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El Jardinero Fiel

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Estos relatos de perdida, supervivencia y renacimiento, bellamente entrelazados entre si, se centran en el tio de la autora, un campesino y refugiado hungaro destrozado por la guerra, jardinero fiel y depositario de cuentos, que fue uno de los insensatos bailarines, prudentes y viejos cuervos, sabios cascarrabias y casi santos que constituian los ancianos de la infancia de la doctora Estes. Narrado con elegante sencillez, hondura de sentimientos, generoso humor, y profundo optimismo, El jardinero fiel es el relato de una nina sincera que presto atencion a los ancianos de su viejo pais y que crecio para conservarlo todo en su memoria. / These stories of loss, survival and rebirth beautifully intertwined are focused on the author's uncle, a Hungarian war-torn farmer and refugee, a faithful gardener and story teller, which was one of the fool dancers, wise and cantankerous, almost a saint. Narrated with elegant simplicity, deep feelings, generous humor and profound optimism, The faithful

96 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

45 people are currently reading
3410 people want to read

About the author

Clarissa Pinkola Estés

76 books3,512 followers
An American poet, psychoanalyst and post-trauma specialist who was raised in now nearly vanished oral and ethnic traditions. She is a first-generation American who grew up in a rural village, population 600, near the Great Lakes. Of Mexican mestiza and majority Magyar and minority Swabian tribal heritages, she comes from immigrant and refugee families who could not read or write, or who did so haltingly. Much of her writing is influenced by her family people who were farmers, shepherds, hopsmeisters, wheelwrights, weavers, orchardists, tailors, cabinet makers, lacemakers, knitters, and horsemen and horsewomen from the Old Countries.

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5 stars
919 (48%)
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600 (31%)
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283 (14%)
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64 (3%)
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22 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 221 reviews
Profile Image for Molly Ulmen.
2 reviews2 followers
July 31, 2012
Life is full of invitations to feel hopeless, especially in the face of real darkness and suffering. This book is a powerful tonic against despair. I keep it in the medicine cabinet.
Profile Image for Joyce.
425 reviews69 followers
August 15, 2016
Simply deeply wonderful.

This book can easily be read in one sitting and it'll touch your heart and soul and make you smile and cry. Excellent.
Profile Image for Sofia.
1,349 reviews293 followers
March 13, 2015


Magical, hypnotic story weaving as only Estes can.

New seed is faithful, it comes on the wind whether you want it or not and it roots in the places that are the most empty.

Stories came into the world because God was lonely.
Profile Image for Meghan Hughes.
156 reviews2,255 followers
April 25, 2020
“To be poor and be without trees, is to be the most starved human being in the world. To be poor and to have trees, is to be completely rich in ways that money could never buy.”- Clarissa Pinkola Estés 💚 I wanted to read this book because I loved “Women Who Run with the Wolves” so much & was eager to read more writing from Estés. I really loved this story. It was very short, but it touched on a lot of things that are important to me. I loved the story of That Which Can Never Die. I think I will read it every Christmas from now on. It brought me comfort knowing that a tree saw so many lives & felt gratitude for the purpose in each one. This book was also really a tale of rebirth... Of burning down everything to start anew. Even if people scoff at you & ask “what are you trying to do here?”, the work continued & soon everyone saw. Trees grow in fertile soil blessed by tears, stories of the past, & hopes for the future. May we not forget the family who brought us into being & whose stories shaped us into the people we are today. May we retell them for generations to come in hopes that even if our loved ones pass on, their stories remain in our bones for eternity.
Profile Image for Marisa Galarza.
50 reviews21 followers
August 19, 2023
Este libro está compuesto por una serie de relatos que la autora logra entrelazar de una manera bella y profunda. Los mismos, están impregnados de ideas referidas a las pérdidas, al resurgimiento y el milagro de la vida.
Todo lo narrado tiene como centro al tío de la autora, un campesino, jardinero fiel, un hombre poseedor de sabiduría y de cuentos.
Es una obra que deja al descubierto la existencia de una fuerza vital, parte de todas las cosas que nos asiste en situaciones de angustia y profundos cambios.
Me gustó mucho leer este libro ya que me parece que entre otras cosas, nos brinda esperanza.
Profile Image for Irina.
409 reviews68 followers
March 22, 2015
Audible

After sobbing my heart out, I ended up staring at the wall with tears still running down my face, having so many thoughts, remembering my childhood, my 'uncle', my stories, the stories of those I love, their changes and their empty fields.

A wise tale indeed. Short but unforgettable and very powerful, one I'd like my child to know as soon as he's old enough to understand.

Thank you, Sofia, for uncovering such a jewel and bringing it to my attention.

***5 stars***
Profile Image for Pablo.
28 reviews
August 10, 2021
“New seed is faithful. It roots deepest in the places that are most empty”

Gifted story-teller with a distinctive lyrical force, yet I found this book not as cohesive as the others. Still worth and precious tho 😋
Profile Image for Rebecca.
5 reviews
November 7, 2018
I will never forget when I discovered this book. I was wandering about the library, preoccupied with thoughts of my Hungarian friend who had escaped her country a few years previous with little more than her immediate family and the clothes on her back. I wanted something to read that would honor her story. It's hard to explain, because by this time, I'd lost contact with my friend. But here was this book that all but leapt off the shelf. (The Hungarian connection: the author was adopted by a Hungarian family at age four.) In this "tale about that which never dies," Estes espouses hope for new life after devastating loss.
Profile Image for Winona.
22 reviews
January 29, 2025
What a delightful little book! As always, this author inspires with an economy of words, but an abundance of love. A much needed reminder in these days of mean spirited selfishness.

Be kind. Share love and joy. Our planet needs all to survive.
Profile Image for Hannah.
250 reviews
November 1, 2015
reading clarissa pinkola estés is an opportunity to sit at the feet of a master storyweaver and teacher of the art of living, honestly. this one is no exception. here there is a tale about the alchemy that transforms trauma through storytelling through families, cycles of creation, the value of fallow fields and the way that to see and touch constant death/change is the way to know that which can never die.
Profile Image for Amy Pfleegor.
17 reviews
August 10, 2016
I don't know how many of my lives, past, present, or future, that this book acted as a balm for, but reading it was quite a profound experience that left me feeling kinder toward my own war-weary heart.
Profile Image for Joni.
190 reviews33 followers
February 5, 2017
New seed
is faithful.
It roots deepest
in the places
that are
most empty.


A little light in the dark. Short but powerful. Hopeful and deeply moving.
I will keep it close to me.
Profile Image for Chelsey シ.
29 reviews3 followers
January 5, 2023
"There is no worthless thing. Everything can be used for something. In God's garden, there is a usefulness for everyone and everything."
Profile Image for Matthieu Niederhauser .
42 reviews3 followers
October 17, 2023
Magnifique petit conte hongrois. Idéal si tu es limite sur ton challenge en fin d’année.
Profile Image for Karen GoatKeeper.
Author 22 books36 followers
February 27, 2016
The language in this book is fantastic. The descriptive metaphors create a mental picture and a mood.
"Squeezed together like canned plums in a pint-sized glass jar, we rode the interminably hot train all the way to Chicago."
The time is shortly after the close of World War II. The place is in the United States where refugees from German camps are trying to learn to live again.
"What does it mean to live with a war and memories of war inside oneself? It means one lives in two worlds. One looking for hope, the other feeling hopeless. One looking for meaning, the other convinced that the only meaning in life is that there is no meaning in life."
The book is short, barely 75 pages. It is one I want to keep on my shelf yet one I hesitate to ever read again. This is because it is so intense and creates such a strong emotional response.
There is no gore, no real description of what Uncle Zohar saw in his labor camp. Only the aftermath is there as he tries to face the past and build a future.
The author is a cantadora, a keeper of stories and a teller of stories. Her expertise is very evident.
I highly recommend this book especially to those who want to see how metaphors in writing can create emotion, enhance the details and carry a story along.
Profile Image for Yam Herrera.
163 reviews12 followers
January 26, 2021

El jardinero fiel, reúne relatos de pérdida, supervivencia y renacimiento bellamente entrelazados entre sí. Se centran en el tío de la autora, un campesino y refugiado húngaro destrozado por la guerra que comienza una nueva vida en el norte de Estados Unidos en los años 40’s - 50’s es narrado desde los ojos de una niña (La Dra Estés) que prestó atención a los ancianos de su viejo país y que creció para conservarlo todo en su memoria.

Les comparto algunos de los pasajes que me parecen más bellos:

“La nueva semilla es fiel. Arraiga con más fuerza en los lugares que están más vacíos”

“Todo termina, mi querido árbol, incluso las cosas buenas, pero siempre otra clase de vida viene después de la antigua, ya lo verás”

“La nueva vida llegará tanto si uno quiere como si no. Por mucho que cada vez se la intente arrancar, cada vez volverá a echar raíces y reimplantarse. La nueva semilla volara con el viento y seguirá llegando y ofreciendo múltiples ocasiones para el cambio del corazón, el regreso del corazón, el restablecimiento del corazón, y para volver a optar finalmente por la vida... de todo eso estoy segura”

C.P. Estés
Profile Image for Meagan.
152 reviews26 followers
December 22, 2017
The Faithful Gardener is one of the most powerful books you can read in one sitting. Estés weaves stories around her uncle Zovar, a war-torn refugee and lover of gardening and storytelling. It's a hopeful, heartbreaking, beautiful book.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
128 reviews7 followers
February 10, 2008
This is a nice little hopeful book about stories - stories about a man, a tree, and that which will never die.
Profile Image for Ana.
9 reviews
July 23, 2016
Amazing experience. The book is simple and simply magical. Easy to read for any person who reads with the heart open.
Profile Image for Courtney.
46 reviews2 followers
July 30, 2018
Very great metaphor for some great life lessons. I love that much of it is written like a poem
Profile Image for Cláudia Inácio | Amiga à Letra.
161 reviews21 followers
August 5, 2023
Uma criança habituada a ouvir atentamente os mais velhos da família a contar histórias, porque as histórias são “como matrioskas, elas encaixam-se umas dentro das outras”.

Este livro é uma homenagem da Autora, ao seu contador de histórias favorito sempre foi o seu Tio Zovár, quando olhava para ele era como se olhasse para um castelo, primeiro porque aos seus olhos ele era encantador, segundo porque era gigante, exactamente como os gigantes que acordam nas histórias de encantar.

Zovár esteve na guerra e veio bastante perturbado, para contar histórias de lá usava o seu alter ego “um homem” ou “aquele que conheci em tempos na terra natal”.

Era na sua floresta que o Tio era feliz, com as suas árvores, as suas flores, as suas ervas, a sua horta, os seus pássaros, os seus insectos. Porque todos eram necessários no seu jardim do Éden.
Era destas terras que vinham os seus alimentos, que as crianças brincavam e que a esperança de um dia melhor crescia todos os dias. Até um dia. Até ao dia em que o estado anuncia à comunidade que irá construir estradas com portagens e que isso atravessará as suas terras, o seu sustento.
A aldeia inteira estremeceu consternada.
O Tio quase enlouqueceu.
Eles confiscaram terras, casas, celeiros, barracões. Todos as noites a comunidade rezava para que parassem, mas todas as manhãs as escavadoras voltavam e destruíam mais alguma coisa.

“Ser pobre e não ter árvores é ser o humano mais faminto do mundo. Ser pobre e ter árvores é ser totalmente rico, de uma forma que o dinheiro nunca pode comprar.”
“Mesmo achando que estamos a seguir o mapa certo, Deus de repente resolve tirar a estrada de sítio, colocando-nos noutro sítio.”
“Vai para o campo para chorar porque lá as tuas lágrimas vão fazer bem tanto a ti como à terra.”

Um livro que nos mostra que a força da fé que já nasce dentro de nós nunca pode morrer. Porque quer queiramos ou não, novas sementes chegarão com o vento e tudo o necessário voltará a renascer e novas vidas trazer.

Na vida, tal como nas terras, para que algo nasça e cresça bonito e saudável, temos sempre de preparar e tratar do terreno. Dar-lhe tempo para que as coisas surjam… ♥️

Que livro delicioso que se lê numa tarde de praia ou num fim de dia acompanhada de um copo de vinho!
Conheciam esta fábula maravilhosa?
Recomendo muito. Clau 🍃🍂🌾🌿
Profile Image for Cari.
1,316 reviews43 followers
September 16, 2019
I really thought Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree was the only story about a tree that could ever possibly make me cry... I found out tonight that I was so very wrong.

Its completely true that as I read The Faithful Gardener: A Wise Tale About That Which Can Never Die, I sat here with a lump in my throat and tears streaming down my face. I was just so totally captivated by Clarissa Pinkola Estés' remarkable gift of storytelling and how her words breathed life into her beloved uncle--a Hungarian refugee who came to America after being liberated from a World War II slave labor camp. A gentle soul with haunted eyes, Dr. Pinkola Estes' Uncle Zovar instilled in her an undying passion for storytelling and taught her how to grow something beautiful from ashes. I loved the messages behind these stories--messages of hope, resilience, and an unlimited capacity for love. This little book is truly a gem. ❤
Profile Image for Rita Costa.
186 reviews9 followers
January 6, 2023
Este livro começa por ser sobre o tio da autora, retornado segunda guerra mundial, passa por uma fábula bonita sobre um pinheiro que sonhava ter um propósito e culmina numa mensagem inspiradora sobre como a capacidade de colocarmos as situações em perspectiva pode ser determinante. Sinto que tem uma mensagem importante e é muito promissor, mas que faltou alguma profundidade e desenvolvimento.

"... As sementes novas vão primeiro para os lugares abertos e vazios - mesmo quando esse local é um coração enlutado, uma mente torturada ou um espírito devastado."
Profile Image for Ritika Nigam.
32 reviews
December 9, 2025
"I am certain that in every fallow
place, new life is waiting to be born anew. And more
astonishing yet, that new life will come whether one
wills it or not. One may try to uproot it each time, but
each time it will re-root and re-found itself again. New
seed will fly in on the wind, and it will keep arriving,
giving many chances for change of heart, return of heart,
mending of heart, and for choosing life again at long
last—of all this I am certain."
Profile Image for Flo.
59 reviews
March 19, 2024
Hermoso🥹❤️‍🩹 lo recomiendo 100%, especialmente si estás en un momento de sin sentido, desconectada/o, es un libro que te recuerda que somos parte de la naturaleza, habla de humanidad, de la guerra, de la vida. Es re cortito además, lo leí en dos días.
Gracias Jose🫂
Profile Image for Raquel.
110 reviews2 followers
January 29, 2023
Uma história bonita, sobre o poder das histórias que são passadas de geração em geração, através dos contadores de histórias. Uma história que nos mostra que há coisas que nunca morrem.
Uma muito semelhante à do livro "O homem que plantava árvores".
Profile Image for Mathilde Hdt.
15 reviews2 followers
November 2, 2023
« De même, à l’aube, pour peu que l’on se fut levé suffisamment tôt, on pouvait apercevoir durant quelques minutes les gouttes de rosée qui cernaient chaque forme de la forêt, aussi loin que le regard portait. Tel un minuscule chapelet de lumière, la rosée bordait chaque épine, chaque aiguille, chaque dentelure des longues herbes, chaque détail de chaque feuille. Elle s’accrochait à chaque aspérité de l’écorce, à chaque ramille, à chaque jouet oublié dans les bois par un enfant. Dans la lumière du matin, le champ désert d’autrefois, devenu forêt, brillait comme un palais où toute forme absorbait la lumière et nous la rendait au centuple ». Se lit d’une traite, le temps d’une grande et profonde inspiration. Sublime
Displaying 1 - 30 of 221 reviews

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