A review by andrewspink
Blooming Flowers: A Seasonal History of Plants and People by Kasia Boddy

4.0

The subject matter of the book is something that I find fascinating. I studied botany at university, many years ago, and have had a lifelong fascination with plants, including cultural attitudes ever since. The book is a charming collection of anecdotes, literary references and etymology about a selection of common plants. The author has done her best to bring some structure into the narrative, but it remains more of a book for dipping into than reading cover to cover. The selection of what to include and what not is somewhat arbitrary. For instance there is quite a long section on roses, but the English War of the Roses doesn't get a mention. The literature is mostly English, some American (perhaps because of the US publisher) and with a smattering of Caribbean, and Continental references, plus a little other, like Japanese. Presumably this is what the authors happened to be familiar with, but that's probably as good a ground for a selection as any. There is a famous Dutch novel (by Jan Siebelink) (sort of) about violets, which could have gone in that chapter, but I can hardly blame her for not knowing that. The book has something of the scope of the monumental Flora Britanica by Richard Mabey (which I'm proud to have contributed a few sentences to myself), but less systematic and more anecdotal.
In summary, for readers like myself with a particular interest in the topic; an interesting read.

Disclosure: My copy of the book was a free copy obtained in return for an honest review from NetGalley.