 2021, from a library eaudiobook
\nStarred Review<\/p>\n

I read this book after reading The Bookish Life of Nina Hill<\/a><\/em>, by the same author, because all of Abbi Waxman\u2019s books had been recommended in my Silent Book Club Facebook group as feel-good reading. They were right! This is a nice happy story about a young widow named Lilian, the mother of two girls, who gets signed up for a gardening class by her boss \u2013 and the class is led by a handsome instructor from Europe with a marvelous accent (especially appreciated in the audiobook version) who is also attracted to Lilian.<\/p>\n

But Lilian isn\u2019t ready to date, even though it\u2019s been four years. And she doesn\u2019t believe her kids are ready either. So the book is about Lilian working through that, and the gardening class, and the friends she makes in the class, and the family and relationships around Lilian, including her wonderfully precocious kids.<\/p>\n

I do have a caveat: I\u2019m an older single and have my eyes open for a match \u2013 with very little luck. I recently told off a couple of married friends who implied that I was overlooking possibilities. Trust me, that\u2019s not a thing! And this destroys my suspension of disbelief when it comes to reading a Meet-Cute story. There is no way I can bring myself to believe that in real life the instructor would be single and available, near her age, handsome, and a good match for her. It just wouldn\u2019t happen. And they are not even the only couple that meets in this book!<\/p>\n

So, I\u2019m going to have to switch over and read some murder mysteries or nice tragedies or maybe a revenge novel. I\u2019m still glad, though, I finished this book \u2013 sometimes fairy tales are nice to read. And if you\u2019re looking for a happy and thoughtful romance-after-loss about some delightful people you\u2019ll be glad to hang around, I do recommend this book. If you\u2019re turning cynical, though, you might need to set it aside. This is a feel-good book for people who are already feeling pretty happy.<\/p>\n

abbiwaxman.com<\/a>
\npenguin.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Fiction\/garden_of_small_beginnings.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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