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The Corner Garden
"I think I’ll call myself Gretel in this book. It’s not really my name. My name is really Jessie Barfoot, which is a perfectly respectable name, I guess, except that there’s nothing respectable about me. That’s one of the reasons we moved to Toronto. I’ve reached the age of fifteen and a half, and we’re going to get a New Start."
Old secrets and new starts stand at the centre of The Corner Garden. Questions of what can be hidden—and what changed—are intertwined in a story that moves between occupied Amsterdam during the Second World War and modern mongrelized Toronto.
Jessie Barfoot is precocious, witty and wounded, a female Holden Caulfield whose standards are too elevated for ordinary life. She’s been raised by single mother Michelle, a part-time student and sometime cab driver. When Michelle marries a charitable lawyer, Jessie feels only dismay.
"I consider myself far too young to have learned the meaning of pro bono," she tells her diary, "much less feel its impact upon my so-called innocent life."
After the new family moves to Toronto, Jessie’s curiosity is piqued by their cranky next door neighbour. Originally from the Netherlands, Martha van Telligen is a superb gardener with a secret she’s guarded ferociously since she was Jessie’s age. Yet once Jessie charms her way into the garden, Martha’s past begins a slow bleed into Jessie’s uncertain present, threatening both their futures.
Old secrets and new starts stand at the centre of The Corner Garden. Questions of what can be hidden—and what changed—are intertwined in a story that moves between occupied Amsterdam during the Second World War and modern mongrelized Toronto.
Jessie Barfoot is precocious, witty and wounded, a female Holden Caulfield whose standards are too elevated for ordinary life. She’s been raised by single mother Michelle, a part-time student and sometime cab driver. When Michelle marries a charitable lawyer, Jessie feels only dismay.
"I consider myself far too young to have learned the meaning of pro bono," she tells her diary, "much less feel its impact upon my so-called innocent life."
After the new family moves to Toronto, Jessie’s curiosity is piqued by their cranky next door neighbour. Originally from the Netherlands, Martha van Telligen is a superb gardener with a secret she’s guarded ferociously since she was Jessie’s age. Yet once Jessie charms her way into the garden, Martha’s past begins a slow bleed into Jessie’s uncertain present, threatening both their futures.
- GenresFiction
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
43 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
Lesley Krueger
15 books49 followersLesley Krueger's latest novel, Far Creek Road, is now out from ECW Press. Sheila Murray, author of Finding Edward, calls it "masterful."
According to a starred review in the Mirimachi Reader, "Far Creek Road is a wonderfully written novel, with full and rich characters, a delightful narrator, and very much the adult version of those Judy Blume stories we loved as kids. I was sucked into this novel right away, and Krueger’s ability to immerse me inside of Tink’s mind was impressive."
Lesley's previous novel, Time Squared, was published in September 2021 -- a time travelling look at the role of women through the ages. Says critic Kerry Clare, "I’ll dive right in and tell you that the novel, Time Squared by Lesley Krueger, which I’ve loved more than I’ve loved than any book I’ve read in ages."
Lesley is the author of four previous novels, a travel memoir and two books of short stories, as well as a novel for children aged ten and up. She lives in Toronto with her husband and their elderly cat, Archie.
According to a starred review in the Mirimachi Reader, "Far Creek Road is a wonderfully written novel, with full and rich characters, a delightful narrator, and very much the adult version of those Judy Blume stories we loved as kids. I was sucked into this novel right away, and Krueger’s ability to immerse me inside of Tink’s mind was impressive."
Lesley's previous novel, Time Squared, was published in September 2021 -- a time travelling look at the role of women through the ages. Says critic Kerry Clare, "I’ll dive right in and tell you that the novel, Time Squared by Lesley Krueger, which I’ve loved more than I’ve loved than any book I’ve read in ages."
Lesley is the author of four previous novels, a travel memoir and two books of short stories, as well as a novel for children aged ten and up. She lives in Toronto with her husband and their elderly cat, Archie.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 28, 2023
weird book
I had trouble following the story, and I don’t think it was because I read it while I was sick. There were just too many points of view being shared, which made it ridiculously hard to follow. Would it have been impossible for the author to have labeled each section with someone’s name, for catsake? There were a few times I came close to throwing my iPad across the room in frustration. Also, the ending was far too abrupt.
I had trouble following the story, and I don’t think it was because I read it while I was sick. There were just too many points of view being shared, which made it ridiculously hard to follow. Would it have been impossible for the author to have labeled each section with someone’s name, for catsake? There were a few times I came close to throwing my iPad across the room in frustration. Also, the ending was far too abrupt.
Displaying 1 of 1 review