Reviews

Quand le jardin refleurira by Sara Nisha Adams

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chrissyrein's review against another edition

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inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

my_wildflower_reads's review against another edition

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4.0

Although this book was a little slow moving it completely won me over with the stories of friendship and community. Told from multiple perspectives and two different timelines, it moved seamlessly. Adams did a great job interweaving the POVs and making it feel like a warm hug from a good friend.

jaimin's review against another edition

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slow-paced

3.75

rachel_wilson's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This was a beautiful story that discussed growing as an individual by connecting with community and nature. It addressed loss but I a way that gave hope and beauty to the past. Absolutely gorgeous story and inspiring to begin my own garden.

amankodi's review against another edition

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4.5

This book a surprising hit for me!! This book is heartwarming and utterly charming. It's a relatively light read, but it does pack an emotional punch. Told in two timelines, it is the story of a community garden that brings together unlikely neighbors in both the past and present. Alma and Maya are the original curators of the shared garden between 77 and 79 Eastbourne Road in the 1970s and 80s. In the present day, Winston and Bernice are now the shared owners of the garden.

Though not a long book, I feel like I really got to know the characters in this neighborhood. I loved the past timeline, reading about how Maya and her husband Prem, newly immigrated from India, settle in to their new home and befriend the curmudgeonly neighbor, Alma. As they all become friends, they start to work on their shared garden and open it up to their community. I also liked the present timeline. Winston is dealing with a complicated relationship with his boyfriend Lewis and grief over losing a family member, while Bernice and her son Sebastian have moved in next door following Bernice's divorce. While Winston and Bernice do not get along at first, when they start to work on the garden, they get to know each other more and become friends.

I loved the theme of community in this book. Now more than ever, having a strong community is so important and I feel like this was a great reminder of that. This book made me emotional more than once and also had me laughing at the dry humor. I especially loved that the Indian characters are Gujarati and the food/cultural callbacks were done well! Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I would highly recommend it, especially the audiobook. It is a light read, but one that has strong themes of finding community.

jglasscock's review against another edition

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2.0

I waited an incredibly long time for this book to be published (I even pre-ordered it), but sadly, I am bored to tears. I made it 59% of the way through, and I just can’t continue.