Radical Prunings: A Novel of Officious Advice from the Contessa of Compost

by Bonnie Thomas Abbott

This rather deceptive work purports to be the collected horticultural columns of one opinionated Mertensia Corydalis. As Mertensia answers her readers’ innocent gardening questions, she reveals more than she intends about her life, her relationships (from her prissy ex-husband to questionable interactions with her employees, Miss Vong and Tran), and her state of mind.

Radical Prunings is a literate, funny, and surprisingly bittersweet fiction debut from a writer with a sharp wit and a very green thumb.

Genres: Gardening, Humor, Fiction, Adult Fiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published December 13, 2005

Reviews

[tteise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t know man… I almost cried at the end…

[Linda Rowlett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting little book — something of an epistolary novel. The book is composed of copies of the newsletters of one Mertensis Corydalis; the newsletters include some “Dear Reader” letters from Ms Corydalis and some letters to her requesting gardening advice, as well as her responses to those letters. Some of the responses had me chuckling out loud, especially in the first half of the book. Ms Corydalis was snarky and opinionated in her gardening advice.

Besides gardening advice, Ms Corydalis revealed much about her family, including her ex husband and brother, and about the people who worked for her. Some of this became tiresome to me.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every once in a while you strike gold while randomly perusing the shelves at the public library. This one had me laughing out loud and wishing I could meet the fictional Miss Corydalis and shake her hand. Each chapter is actually a newsletter called "Radical Prunings", published by Miss Mertensia Corydalis. She is a master gardener who opens each newsletter with some musings about her garden, certain plants she loves or hates, her employees, and her awful ex-husband, celebrity gardener Norton Doyle. Then follows the Q&A segment of the column, whith fictional people writing in fictional gardening questions that Miss C answers with acerbic wit. She does give some legitimate gardening advice as long as it doesn't have anything to do with lawn care. Miss C "does not entertain questions concerning lawn care"! This delightful and original piece of fiction was just what I needed while waiting for Spring to hurry up and get here. Do you have to be a middle aged woman who enjoys gardening to like this book? Hmmm...probably.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mertensia Corydalis has collected two year's worth of her garden advice columns in this slender volume. (By the way, her names are both, coincidentally, flower names; nongardeners may not know that.) She is opinionated about lawn care (she's against it) and her neighbor, who writes pseudonymous letters which show up among those she answers. She also includes snippets about her life, her assistant and his sister, her secretary, her brother, her mother, her ex-husband, who is one of her competitors. Oh, this sounds like one of those weird books that Susan likes, and it is, but it is also charming and funny. Why aren't there more books from this author?

[Gretchen Beerline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this clever and quirky little book. Because it is written as gardening column, it’s easy to read a little at a time. The book might be most enjoyable for those who garden and can appreciate the main character’s sometimes snarky and sly advice. A fun read.

[Julie Butcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

How I love a good gardening book.

[Lucy Thorneycroft · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good book! I adored the characters it was so clever. I really wish they had written more.

[Deborah Vance · Rating 4 out of 5]

The narrator is a garden advice columnist who reveals much about her personal life while sharing garden advice and opinion. It contains decent gardening advice from the Contessa of Compost along with the her strong opinions, especially her hatred of lawns. She responds to an ongling conflict with her next-door neighbor who tries to sneak his letters in, as well as with a suitor. It's quite funny, especially if you're a gardener.

[Brett Keniston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fiction for gardeners! Mertensia Corydalis writes a gardening newsletter and gives you glimpses of her life through the anecdotes she shares along the way. There is plenty of humor here and also a bunch of actual gardening advice. The book slows down a bit in the second half when the story starts to take center stage and we begin to see dialogue and description that is way beyond what the character would reasonably include in her newsletter. But that's okay. It's still a fun, fast read with some great characters and a story that makes you think about what it means to be a family and what it takes to keep that family together.

[Tess Julia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to put this book down because I found it annoying. I picked it up as part of my reading my way through the library, but the cover threw me off. I had to examine it carefully even though it said it was a novel because it looks so non-fiction.
The reasons I stopped reading it is because the format of a columnist answering gardening questions had me wondering what was the point of the book. I love to garden, but I would never ask advice from someone as nasty as this character. I didn't find it funny at all- just snarky and disappointing.
This book was not for me and I wouldn't recommend it.

[Suburbangardener · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Radical Prunings" had me laughing out loud, especially in the first half of the book. It takes the form of newsletters by the fictional gardening doyenne Mertensia Corydalis, discussing her garden, her employees, her family, and her garden celebrity ex-husband. The best part of the newsletters is the question and answer section, which is filled with saucy wit and good gardening advice. I don't know if a non-gardener would like this book, but gardeners will love it.

[Chi Dubinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

A satire of advice columnist written in the tongue-in-cheek style of “Miss Manners” or “Ask Amy.” Mertensia Corydalis dispenses garden advice, and somehow we get caught up in her personal life, and that of her garden boy Tran, and Miss Vang, her administratively challenged assistant. Laugh-out-loud humor!
A truly funny and original book. I recommend this to friends all the time. Apparently the author has published no other books.What a loss!

[Rand]

For the Wodehouse set: a garden book with more snark than variety, in every sense.

Because every prose has its Thorne.

sample wit: "senescence: perennial doesn't mean forever".

[Catharine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun and whimsical read. I love the Dear Abby style letters (but to a gardener) and the witty cutting replies are the highlight of this book. I didn't get as much out of the side relationships that we see in the course of the book. I think this would be an excellent gift to someone who was an avid gardener.

[Kay]

If you're a gardener how can you resist a book by the Contessa of Compost? I know I couldn't. This one reminded me a bit of Onward and Upward in the Garden by Katharine S. White. What an enjoyable read. I had to reread bits because she snuck so many little bon mots by me! Her gardener and secretary were a real hoot! If you are a gardener or just want a fun read, this one is for you(and me).

[Adrienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very strange little book. Written as a series of newsletter entries, it doesn't really have any sort of plot but is still entertaining and cute. That's really the best way to describe the. Book, I guess... cute.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was written by a woman currently living in Clintonville. We read this in my book club and invited the author to come speak. This is a quick, light read full of humor.

[Freb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like to laugh, read this book. It's a really quick read but well worth it for its naughtiness. I don't remember much about it except that I was delighted while reading it.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very curious, amusing novel in the guise of letters from a gardening advice columnist. I did put it down, but the concept was great and the narrator dryly funny.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute. Maybe sometimes a bit too cute. Very heavy on the whimsy. But I liked the wicked sense of humor the book had, and the discriptions of gardening and flowers made me so ready for spring.

[Diana Cates · Rating 3 out of 5]

An odd short book but it definitely had its funny moments. Especially at the end of the book when she and Tran caught Artie trying to steal from her garden. LOL!

[Bruth George · Rating 3 out of 5]

very amusing

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book.