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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
Thank you NetGalley for letting me receive this arc! This book was really interesting. I don't usually read a lot of women's fiction but found this one to be enjoyable. This is about a women trying to make her place and a male dominated world. Her family owns a nursery business set in 1893 when their small town finds their economy dropping during a depression. Sadie is pressured to marry wealthy even though her heart is spoken for. Would recommend for anyone who likes women finding their way and making a name for themselves.
This was a lovely story about Sadie, who dreams of taking over her family’s horticulture business when her father retires. Her true love was horticulture, and Sam (a less than wealthy horticulturist himself)…which did not made her father happy. Will Sadie get to be with the love of her life, or will she marry Henry to save the nursery? You will have to listen or read to find out :)
I LOVE historical fiction, and I also really enjoy when an author bases a story on real life. This one is about Joy Callaway’s ancestors. The fact that this is all as close to truth as possible makes it even more beautiful! This story was so good, the detail and plot development was fantastic - I definitely recommend!
I LOVE historical fiction, and I also really enjoy when an author bases a story on real life. This one is about Joy Callaway’s ancestors. The fact that this is all as close to truth as possible makes it even more beautiful! This story was so good, the detail and plot development was fantastic - I definitely recommend!
Beautiful story of love, friendship and nature. It was a tad slow, but well worth the read!
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don’t remember how I found out about All the Pretty Places, but I was drawn to the title and cover, and I’m a sucker for stories set in the Gilded Age, so I knew I had to check this out. And while I’m decently well-read in the time period and setting by this point, I like how this book focused on this time and place from a slightly different angle. Inspired by the author’s family history and the family business of plant nursing.
Sadie makes for a compelling heroine, and I love how her passion for her family’s nurseries comes through. I have no interest in plants, yet I was enraptured by her enthusiasm. She has a common struggle for women of this time, being expected by her father to marry well, even though she actually wants to take on the family business. However, I love that, even with her big career goals, she is a romantic, and unwilling to marry for anything other than love. Sh
I also love that this story has other layers to it, with Sadie’s parents being immigrants who made a comfortable life for themselves and their children, but are impacted by losses, both financial and personal that make this more complex than many stories set in the era among the upper-crust, so even while you root for Sadie and want her to live life on her terms, you also understand her father wanting security for his family. It’s such a contrast to the more common stories of robber barons and dollar princesses in loveless marriages to aristocrats, which I think tend to get more attention.
I really enjoyed this book, and I’d recommend it to fans of historical fiction.
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
This is my first book of Joy’s. Like she mentions in the author’s note at the end, this book is based on the story of her great-great grandmother, who lived in Rye, NY and her family owned a gardening center.
In this book, her parents worked hard to give her affluence and wanted to see her married to a wealthy man, so they wouldn’t have to worry about her livelihood. She however, has been in love with a worker in their garden. I was frustrated for about 80% of the book dealing with this though, she just seems like such a spoiled, selfish woman. My therapist says, “most people want to have things both ways,” and I for sure feel like she is like that. She doesn’t want to marry him because he is beneath her, but she wants him to fawn over her and maintain her affections. It was a 13 hour audiobook, so I think it could have been edited down some. I did like the last 20% more, where there are a couple of plot twists.
The history of the garden centers and their work and interest with other public gardens at the time was interesting. I am curious about her other books now, too.
“Ignorance helped nothing. It only made me feel delicate, as though the others believed I couldn’t handle the knowledge, and then, when the truth was revealed, the burden felt like an avalanche. I would have much rather felt the earthquake.” Ch 2
“The gilded trappings were installed over foundational fissures, over long cracks in the plaster, over misery masquerading as joy.” Ch 2
“…some folk who needed the healing of wild beauty the most were barred from it.” Ch 4
“…our design was based on Birkenhead Park—the first publicly funded park in England. That park was built specifically to give respite to those living in poor conditions in the industrial areas. We hoped our Central Park would do the same.” Ch 11
“…isn’t all true love about charity? We give up much to be the healing balm for those to whom our hearts call out.”Ch 19
“Of all the pretty places we’ve designed and have yet to design, this will always be my favorite.” Epilogue
“Perhaps the nurseries weren’t as important as the legacy they left behind. My family’s passion had been filling spaces with blooms that flourished for a time, died, and then blossomed again in another spot, on another stem. Sadie and Sam, Charles Sr. and Jane, and Freddie and Charles Jr. were like flowers themselves, beacons of hope for many in the time and place they were needed most. Now it’s our turn to carry on their legacy, to bloom, to bear evidence of miracles to a hurting world.” Author’s note
In this book, her parents worked hard to give her affluence and wanted to see her married to a wealthy man, so they wouldn’t have to worry about her livelihood. She however, has been in love with a worker in their garden. I was frustrated for about 80% of the book dealing with this though, she just seems like such a spoiled, selfish woman. My therapist says, “most people want to have things both ways,” and I for sure feel like she is like that. She doesn’t want to marry him because he is beneath her, but she wants him to fawn over her and maintain her affections. It was a 13 hour audiobook, so I think it could have been edited down some. I did like the last 20% more, where there are a couple of plot twists.
The history of the garden centers and their work and interest with other public gardens at the time was interesting. I am curious about her other books now, too.
“Ignorance helped nothing. It only made me feel delicate, as though the others believed I couldn’t handle the knowledge, and then, when the truth was revealed, the burden felt like an avalanche. I would have much rather felt the earthquake.” Ch 2
“The gilded trappings were installed over foundational fissures, over long cracks in the plaster, over misery masquerading as joy.” Ch 2
“…some folk who needed the healing of wild beauty the most were barred from it.” Ch 4
“…our design was based on Birkenhead Park—the first publicly funded park in England. That park was built specifically to give respite to those living in poor conditions in the industrial areas. We hoped our Central Park would do the same.” Ch 11
“…isn’t all true love about charity? We give up much to be the healing balm for those to whom our hearts call out.”Ch 19
“Of all the pretty places we’ve designed and have yet to design, this will always be my favorite.” Epilogue
“Perhaps the nurseries weren’t as important as the legacy they left behind. My family’s passion had been filling spaces with blooms that flourished for a time, died, and then blossomed again in another spot, on another stem. Sadie and Sam, Charles Sr. and Jane, and Freddie and Charles Jr. were like flowers themselves, beacons of hope for many in the time and place they were needed most. Now it’s our turn to carry on their legacy, to bloom, to bear evidence of miracles to a hurting world.” Author’s note
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
Very cute historical romance, that I just thought was a bit too long. I was bored around halfway through but I pushed through it cause I wanted our FMC to find her happy ending.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.7 Stars
One Liner: A good historical drama
1893, Rye, New York
Sadie Fremd has two loves- her father’s nursery and Sam Jenkins. She has always hoped to become her father’s successor and manage the nursery. However, the economic recession pushes her into a corner. Sadie is asked to marry well to save the nursery and reminded multiple times that she cannot be a businesswoman, even if no one knows about plants, gardening, and landscaping as she does.
Sadie is determined not to lose the nursery or her freedom when Sam reappears in her life. She also learns about the life of the poor and how a single flower can give them hope (but both the flower and hope are kept away from them). She wants to make a difference, somehow. However, life gets complicated, and Sadie is at crossroads. She cannot have it all, not unless a miracle happens.
The story comes from Sadie’s first-person POV.
What I Like:
The detailing and landscaping are very well done. Flowers and plants are an integral part of the plot and the characters’ lives. I love how almost every memory is linked to flowers in one way or another.
The best parts of the book are when Sadie is working with flowers or thinking about them. Even when I didn’t know what the flowers were, I could feel her emotions and love for plants.
The contrast between the lives of the rich and poor is well presented. We also see how people abandon their ‘friends’ when they fall into tough times.
I haven’t read a book set in the Gilded Age, so this is a good addition to my list. It’s informative without being boring, which is a definite plus. The market crash and the parts about how public parks weren’t exactly for the public provide more insights into the past.
Sadie and Sam’s love story takes up a good chunk of the book. It’s a little typical of the class difference between them. I like love stories and some romantic drama, so this worked for me. Though I wish we knew a little more about Sam.
The author’s note at the end is detailed and informative. Since the book is about her ancestors (Sadie is her great-grandmother), knowing more about their lives and the author’s connection with them enriches the book. Oh, there’s a picture of real-life Sadie Fremd too.
What Could Have Been Better for Me:
Given the main theme of nurseries and flowers, I’d have loved a few illustrations scattered in the book. My knowledge about flowers is quite limited and more than 50% of the names went over my head. Yeah, I can Google, but that would break the flow.
I love happy endings, and things wrap up well in this one. However, character development isn’t the strong point of the book. Maybe that’s because the main characters are real people, but it makes them a little flat.
I find it a bit odd that the men were professing their love for Sadie when she was borderline rude to them. Though I understand their inability to see beyond a pretty face or even try to understand a woman, there sure would be other women if they expand their search.
The pacing is slow and annoying when the plot gets into a loop (Sadie refusing suitors, yearning for Sam, and her father ordering her to pick a rich husband…). However, you can speed-read without missing any vital details.
To summarize, All the Pretty Places is a historical drama based on the lives of real people. Those who enjoy gardening will love the book more. While the book deals with quite a few issues, it is primarily a romance between people from different stations. You’ll enjoy it more if you pick it up with the right expectations.
Thank you, NetGalley and HarperMuse, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
#NetGalley #AllthePrettyPlaces
***
This ARC copy had the HarperMuse logo on almost every alternate Kindle page. The text was adjusted around it, so you can imagine the messed-up layout. I haven’t had this issue with the publisher’s books before, and hope it’s a one-time thing.