Nigel

by Montagu Don

When Monty Don's golden retriever Nigel became the surprise star of BBC Gardeners' Worldinspiring huge interest, fan mail and his own social media accounts, Monty Don wanted to explore what makes us connect with animals quite so deeply. In many respects Nigel is a very ordinary dog; charming, handsome and obedient, as so many are. He is also a much loved family pet. He is also a star. By telling Nigel's story, Monty relates his relationships with the other special dogs in his life in a memoir of his dogs past and very much present

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Biography, Gardening, Dogs, Memoir, Autobiography

Hardcover

About the author

Montagu 'Monty' Denis Wyatt Don is a German-born British television presenter, writer and speaker on horticulture, known for presenting the BBC television series Gardeners' World.

Reviews

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok , review is finally here. For those not from the UK (most of you ?) and for those who cannot access our main TV channel, BBC, I had better explain who Monty and Nigel are. So here in the Uk, we are a real gardening nation (well maybe England), and Monty Don has been the main presenter of our biggest gardening programme on TV for the past 16 years, since 2003 when Alan Titchmarsh retired from being the face of gardening.
Monty has a wonderful garden in Herefordshire that is show cased for his BBC followers every week for over 30 weeks a year, and joining him every week are his dogs.

Nigel, his main dog since 2008 is a golden retriever who just loves the tv and is a real star. This book, whilst mostly about Nigel, also focusses on all the dogs he has since childhood. Nigel is such a star, and Monty dishes the dirt on how he plays up to the camera, and also how they get him to exit left (or right) as required (hint - tennis balls play big part)

This book is for all garden lovers, and pet lovers, it has sad moments when Monty talks about some of the dogs that have meant the world to him. As a pet lover myself, I found I was getting emotional with Monty whenever he spoke about the last days of some of his pets. It is, if one is an emotional character like myself (and Monty), a tough time loosing a pet, and to be honest not something that one ever forgets. Monty's description of his life in pets brought back so many happy and sad memories of my own life in pets.

This was a delightful book, all about a wonderful, charismatic animal, that brightened up Monty's life, and also brightened up the lives of all Gardeners World fans. Nigel sadly passed away in May this year (2020) just before his 12th birthday. A huge emotional blow to Monty and all of his and Nigel's fans, luckily Monty now has Nell and Patty to fill the gap left by Nigel. He was an amazing and charismatic dog.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dogs, gardens and the multifaceted ways in which a man can love and appreciate his animals.

The perfect bedtime read ♥

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely, light read. This book takes us through Monty's time at Longmeadow and he shares memories of the changes he and his family have made/ lived through and the various and many different doggy companions that have shared in this. He details highlights from his first dogs as a young man right through to Nigel and the ups and downs along the way. There is no sentimental clap trap within - the only regrets hinted at are those where Monty delayed doing the right thing by a pet dog to meet his own emotional needs. He does not ever attempt to anthropomorphise either which I was particularly glad of!
The writing style is much as Monty narrates Gardeners World - gentle and thoughtful. Anyone who enjoys either their garden and/ or pets will enjoy.

[Felix Hayman]

This is Nigel, the most famous dog in the UK.He is the retriever that is owned by gardener and writer, Monty Don,So what could be more boring than a book about him, but his owner Monty Don has written a gentle and sympathetic account of his life with Nigel which gives us an insight not only to "a dog's life" but, like most of Monty's other books,into the writer's life as well.For those who love "Gardener's World" and for those who have been captivated by Monty's outlook on life, there will be no surprises and yet you walk away from Monty's account of his own life and dog's life with a sense that there is more to learn and possibly a lot to remember and cherish about being a dog owner.

[Lydia Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve listened to this via audible, narrated by Monty himself. He can do no wrong as far as I’m concerned & could literally narrate a telephone directory & I would listen- his voice is absolutely soothing.

I assumed this book would be soley about Nigel; Monty & Sarah’s beloved lab who featured frequently on Gardener’s World. It was a lot more than that & included fascinating ‘behind the scenes’ snippets of filming, many gardening references & how Longmeadow came to be, family anecdotes & life in general. A lovely ‘read’. I shall be looking out for more.

[Stew · Rating 5 out of 5]

obviously I love dogs, so a book about a dog is going to grab my attention! A good read, certainly reminds me of the dogs i've owned in my life and everything that comes with them. The love, bonding, friendship and also the inevitable, unenviable heartbreak.
Worth reading whether you're a fan of the author, his dog and the show. or just a dog lover like myself :)

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

My friend bought me this book, because we watched Gardner's World up to 2015, and then no more episodes on Amazon Prime. Nigel stole the show. Finally, we got new episodes in 2021, on a different service, and Nigel was noticeably gone. We missed his death, and I began to grieve for this great dog.

I loved this book, and got to know more about his other dogs. However, there was repeated information, and I have to chalk this up to a different culture/era/generation, but it was sad to read some things in here. For instance, he referred to the female dogs as bitches, which is true, they are, but male dogs get male dogs and female dogs get bitches. There was also some questionable dog deaths that I didn't like. And I'm just not in to bred dogs. I used to have Labs and I loved them, but I'm a rescue dog all the way. So, it's sometimes hard to read about mostly getting only bred dogs. But I digress. I still loved Nigel and Nelly.

I didn't mind the talk of gardens, which all related back to Nigel, but I could see where some people wouldn't like it. I think if you love Monty Don, a fan of Nigel, you will love this book. I will say it does have great advice on training dogs and of course, about gardens.

[Karen Mace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an absolute delight to read as we hear of Monty and his love of dogs, and those that have been part of his family over the years, concentrating mainly on Nigel - the star of Gardener's World! - and how he came into their life and how he has fitted in with gardening life and been such a superstar over the years! His particular quirks and routines were so funny to read about and just show how an owner builds up such a relationship with an animal due to all the time they spend together.

Loved reading about how the garden at Longmeadow has evolved too over time and loved seeing all the photos of Nigel and the other dogs and would have happily loved to see more included!

[Sarah Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely delightful read. I haven't read any other books by Monty Dom but this really appealed to me. A great book about Monty, his garden at Long Meadow but predominately about the dogs he has loved through his life, focusing mainly on Nigel. Well, I don't know about you but I just love Nigel, he is such a character. I loved this book, Monty's love for his dogs clearly shines through in his writing and I must admit there were a few times I had tears in my eyes while reading this.

[Emma-Jane Goode · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book as I am an avid Gardener's World fan and love watching Monty (and Nigel and Nellie) on a Friday night. This book was a lovely snapshot into Monty's dogs although having lost my dog only 5 months ago I cried every time one of the dogs died!

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having watched Gardener's World for many years [great show by the way], I decided based on Monty Don's easy listening voice and nice persona, that I'd take a punt on this book and see what all the fuss was about regarding Nigel and his other dogs. Let me tell you, it does not disappoint. I've never met Nigel but feel as though I know the dog thoroughly thanks to Monty's brilliant writing and descriptions of his wonderful dog's mannerisms.

The book has sad parts. I'll admit that in a few places I cried, and if you're a pet owner, or anyone with a heart in fact, you'll find it hard not to feel a pang of sadness when he describes his past dogs that are no longer with him.

Monty comes across as a very caring, decent bloke in this book. It's just like on Gardener's World, and, if you watch that programme, you're at an advantage to know the garden he describes [Longmeadow] in the book, which of course is in some detail to help any reader that hasn't seen Gardener's World.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes dogs, especially Golden Retrievers. There's a short history in there of them, but the main draw-in of the book is how well Monty describes his dog and his dog's attitude, whilst never forgetting that each dog is its own dog and a reflection of its owner. He does this very well. I'd also recommend it to anyone that enjoys Monty Don's work on Gardener's World, or anyone who wants an easy afternoon reading about a man and his many dogs.

Thanks Monty for the lovely, heartwarming book. I look forward to any others!

[Millie Barrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book really hard to read at first, I think all the fancy plant words made my brain turn off (or freak out). But, chapter by chapter, dog by dog, I fell in love with this book and makes me want to slow down in life.

If you have a dog, you’ll relate a lot to all of this book. Appreciating the history chats, the puppy chats, the naughty chats and the love and grieving that comes with a pet doggo. My heart just felt warm reading this, comforted and made my old dog Bob come to life in my brains and heart again, which made me even a little emotional at times - but in a loving gratitude way, not sadness.

I am now inspired to read a few more books on gardening and look forward to being able to have my own garden to curate. But also, I now want to read a lot my wholesome pet and animal books, they really slow your head down and remind of the small beauty’s of nature and life we sometimes over look (always overlook)

I am grateful I finally made myself read this book, it’s sparked a little warm part of my heart.

[Nicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful audiobook read beautifully by Monty Don himself. I loved every minute listening to his memories of Nigel and all the other dogs in his life.

I don’t watch Gardener’s World but I have enjoyed other TV programmes with Monty Don, particularly his gardens around the world shows, so I knew I would enjoy his writing. He has a really gentle manner about him that is very calming and gentle that made this a real delight. I actually book the Kindle book first for 99p and then added the audiobook for £2.99, as I wanted to hear Monty telling me about his dogs rather than reading myself.

He also talks about the history of domestic dogs and particularly Golden Retrievers. His gardens also feature, particularly Long Meadow, where Gardener’s World is filmed and he tells the story of how Nigel become a part of the show. Hearing about the garden made me want to own an established garden that I could tend rather than start from scratch. 😉

I haven’t had a dog in my life for decades, but this didn’t stop me enjoying this audiobook, as it reminded me of the lovely dogs from my childhood.

I highly recommend this on audio and could easily listen to this again.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful book, it is a real treat as yes it's about Nigel (if you watch gardners world he's the main star of the show) but also other dogs that Monty Don has had, the love you have for a dog and how they are so part of the family is truly seen in this book, what makes him pick the dogs and training too. I love the ending where it lists his dogs the years and there personality, his newest dog Nell he has put 'naughty, very naughty' I'm hoping we will have a book about Nell. I think the book explains beautifully that taking a dog although is amazing and beautiful you take on the responsibility of the death of the dog, and although this is the worse part of it, but it's important you put the dogs needs before yours, and that is a beautiful way of dealing with it even though it's do heart breaking. But there are some lovely tails of dogs terrorising the farmer (not do lovely for farmer) and Nigel's love of broad beans that he will pinch, and the apples too. Well worth reading beautiful book

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to the audio book with Tonia. 100% in the car.

Which was hard because there are multiple dog funerals in this book.

That said the story is full of life, dogs, gardening, food, and glimpses behind the scenes of a human I truly admire. Read by Monty Don himself.

It’s lovely. It’s good medicine. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

[John Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love dogs so I really enjoyed this book. It describes the characters of the many dogs that shared his life and their lucky large playground, his beautiful garden. Well written with some interesting facts about dogs and of course plants.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Monty Don of Gardeners' World and Golden Retrievers - what's not to like

[Gill T · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t like gardening and I’m not a dog lover, so I wasn’t expecting much from this book. However, I was proved wrong. I found it a very endearing and emotional read. How can you not fall in love with Nigel ? I enjoyed learning about all the different characteristics of the dogs and felt that I knew them all by the end of the book. A beautiful book that I will remember.

[Anne Fenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short and sweet book all about Monty Don’s dogs. Nigel features a lot but we learn about every dog Monty has ever had. There’s a bit of gardening in every part of his story too. A very pleasant read.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodness me I hardly ever get to see Gardener's World these days watching so little TV but the phenomenon that is Nigel had not escaped me and I knew Monty Don to be a writer worth reading, so I was in.

And it is a lovely, straightforward account of Monty Don's dogs (apparently the family have more but they are not 'his' in quite the same way), principally a love letter to Nigel the golden retriever who has stolen the show.

There was a lot less about Nigel's impact on Monty's mental health than I expected... perhaps he feels he has detailed sufficiently elsewhere his struggles with a very specific seasonal affective disorder, so here it is more implicit and general that dogs are good for emotional health.

It's not a sentimental book, although I had to wipe my eyes a couple of times. It also doesn't read like something dashed off without much thought to capture the moment - plenty of evidence that research has been done. Arguably, there would be many people (and their dogs) who would benefit more from reading this volume than applying themselves to the products put out by alphas of the dog training guru business.

[Jan Duthie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must admit to being a fan of Nigel and enjoy seeing him on Gardeners World with his new sidekick Nell. Monty Don writes of two of his deep loves -his dogs and his garden and it is that very sincerity and depth of feeling which makes this a very interesting read. Nigel and his predecessors have followed Monty through the ups and downs of his life as part of his family greatly loved and missed. All those fortunate enough to share their life with dogs never forget what was special about each one while enjoying the whims of their present dog. Never saccharine or mawkish but a sincere appreciation of dogs.

[Barrie Hedges · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't just about the relationship between Britain's best loved gardener and the immensely popular Golden Retriever that shares his TV spotlight. It's about his very individual love for each of his dogs since boyhood - each tiny characteristic vividly, sentimentally and humorously recalled. But what makes this book so powerful is that every true dog lover will relate it to his or her own pets and what it is that they love about them. And if you happen to be a gardener too, well that's even better!

[Cliff M · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting book about dogs in general and one dog in particular - Nigel, the real star of the Gardener's World TV programme. Monty Don writes well, and with frank honesty. His obsessive nature comes through strongly in this book. I can't imagine what such obsesiveness just mean for people who live and work with him, but it seems to work ok for the dogs in his life (all pf whom seem to have great lives). There's a couple of really nice chapters about the supervet Noel Fitzpatrick (who saved Nigel).

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and fell in love with Nigel right right from the start! He reminded me so much of my beloved golden retriever Cera. Cera is no longer with us, but reading this book brought back many memories of her in her younger years. Dogs bring so much joy to our lives and this book captures perfectly the special bond we have with them and the privilege it is to share our lives with these lovely animals.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought as a Christmas present by my other half as we both watch Gardener's World and I'm a dog fan about to get her first puppy. (Sorry, George (the cat)!)
This was a sweet account of a man, his dog(s) and his garden, but especially Nigel. Oh, & the family get a mention in passing too. Well written & confirming my belief that to be a happy gardener/walker a dog is a must.

[Jamie Bowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Monty's love of dogs, and in particular Nigel, clearly shines through in this book and resonates with me very strongly. Love and heartbreak come hand in hand with owning a dog, and Monty takes through this journey a few times as he talks about his other dogs. Monty also writes about Nigel's world, the Longmeadow garden, and explains how his garden has developed over the years. Lovely book.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me this was a book of two halves. I really enjoyed the sections on Nigella and the other dogs. I had not expected there to be quite so much detail about gardening.
Whilst this was undoubtedly well written and informative it was not what I expected and for me detracted from the pleasure of the book.

[Readsandeats · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had hoped this book would be more about Nigel than it was.
I found the bits about the garden interestign but there was too much about it.

I was expecting more about Nigel's character, what he does, how he reacts in various situations. It was also nice to hear about the other dogs that Monty has had in his life.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very easy, relaxing read. You indeed feel as though you are in the beautiful garden with a beautiful dog. I have not seen the television show to which the author refers which would have undoubtedly added to the enjoyment of reading however that is certainly not necessary to enjoy the book.

[Carol Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book, full of love and laughter. A story of all the dogs that have been part of Monty Don's life, along with the telling of the development of the gardens he has had.

Well worth reading, especially for ideas of what to plant for different effects.