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jodar 's review for:
The Garden Against Time: In Search of a Common Paradise
by Olivia Laing
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
It’s in no way a practical gardening book, which was fine with me as that wasn’t my expectation anyway. The strengths of the book were the author’s reflections on the meaning of the garden in her own life and – to a lesser extent – the exploration of a few examples in literature and the lives of others (notably of Iris Origo).
The biggest weakness to me are the sections where Laing indulges in didactic, “progressive” moralising, which come across as one-sided and at odds with the tenor of the rest of the book. And it seemed to me – if the author were totally frank with herself – these sections would be self-convicting of her own “privilege”.
In short, largely absorbing and thought-provoking, but at times irritatingly dogmatic.
The biggest weakness to me are the sections where Laing indulges in didactic, “progressive” moralising, which come across as one-sided and at odds with the tenor of the rest of the book. And it seemed to me – if the author were totally frank with herself – these sections would be self-convicting of her own “privilege”.
In short, largely absorbing and thought-provoking, but at times irritatingly dogmatic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Mental illness, War
Minor: Death, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Pandemic/Epidemic