The Garden of Reading

by Michele Slung

s/t: An Anthology of 20th-Century Short Fiction about Gardens & Gardeners
With selections grown from the fertile imaginations of the twentieth century’s most remarkable authors, editor and writer Michele Slung has assembled an enchanting and evocative anthology—the word itself comes from the Greek terms for “flower” and “to gather”—of short stories about gardens and all that grow in them.

The gardeners here are young and old, male and female, and the gardens themselves are a delightful mix of the formal and the wild. The twenty-four stories in The Garden of Reading comprise a diverse and unexpected collection but one that stays true to its central and harmonious theme. Included are Colette’s sensuous “Grape Harvest,” David Guterson’s poignant “The Flower Garden,” Stephen King’s sinister “The Lawnmower Man,” J. G. Ballard’s lovely and otherworldy “The Garden of Time,” the ominous “Green Thoughts” by John Collier, Rosamunde Pilcher’s touching and simply titled “The Tree,” and the splendid “The Fig Tree,” by V. S. Pritchett—as well as classics from such masters as Saki, Robert Graves, and Eudora Welty, and contemporary writing from the likes of Sandra Cisneros and Garrison Keillor.

If you’ve ever nurtured a flower, a tomato plant, or a gleam of imagination, there’s something in The Garden of Reading that is sure to delight.

Genres: Short Stories, Gardening

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Mary Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thrifted this book intending to put it in the Little Free Library our family stewards, but when I looked through the contributors and noticed Stephen King, Robert Graves, and Sandra Cisneros I decided to read it first. King’s story was horrifyingly entertaining (of course), Graves’ was entirely unremarkable, and Cisneros’ was a vignette pulled from The House on Mango Street which I’d read a couple of weeks before. Head-desk. I’m not sure why this annoys me so much but I just don’t think a novel in vignettes is the same as a short story collection. I may be wrong, but it felt like laziness on the part of the editor and a disservice to Cisneros. When I think of the rest of The Garden of Reading “middle-class whinging” springs to mind. This barely squeaked by with two stars. And I hope whoever selected it from the Little Free Library doesn’t hate us…

Originally posted on TinyBookFort as part of my Short Fiction Wrap-Up, 2020 Edition: Part I.

[Alison Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very enjoyable 'Dipper' if you enjoy dipping into stories by acclaimed writers, on the topic of gardens and gardening. I particularly enjoyed H.G. Ballard's "The Garden of Time"; also Robert Graves story about the couple who were obsessively creating Englands' biggest compost heap. Upon their deaths, the vast compost heap was carted off, and yielded some surprises!
Recommended.

[Jonquill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no expectations from this book but was happily surprised at the collection of short stories included in this anthology.

[Bridget O'Connor · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is the most random collection of stories on gardens. After reading Stephen Kings story I had a hard time trusting that the stories would be enjoyable and there were a few that were disturbing. Not the collection of gardening stories I was expecting.

[Nancy Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book of short stories about gardens and gardeners. I read one story each morning as a enjoyed my gardens. Very relaxing read!

[Mary Alice · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would have enjoyed this book far more without the Stephen King story. It really ruined the reading experience for me.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started out on a very high note with a story by David Guterson, The Flower Garden, which combined two of my loves, gardening and baseball, with love and angst. I loved it. As I continued on the stories were still pretty good, if a little weird, but when I came upon the killer lawnmower I was done. Read the first couple of stories, maybe the last few, and feel free to skip the weird ones.

*That was a surprising, golden season - my last good season, really, in baseball (there is something, though, to be said to the good for my seasons as a spectator since then, too).*

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the idea of this book--an anthology of pieces somehow related to the garden. A wild variety, sort of like my own garden!

Odd typos in this book, as if it were scanned, and then not sufficiently copyedited. Does that happen in publishing these days?

[Melanie H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh ... pretty uneven with lots of typos. Some stories are a lot better than others and it seemed to stick to a more traditional English garden when I believe there could have been more diversity here.

[Cyndia Montgomery · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm reading this now. So far it's quite pleasantly different from what I expected. The stories range from charming & poignant to sci-fi/fantasy; but with a range of writers from Eudora Welty to Stephen King that makes complete sense.
Highly recommend.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great stories. The twists and sly humor in the ones by Robert Graves and Saki were great fun. Jane Gardam's Blue Poppies was pitch-perfect.
Like several of the other readers, I was bothered by the typos.

[Sharen · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting selection of twentieth century stories on a timeless theme. Especially enjoyed Saki's "The Occasional Garden" and Jane Gardam's "Blue Poppies." Rosamunde Pilcher, Edna O'Brien, Barbara Pym and V.S. Pritchett also lovely.

[Christiangal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm excited about this book. I'm searching out info on gardening now for my future garden in the spring! This book is just pure goodness of gardening and literature, in one book.

[Meryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was like, Ray Bradbury meets "Chicken Soup for the Gardeners Soul". Definitely garden oriented, but kind of weird/sci-fi also.