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The Poison Garden
Thomas has inherited a magical box from his dead grandmother. This box provides entry into a mysterious garden. When he sees a ghostly vision of his grandmother, she tells him to find the person responsible for her death, and save her garden.
276 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
27 people are currently reading
847 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Singleton
36 books71 followersSarah Singleton was born in Thornbury in 1966. She was educated at the University of Nottingham and has travelled in Europe, India and Nepal. She has two daughters, Fuchsia and Poppy.
She worked as a reporter for local weekly newspapers, including the Wiltshire Gazette & Herald, before becoming a writer and freelance journalist in 2007. A novella, In The Mirror (Enigmatic Novellas #4), was reprinted by Cosmos Books in 2001. Her first novel (for adults), The Crow Maiden, was published by Cosmos in 2000 and was short-listed for the IAFA Crawford Award. She has had short stories published in various magazines and anthologies, including Black Static, QWF magazine, Enigmatic Tales and Interzone.
She worked as a reporter for local weekly newspapers, including the Wiltshire Gazette & Herald, before becoming a writer and freelance journalist in 2007. A novella, In The Mirror (Enigmatic Novellas #4), was reprinted by Cosmos Books in 2001. Her first novel (for adults), The Crow Maiden, was published by Cosmos in 2000 and was short-listed for the IAFA Crawford Award. She has had short stories published in various magazines and anthologies, including Black Static, QWF magazine, Enigmatic Tales and Interzone.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
July 23, 2019
A unique novel with an undistinguished idea. Very good characters and the storyline is amazing. 7 members of the Guild Of Medical Herbalist are murdered one by one. And the murderer or the helper of the murderer is in their midst. A novel full of mystery, adventure, fantasy, and fiction. Thomas is the main character. In fact, I have memorized the names of all the 7 gardens. Must read this novel because the end is a little horrifying. Loved it!!
April 11, 2009
I received my copy of Sarah Singleton’s The Poison Garden from a Simon & Schuster UK LiveJournal giveaway (along with a bookmark, postcard, and neat little button). The only unfortunate thing with this is that the book has not been released in the UK, much less in the United States where I’m from, and Amazon won’t let me publish my review! This happened with The 13 Treasure (which I loved) and Burial as well; hopefully I can keep an eye on when Amazon’s US website finally gives the go ahead for reviews on these three books. Other than that, I place reviews on my LiveJournal, two LiveJournal book communities and GoodReads.com.
The Poison Garden is an ambitious book that attempts to, in a little under 282 pages, accomplish what might better be served in twice that much space. The narrative opens in a cemetery on a windy winter day at the funeral of 10-year-old Thomas Reiter’s grandmother, Augusta Jane. Sister of 11 siblings, Augusta had only one daughter, Thomas’ mother, Ellen. Raised in luxury and perhaps resentful or unappreciative of the life her parents cultivated around her, Ellen married a poor young entrepreneur and forever doomed herself to a life distanced from her grandparents who disapproved of the marriage. Ellen and Dieter had a large family--seven children--and it was for her grandchildren that Augusta reopened communication. Thus connected, the family gathers at her posh mansion after the funeral for the reading of the Will. While his parents and numerous great aunts and uncles are accosted by the lawyer, Thomas ventures alone into his grandmother’s garden.
Here is where the structure of Singleton’s book begins to suffer from a bit of rushed story-telling. The narrative never explicitly dates itself (either in the text or on the jacket), but because I had read the description on Amazon’s UK website knew it took place in the 1850s. Knowing this helps a great deal, I think, although a rough estimation of the time period can be gleaned from certain vocabulary as well as the reminder of certain antiquated setting pieces. In any event, this wasn’t much of a big deal; I point it out only because I was curious and had to look it up again after I’d forgotten and the book itself was of no help in this.
Thomas is exploring in his grandmother’s garden and there’s memories of her mannerisms (cold, distant) and odd behavior related to certain kitchen experiments, an allusion to Thomas’ curiosity and interest in her gardening habits and perhaps an awareness of this on her part. He wanders until he approaches a sundial with an odd wooden box laying open on top. But before he can do more than stare in fascination, Thomas realizes he is no longer in his grandmother’s backyard. The garden has transformed--a new archway of briars and a stone pathway leading into the unknown beckons Thomas forward. He follows, lured by an odd, disembodied voice until he finds himself face to face with a strange man.
And here his adventures begin. Nehemiah Alfred Blake (“Blake”) introduces himself as Augusta’s neighbor and asks Thomas to meet him at the sundial at midnight. When Thomas gets back to the house, he has to hurry to the reading of the Will where his family is caught between anger, shock, and dismay--Augusta’s mansion and the majority of her income is bequeathed to a mysterious 3rd party; poor Ellen and Dieter are short-changed and Thomas receives a chest filled with odd papers and drawings, money for an apprenticeship in the city when he turns 14, as well as the wooden box he’d seen earlier in the garden, now removed and placed mysteriously inside of the chest. Restless, Thomas goes to his grandmother’s former room to while away the hours until midnight when in a rush, menacing shadows and Blake appear warning Thomas of a change in plans. The box is being hunted and the man and boy flee to the garden where a battle of strength is played out between Blake and their pursuer which results in Blake’s death and the revelation that Thomas’ grandmother had many, many secrets. All within the first two (very short) chapters of the book. There is a break in the narrative and a flash forward to four years later on the eve of Thomas’ departure for London and Constantine & Blacklow’s Pharmaceutical Chemist shop.
What I should have mentioned earlier is that The Poison Garden is broken into several sections, each with a title of what you later learn is the name of a different Garden. What you don’t find out right away is the significance of the name--the names known only to the reader at this point--or the magic involved in Augusta’s expanding garden. Despite jumping into the adventure of the story almost right away, I was positive the narrative would slow enough so the exposition could catch up with events, but it felt as if for most of the book the explanations were either too shallow (but maybe appropriate considering the length of the book) or too rushed. A lot of the events felt out of place and the fast-paced action and parsing of information went by too fast for the climax to really benefit from the suspense Singleton tried to create. In fact, the lack of space necessary to build up the suspense is the main thing that bothered me about The Poison Garden.
At first I thought that the genre dictated where and when the plot went, but only if it had been a children’s book and not YA (here I’m thinking particularly of The Chronicle of Narnia books). The writing was good, really good, and that disappointed me even more. Since the writing was at a respectable and admirable level for young adults, I was sad to see the narrative fall short in its pacing and execution. At times the transitions from each section were jumpy and awkward, as if Singleton was operating intentionally under restricted page limit and had to get information out sooner than was comfortable. The plot suffered and left me wanting more than I got. Which is a shame because it started off so promising and the writing is pleasant and alluring, even sophisticated at times.
I found myself more interested in the backstory of the Guild of Medical Herbalists than I was with Thomas and the unraveling of Augusta’s apparent poisoning and the other odd murders that followed. That’s not to say Thomas’ present wasn’t interesting, but because Singleton pushed us forward so quickly, the return to events of a past that lingered and allowed for more character development and an emotional connection with them left me wishing she had paid better care to do that more often and in the beginning of the book so I wasn’t left feeling detached and uncaring by the end.
Another minor complaint is the confused dialogue of Lee, the American member of the Guild. I’m not sure if Singleton was ever comfortable with writing an American accent; Lee’s speech awkwardly combined formal and informal words and phrases that made it difficult sometimes to read conversation with him and not start smiling in amusement at whether or not I could figure out what tone he was trying to use.
Singleton never goes back to the papers Thomas finds in the chest he inherits from his grandmother. Considering how fast things progress I wasn’t surprised, but he never even goes back in memory to draw any real significance to the papers which may or may not have been important after all.
The concept of Eden and the separation of gardens, each altered by the imagination of the owner is so amazing and creative I couldn’t help wishing the book had been written with better pacing, was a lot longer or had even been chopped into a duology to draw out the character’s personalities a little more and invest the audience with more of a connection between them and the beautiful gardens. The suspense would have been a lot better as a result if I felt drawn enough to the characters to really root for their success. Instead, Singleton tried to integrate two suspenseful threads together too quickly enough for me to invest any attachment to either one.
I’m glad I read it anyway and recommend this to fans of the whimsical, magical, and suspenseful. Just remember, it’s listed as YA, but reads (in execution of events, not the actual writing) more like a book aimed at a much younger audience.
The Poison Garden is an ambitious book that attempts to, in a little under 282 pages, accomplish what might better be served in twice that much space. The narrative opens in a cemetery on a windy winter day at the funeral of 10-year-old Thomas Reiter’s grandmother, Augusta Jane. Sister of 11 siblings, Augusta had only one daughter, Thomas’ mother, Ellen. Raised in luxury and perhaps resentful or unappreciative of the life her parents cultivated around her, Ellen married a poor young entrepreneur and forever doomed herself to a life distanced from her grandparents who disapproved of the marriage. Ellen and Dieter had a large family--seven children--and it was for her grandchildren that Augusta reopened communication. Thus connected, the family gathers at her posh mansion after the funeral for the reading of the Will. While his parents and numerous great aunts and uncles are accosted by the lawyer, Thomas ventures alone into his grandmother’s garden.
Here is where the structure of Singleton’s book begins to suffer from a bit of rushed story-telling. The narrative never explicitly dates itself (either in the text or on the jacket), but because I had read the description on Amazon’s UK website knew it took place in the 1850s. Knowing this helps a great deal, I think, although a rough estimation of the time period can be gleaned from certain vocabulary as well as the reminder of certain antiquated setting pieces. In any event, this wasn’t much of a big deal; I point it out only because I was curious and had to look it up again after I’d forgotten and the book itself was of no help in this.
Thomas is exploring in his grandmother’s garden and there’s memories of her mannerisms (cold, distant) and odd behavior related to certain kitchen experiments, an allusion to Thomas’ curiosity and interest in her gardening habits and perhaps an awareness of this on her part. He wanders until he approaches a sundial with an odd wooden box laying open on top. But before he can do more than stare in fascination, Thomas realizes he is no longer in his grandmother’s backyard. The garden has transformed--a new archway of briars and a stone pathway leading into the unknown beckons Thomas forward. He follows, lured by an odd, disembodied voice until he finds himself face to face with a strange man.
And here his adventures begin. Nehemiah Alfred Blake (“Blake”) introduces himself as Augusta’s neighbor and asks Thomas to meet him at the sundial at midnight. When Thomas gets back to the house, he has to hurry to the reading of the Will where his family is caught between anger, shock, and dismay--Augusta’s mansion and the majority of her income is bequeathed to a mysterious 3rd party; poor Ellen and Dieter are short-changed and Thomas receives a chest filled with odd papers and drawings, money for an apprenticeship in the city when he turns 14, as well as the wooden box he’d seen earlier in the garden, now removed and placed mysteriously inside of the chest. Restless, Thomas goes to his grandmother’s former room to while away the hours until midnight when in a rush, menacing shadows and Blake appear warning Thomas of a change in plans. The box is being hunted and the man and boy flee to the garden where a battle of strength is played out between Blake and their pursuer which results in Blake’s death and the revelation that Thomas’ grandmother had many, many secrets. All within the first two (very short) chapters of the book. There is a break in the narrative and a flash forward to four years later on the eve of Thomas’ departure for London and Constantine & Blacklow’s Pharmaceutical Chemist shop.
What I should have mentioned earlier is that The Poison Garden is broken into several sections, each with a title of what you later learn is the name of a different Garden. What you don’t find out right away is the significance of the name--the names known only to the reader at this point--or the magic involved in Augusta’s expanding garden. Despite jumping into the adventure of the story almost right away, I was positive the narrative would slow enough so the exposition could catch up with events, but it felt as if for most of the book the explanations were either too shallow (but maybe appropriate considering the length of the book) or too rushed. A lot of the events felt out of place and the fast-paced action and parsing of information went by too fast for the climax to really benefit from the suspense Singleton tried to create. In fact, the lack of space necessary to build up the suspense is the main thing that bothered me about The Poison Garden.
At first I thought that the genre dictated where and when the plot went, but only if it had been a children’s book and not YA (here I’m thinking particularly of The Chronicle of Narnia books). The writing was good, really good, and that disappointed me even more. Since the writing was at a respectable and admirable level for young adults, I was sad to see the narrative fall short in its pacing and execution. At times the transitions from each section were jumpy and awkward, as if Singleton was operating intentionally under restricted page limit and had to get information out sooner than was comfortable. The plot suffered and left me wanting more than I got. Which is a shame because it started off so promising and the writing is pleasant and alluring, even sophisticated at times.
I found myself more interested in the backstory of the Guild of Medical Herbalists than I was with Thomas and the unraveling of Augusta’s apparent poisoning and the other odd murders that followed. That’s not to say Thomas’ present wasn’t interesting, but because Singleton pushed us forward so quickly, the return to events of a past that lingered and allowed for more character development and an emotional connection with them left me wishing she had paid better care to do that more often and in the beginning of the book so I wasn’t left feeling detached and uncaring by the end.
Another minor complaint is the confused dialogue of Lee, the American member of the Guild. I’m not sure if Singleton was ever comfortable with writing an American accent; Lee’s speech awkwardly combined formal and informal words and phrases that made it difficult sometimes to read conversation with him and not start smiling in amusement at whether or not I could figure out what tone he was trying to use.
Singleton never goes back to the papers Thomas finds in the chest he inherits from his grandmother. Considering how fast things progress I wasn’t surprised, but he never even goes back in memory to draw any real significance to the papers which may or may not have been important after all.
The concept of Eden and the separation of gardens, each altered by the imagination of the owner is so amazing and creative I couldn’t help wishing the book had been written with better pacing, was a lot longer or had even been chopped into a duology to draw out the character’s personalities a little more and invest the audience with more of a connection between them and the beautiful gardens. The suspense would have been a lot better as a result if I felt drawn enough to the characters to really root for their success. Instead, Singleton tried to integrate two suspenseful threads together too quickly enough for me to invest any attachment to either one.
I’m glad I read it anyway and recommend this to fans of the whimsical, magical, and suspenseful. Just remember, it’s listed as YA, but reads (in execution of events, not the actual writing) more like a book aimed at a much younger audience.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 26, 2017
Sarah Singleton's The Poison Garden is wonderful novel ripe for budding readers that makes up for it's lack luster lead character with the rich mythology, world, and mysteries it presents.
Characters
While I enjoyed the vast majority of characters the book offered, Thomas, the main character, didn't leave enough of an impression on me. I never felt like I truly got to know him, which was unfortunate. Despite that the rest of the guild members, especially the older members, truly were memorable, and likable! I would like to add too however that much of the side characters quickly disappeared into the background after being introduced, which at times was unfortunate.
World
Here lies the book's strength. The garden/box mythology was absolutely superb, as was the guild history. Singleton was at her best when she delved into the gardens/mythology, even the writing stood out. I especially adored the withdrawal and lack of information, leaving much of the world to be filled in by the imagination of the readers, and it just worked! A tough feat to pull off!
Plot
Satisfactory. The mystery was great, the journey was good, and the conclusion, while feeling rushed, was good. It even gets quite dark at times, which I really admired, the tone was just right throughout. At times it almost felt like a childrens classic, which really impressed me. Singleton is certainly an author to look out for!
In all, for what it is, I can honestly say I really enjoyed the book! As such, I'm awarding it four wonderful shooting stars! Definitely a book to check out! I was left impressed.
Characters
While I enjoyed the vast majority of characters the book offered, Thomas, the main character, didn't leave enough of an impression on me. I never felt like I truly got to know him, which was unfortunate. Despite that the rest of the guild members, especially the older members, truly were memorable, and likable! I would like to add too however that much of the side characters quickly disappeared into the background after being introduced, which at times was unfortunate.
World
Here lies the book's strength. The garden/box mythology was absolutely superb, as was the guild history. Singleton was at her best when she delved into the gardens/mythology, even the writing stood out. I especially adored the withdrawal and lack of information, leaving much of the world to be filled in by the imagination of the readers, and it just worked! A tough feat to pull off!
Plot
Satisfactory. The mystery was great, the journey was good, and the conclusion, while feeling rushed, was good. It even gets quite dark at times, which I really admired, the tone was just right throughout. At times it almost felt like a childrens classic, which really impressed me. Singleton is certainly an author to look out for!
In all, for what it is, I can honestly say I really enjoyed the book! As such, I'm awarding it four wonderful shooting stars! Definitely a book to check out! I was left impressed.
December 8, 2024
This was alright. A bit of a lemony snicket vibe with a predictable ending. Not bad but not incredibly phenomenal either, just a mysterious fantasy for the most part. Honestly have very little to say because it was just kind of meh.
June 23, 2009
The Poison Garden
Written By: Sarah Singleton
Published By: Simon and Schuster UK, 2009, 284 pages, paperback
ISBN 978-1847382979
The Poison Garden had me captivated from page one; with vivid scenery and flowing prose, this YA novel creates a world that is 1 part historical and 1 part fantastical. This story has a rather dark undertone throughout; it certainly isn’t a feel-good read, but it isn’t meant to be either. With curiosity, a thirst for adventure and at his Grandmother’s behest, Thomas becomes a chemist’s apprentice where he finds himself evermore entangled in an ancient, secret Guild; life in the real world doesn’t compare with what the secret Society holds in store for him. This is the first book by Sarah Singleton that I have read and reviewed and I sincerely hope that it won’t be the last; I just love this book! The story flows smoothly for the most part, with only a...
* Please follow the link to read the whole review:
http://bookreviewsbybobbie.wordpress....
Written By: Sarah Singleton
Published By: Simon and Schuster UK, 2009, 284 pages, paperback
ISBN 978-1847382979
The Poison Garden had me captivated from page one; with vivid scenery and flowing prose, this YA novel creates a world that is 1 part historical and 1 part fantastical. This story has a rather dark undertone throughout; it certainly isn’t a feel-good read, but it isn’t meant to be either. With curiosity, a thirst for adventure and at his Grandmother’s behest, Thomas becomes a chemist’s apprentice where he finds himself evermore entangled in an ancient, secret Guild; life in the real world doesn’t compare with what the secret Society holds in store for him. This is the first book by Sarah Singleton that I have read and reviewed and I sincerely hope that it won’t be the last; I just love this book! The story flows smoothly for the most part, with only a...
* Please follow the link to read the whole review:
http://bookreviewsbybobbie.wordpress....
January 19, 2018
The ultimate origin of Paradise is a walled enclosure, an enclosed space where one can cultivate plants and enjoy the delights of running water. Since its Iranian beginnings five or six centuries before the birth of Christ it has accumulated so much symbolism, associations and expectations but that image of the walled garden has remained a constant, whether in the guise of parkland or as the smallest suburban plot. How much do we all, gardeners or not, see it as a place of peace, of repose, as a piece of heaven on earth!
But that walled garden concept is never so tightly bounded as by the confines of our own skull, within the folds of our brains: "I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space," as Hamlet said, and that idea of a garden at once expansive and yet contained is at the heart of Sarah Singleton's haunting novel.
We first meet young Thomas Kurt Reiter at his grandmother's funeral. Wandering around her garden afterwards he comes across a wooden box placed on a sundial. A curious stranger called Blake leads him through what the man terms the grandmother's 'secret' garden before violently attacking a stranger playing a violin by the grave of Thomas's grandmother. Thomas is naturally confused by what has happened, and even more astonished to later hear from his grandmother's lawyer that when he is fourteen he is to be apprenticed to Mr Constantine, a London chemist and herbalist. All this sets the scene for Singleton's mysterious Gothick fantasy, all against a backdrop of Victorian England -- all freezing cold and mists -- to which is added a touch of the supernatural (with a revenant) and clandestine guilds.
It is only when Thomas is apprenticed that he learns about the Guild of Medical Herbalists, an ancient organisation which has recently been revived. When he discovers that his grandmother was a member it soon becomes clear that she was murdered by poison, and that each of the current members are being targeted. But how, and by whom? The answers begin in his grandmother's oak chest, in which resides the wooden box that Thomas found earlier on the sundial.
Here then is the confluence of Time and Space. Time, prefigured by that sundial, is effectively stopped in the various gardens that Thomas visits, where seasons remain constant though the planting may show signs of neglect. Space, on the other hand, is subsumed within the objects contained not only in Thomas' box but also the others that he comes to know of, these objects becoming virtual black holes where reality is sucked in and distorted before being spat out.
Not only is this a case of Doctor Who's TARDIS meets medieval Guild; there are other themes to be met in this Box-of-Delights sort of book. The various gardens that Thomas either visits or hears about -- Arcadia, Acoma, Albion, Brocéliande, Tadmor, Nineveh, Xanadu -- not only are redolent of ancient sites associated with horticulture (pastureland, a desert mesa, a "green and pleasant land", a forest, an oasis, legendary hanging gardens and a pleasure park) but are also connected with aspects of herbalism (poisons, hallucinogens, aphrodisiacs, soporifics, healing plants and scents).
Their guardian gardeners also may have suggestive names: Blake is naturally with Albion, Constantine takes control of Tadmor (capital of the ancient Palmyran Empire, rival to Rome and possibly a spur to the founding of Constantinople) while the mellifluous forenames of Ernestina, Augusta and Louisa perhaps recall Octavia Hill, one of the founders of the National Trust. I should also add the young and enigmatic Maud (about whom I'd like to have known more) who, as well as recalling Ophelia in Shakespeare's play, also takes her name from the poem (and song) 'Come into the garden, Maud, | For the black bat Night has flown...'
Thomas Kurt Reiter is an interesting young man whose names seem to allude to aspects of his character. Various figures called Thomas (Tam Lin, Thomas the Rhymer, Tam o' Shanter) were supposed to have visited Fairyland; his curt mannerisms, so much a barrier to him being an attractive protagonist, may account for his middle name; and we're told that Reiter, which in German means 'rider', is as a surname "locational, derived from places called Reit or Reith (with an original meaning of 'clearing')" and thus another indication of a cultivated space.
There's also an Arthurian or Welsh dimension to Thomas' background: his grandmother's garden is called Brocéliande, after the Arthurian forest in Brittany, and -- like Gwion Bach in the native story of the witch Ceridwen-- Thomas licks a finger he has stuck in his grandmother's cooking, thereby gaining insights into a magical world. And the wooden box and the strange object it contains are all reminiscent of conflicting medieval descriptions of the Holy Grail. Now I've seen critical commentary on his supposed lack of character development, but to me Thomas seems like a typical 14-year-old boy, prey to his emotions and convinced he knows what is right. Typical, that is, except for all these layers of mythical significance which weigh him down.
So much for hidden depths in Singleton's fantasy; does it stand up on its own merits? The Poison Garden works cleverly across genres -- part murder mystery, ghost story, Gothick romance and fairytale -- keeping the reader intrigued and guessing. Then there are larger than life characters (though I found the female figures less convincing than the strongly delineated males), most with secrets of their own, not all of whom survive and whose demise we might regret. There is also a strong sense of atmosphere (the story is set in the middle of the 19th century, with Dickensian overtones) which is well maintained through to the end.
So, much to admire here, though Thomas remains as much of an enigma in the closing chapter as he did in the first: what's the significance of his German background? why does his immediate family cease to figure in the narrative? and what's his burning motivation beyond the solving of the mystery of the gardens of Eden? I was not totally engaged with him but, on the plus side, I was buoyed up and gripped by the action.
https://wp.me/s2oNj1-garden
But that walled garden concept is never so tightly bounded as by the confines of our own skull, within the folds of our brains: "I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space," as Hamlet said, and that idea of a garden at once expansive and yet contained is at the heart of Sarah Singleton's haunting novel.
We first meet young Thomas Kurt Reiter at his grandmother's funeral. Wandering around her garden afterwards he comes across a wooden box placed on a sundial. A curious stranger called Blake leads him through what the man terms the grandmother's 'secret' garden before violently attacking a stranger playing a violin by the grave of Thomas's grandmother. Thomas is naturally confused by what has happened, and even more astonished to later hear from his grandmother's lawyer that when he is fourteen he is to be apprenticed to Mr Constantine, a London chemist and herbalist. All this sets the scene for Singleton's mysterious Gothick fantasy, all against a backdrop of Victorian England -- all freezing cold and mists -- to which is added a touch of the supernatural (with a revenant) and clandestine guilds.
It is only when Thomas is apprenticed that he learns about the Guild of Medical Herbalists, an ancient organisation which has recently been revived. When he discovers that his grandmother was a member it soon becomes clear that she was murdered by poison, and that each of the current members are being targeted. But how, and by whom? The answers begin in his grandmother's oak chest, in which resides the wooden box that Thomas found earlier on the sundial.
Here then is the confluence of Time and Space. Time, prefigured by that sundial, is effectively stopped in the various gardens that Thomas visits, where seasons remain constant though the planting may show signs of neglect. Space, on the other hand, is subsumed within the objects contained not only in Thomas' box but also the others that he comes to know of, these objects becoming virtual black holes where reality is sucked in and distorted before being spat out.
Not only is this a case of Doctor Who's TARDIS meets medieval Guild; there are other themes to be met in this Box-of-Delights sort of book. The various gardens that Thomas either visits or hears about -- Arcadia, Acoma, Albion, Brocéliande, Tadmor, Nineveh, Xanadu -- not only are redolent of ancient sites associated with horticulture (pastureland, a desert mesa, a "green and pleasant land", a forest, an oasis, legendary hanging gardens and a pleasure park) but are also connected with aspects of herbalism (poisons, hallucinogens, aphrodisiacs, soporifics, healing plants and scents).
Their guardian gardeners also may have suggestive names: Blake is naturally with Albion, Constantine takes control of Tadmor (capital of the ancient Palmyran Empire, rival to Rome and possibly a spur to the founding of Constantinople) while the mellifluous forenames of Ernestina, Augusta and Louisa perhaps recall Octavia Hill, one of the founders of the National Trust. I should also add the young and enigmatic Maud (about whom I'd like to have known more) who, as well as recalling Ophelia in Shakespeare's play, also takes her name from the poem (and song) 'Come into the garden, Maud, | For the black bat Night has flown...'
Thomas Kurt Reiter is an interesting young man whose names seem to allude to aspects of his character. Various figures called Thomas (Tam Lin, Thomas the Rhymer, Tam o' Shanter) were supposed to have visited Fairyland; his curt mannerisms, so much a barrier to him being an attractive protagonist, may account for his middle name; and we're told that Reiter, which in German means 'rider', is as a surname "locational, derived from places called Reit or Reith (with an original meaning of 'clearing')" and thus another indication of a cultivated space.
There's also an Arthurian or Welsh dimension to Thomas' background: his grandmother's garden is called Brocéliande, after the Arthurian forest in Brittany, and -- like Gwion Bach in the native story of the witch Ceridwen-- Thomas licks a finger he has stuck in his grandmother's cooking, thereby gaining insights into a magical world. And the wooden box and the strange object it contains are all reminiscent of conflicting medieval descriptions of the Holy Grail. Now I've seen critical commentary on his supposed lack of character development, but to me Thomas seems like a typical 14-year-old boy, prey to his emotions and convinced he knows what is right. Typical, that is, except for all these layers of mythical significance which weigh him down.
So much for hidden depths in Singleton's fantasy; does it stand up on its own merits? The Poison Garden works cleverly across genres -- part murder mystery, ghost story, Gothick romance and fairytale -- keeping the reader intrigued and guessing. Then there are larger than life characters (though I found the female figures less convincing than the strongly delineated males), most with secrets of their own, not all of whom survive and whose demise we might regret. There is also a strong sense of atmosphere (the story is set in the middle of the 19th century, with Dickensian overtones) which is well maintained through to the end.
So, much to admire here, though Thomas remains as much of an enigma in the closing chapter as he did in the first: what's the significance of his German background? why does his immediate family cease to figure in the narrative? and what's his burning motivation beyond the solving of the mystery of the gardens of Eden? I was not totally engaged with him but, on the plus side, I was buoyed up and gripped by the action.
One little postscript: as well as the historical Guild of Medical Herbalists, a wonderful concept of the author's, Sarah Singleton acknowledges the existence of the Guild of Funerary Violinists and its 'learned' historian Rohan Kriwaczek. The interested browser can explore these sites and their many links to its history, members, both printed and recorded music, and international conferences. With its fascinating subject matter, practices and motto (nullus funus sine fidula: "no funeral without a fiddle") wouldn't it be marvellous to believe that it actually existed?
https://wp.me/s2oNj1-garden
December 5, 2014
This is one of the best paced books I have read in a long time; the author provided snippets of information gradually, at a realistic pace, without it becoming slow or cumbersome. The snippets held my interest and kept me guessing, and I was in no rush to get to the answers, for every part of the book was so full and vibrant. I wanted to experience every part of it, rather than just see where it ended up. The characters all felt like they had extra layers beyond what was provided within the book. The world felt nearly tangible, as if the book, like the boxes in the book, could open up and let me into a new form of existence. And the language was brilliant, poetical. Definitely worth a read.
June 24, 2017
3.5 stars.
This was pretty good. It had some really great ideas, and I loved the gardens. They probably had the best bits of description in the entire book. The characters were good, but I didn't really attach to any of them. I don't think I'll ever read it again, but I'd certainly recommend it for younger audiences (probably from about 8 or 9 years old).
This was pretty good. It had some really great ideas, and I loved the gardens. They probably had the best bits of description in the entire book. The characters were good, but I didn't really attach to any of them. I don't think I'll ever read it again, but I'd certainly recommend it for younger audiences (probably from about 8 or 9 years old).
October 10, 2015
Interesting novel - I loved the idea of secret gardens hidden inside plain boxes that were bigger on the inside, that took on aspects of whoever controlled the garden; their dreams, their memories, their imagination. What wonderful places those gardens could be, and what terrible places.
The mystery of the murders was enthralling, but I found the ending somewhat unsatisfying. We never learned where the garden came from, or what the other members of the previous guild had created. Still, an entertaining and well-written novel.
The mystery of the murders was enthralling, but I found the ending somewhat unsatisfying. We never learned where the garden came from, or what the other members of the previous guild had created. Still, an entertaining and well-written novel.
October 1, 2017
What a trip man. At first, I dreaded picking this book up to continue reading. The writing style just seemed so tedious to me. I can't say I agree with the demographic that the book picked. Eleven plus? If I, a 19-year-old English major, was trudging through this book, I can't imagine how an eleven year old would do it.
It got better around page 72. I can't say it was amazing, but it was at least bearable. The plot was thickening, things were happening. I found myself not really feeling a connection to Thomas, the main character. Just wasn't doin' it for me. He seemed the least 3D to me. Other's might feel differently, this is just my opinion, obviously.
I really liked that the author was able to incorporate such a futuristic idea into an earlier time period (1800s). That actually worked out pretty well.
As for who dunnit, I can honestly say I never saw it coming. I'm sure a lot of people did, but as I've said before, I can be a little dense sometimes. As for my prediction that Karsch didn't actually die and somehow escaped into the box, I was at least half right and I'm so proud of myself for that.
All in all, I liked the ending. I think it wrapped up pretty nicely. I might even give it 3.5 stars.
I hope this review was cohesive enough. I think it's my first real one I've ever written, and my thoughts tend to be all over the place (it's also 2:30am soooo). Thank you for reading, if you've come this far.
It got better around page 72. I can't say it was amazing, but it was at least bearable. The plot was thickening, things were happening. I found myself not really feeling a connection to Thomas, the main character. Just wasn't doin' it for me. He seemed the least 3D to me. Other's might feel differently, this is just my opinion, obviously.
I really liked that the author was able to incorporate such a futuristic idea into an earlier time period (1800s). That actually worked out pretty well.
As for who dunnit, I can honestly say I never saw it coming. I'm sure a lot of people did, but as I've said before, I can be a little dense sometimes. As for my prediction that Karsch didn't actually die and somehow escaped into the box, I was at least half right and I'm so proud of myself for that.
All in all, I liked the ending. I think it wrapped up pretty nicely. I might even give it 3.5 stars.
I hope this review was cohesive enough. I think it's my first real one I've ever written, and my thoughts tend to be all over the place (it's also 2:30am soooo). Thank you for reading, if you've come this far.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 8, 2022
I received this book as a part of the surprise box from Kitabay. The description behind the book seemed interesting, fantasy being a genre I enjoy. But the book disappointed me overall.
The Poison Garden had an excellent premise with seven unique gardens and masters who conduct each. As the first master dies, her grandson inherits a box containing the garden. He finds out his grandmother was murdered, and slowly, each member of the guild is murdered, and it is left to the boy to figure out who is behind these deaths.
The story started on a promising note and held my attention, but I soon lost interest. I wished the story had a faster pace. Also, the characters lack an arc where you can fall in love with them or build a connection with them. The ending seems like the author ran short of ideas and decided to wrap the story up.
In terms of Sarah Singleton's writing style, some parts of the story were poetically described, but others seemed tedious and without reason.
I rate this book 2 stars.
The Poison Garden had an excellent premise with seven unique gardens and masters who conduct each. As the first master dies, her grandson inherits a box containing the garden. He finds out his grandmother was murdered, and slowly, each member of the guild is murdered, and it is left to the boy to figure out who is behind these deaths.
The story started on a promising note and held my attention, but I soon lost interest. I wished the story had a faster pace. Also, the characters lack an arc where you can fall in love with them or build a connection with them. The ending seems like the author ran short of ideas and decided to wrap the story up.
In terms of Sarah Singleton's writing style, some parts of the story were poetically described, but others seemed tedious and without reason.
I rate this book 2 stars.
February 15, 2025
This fantasy novel by Sarah singleton is based of mysterious gardens and the murders of their owners.
The protagonist Thomas finds a magical box left by his grandmother who has passed away under the mysterious circumstances. Through this box Thomas enters into a mysterious garden of his grandmother. As he explores the garden he comes to know about a secret guild whose members are the owners of gardens. The young pharmacist Thomas found himself in a life threatening situation as these guild members are being murdered by one by one.
The descriptions of gardens, the imaginary world created by the author is captivating. The book has a charm of Victorian era. The character development is good the vocabulary is good. The murder mystery keeps you engrossed. A good read in all.
The protagonist Thomas finds a magical box left by his grandmother who has passed away under the mysterious circumstances. Through this box Thomas enters into a mysterious garden of his grandmother. As he explores the garden he comes to know about a secret guild whose members are the owners of gardens. The young pharmacist Thomas found himself in a life threatening situation as these guild members are being murdered by one by one.
The descriptions of gardens, the imaginary world created by the author is captivating. The book has a charm of Victorian era. The character development is good the vocabulary is good. The murder mystery keeps you engrossed. A good read in all.
August 2, 2019
This book engrosses its readers into an adventure through the protagonist, Thomas Reiter who was intrigued by the magical experiments of his grandmother, Augusta; who passes away under a mysterious circumstances. Thomas, then explores her grandma's garden where he finds a mysterious box through which he eventually discovers the reality behind his grandma's death.
Whole book has been divided into five parts based on five different gardens. The plot takes us into the Victorian era. A book written in simple English with classical vibes.
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.
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For full review go to my instagram page Kala.e.Kitaabi.
Thank you :)
Whole book has been divided into five parts based on five different gardens. The plot takes us into the Victorian era. A book written in simple English with classical vibes.
.
.
.
For full review go to my instagram page Kala.e.Kitaabi.
Thank you :)
March 1, 2019
I was confused a lot through the story. Though yet it was told this way that it made up for it. The gardens are a very nice though, I liked the mystical concept of the book and the mystery behind it.
Written in historical times, the author really makes a good point of who to trust and who not to trust. A cover is not the book. I really enjoyed the mystery between the characters and the character developments throughout the book.
A very lovely novel to read in 1 time.
Written in historical times, the author really makes a good point of who to trust and who not to trust. A cover is not the book. I really enjoyed the mystery between the characters and the character developments throughout the book.
A very lovely novel to read in 1 time.
June 29, 2023
Honestly a solid 3 stars
There are some movements in the writing that are solid poetry, but there's a lot of the book that's just characters explaining things/telling stories to the main character. There's a weird abstraction that makes you feel like the main character isn't really there; I couldn't even remember his name until the book's climax
The world is really cool, I just wish we could explore the gardens a bit more than we do
There are some movements in the writing that are solid poetry, but there's a lot of the book that's just characters explaining things/telling stories to the main character. There's a weird abstraction that makes you feel like the main character isn't really there; I couldn't even remember his name until the book's climax
The world is really cool, I just wish we could explore the gardens a bit more than we do
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2020
This book had a solid start! It was giving me what I wanted from The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman but didn't get, mixed with The Secret Garden. However the middle section got really boring and I wasn't as interested any more. I was not impressed with how the book ended either, as I felt that there were too many convenient things that occurred to wrap things up.
June 24, 2020
3.5
An interesting and unique storyline that I enjoyed.
The chapters were slightly too long and though I liked the structured sections within the book would have appreciated a few more chapters to help break up the story. I personally don't usually enjoy books with subtle romances, but in this one it was so small and subtle that it didn't take away from the main story
An interesting and unique storyline that I enjoyed.
The chapters were slightly too long and though I liked the structured sections within the book would have appreciated a few more chapters to help break up the story. I personally don't usually enjoy books with subtle romances, but in this one it was so small and subtle that it didn't take away from the main story
August 27, 2021
This book one of the first I read I bought this totally by coincidence on a second hand book store
My good this book is great 👍 amazing it made me want to read so many other novels ans sparked that reader inside me
I will be forever in the authors debt because it was books and novels that made me who I am
My good this book is great 👍 amazing it made me want to read so many other novels ans sparked that reader inside me
I will be forever in the authors debt because it was books and novels that made me who I am
January 3, 2022
This novel is something up my street, fantasy, herbalism and victorian? era. It is an excellent novel that discusses the power of cultivating herbs for gaining power. We follow a young man who is called Thomas on a journey into herbalism.
May 30, 2019
First this book kept me hooked with the unfolding of twists. Amazing plot and fantasy one could almost see the vived imagery.
June 11, 2019
I loved this book. It was mysterious, sad, and exciting all wrapped into one.
September 23, 2019
I really liked the story of this book. It was an interesting idea. Although I figured out "who did it" pretty early, it had enough surprises to be good.
February 19, 2020
I don’t usually write reviews, but this book was dull and predictable. I had a hard time making myself finish it. YA is usually my favorite genre, but this one just didn’t keep my attention.
August 15, 2021
i didn’t really like this book, although the story line and plot was good i just couldn’t get into it.
May 31, 2023
I really enjoyed this book but I really wanted it to carry on. I would like to know more about the gardens and how it came to be.
July 23, 2025
No just violence death and misfortune but no plot.The character Thomas was quite strange and I did not like the whole theme of the novel.
July 26, 2025
Good story, plenty of strings to think about. Well paced, relatively good ending. Would have liked a longer epilogue, or second installment for a few years down the line.
December 6, 2022
It’s good but I hated that it was all about the garden of Eden and stuff as an atheist I did not enjoy I’m sorry so I kinda stopped reading from there
March 7, 2013
My opinion of this book is not great. Within the first couple of pages I was getting annoyed with the style of writing and found myself drifting off while reading and thinking about other things, and it took me far longer to read because I kept putting it down and trying to find something else to distract myself so I didn’t have to keep reading. But, I hate to leave a book unfinished and I committed to trying to post a review each day, so I pushed myself through it.
The contents of the book is described in way to much pointless detail that you dont get to form your own opinion or idea, and it happens way to fast for me. You get have barely started reading before major stuff starts happening, and though this can often work in some books it is not the case here. I felt as if I was being rushed through because the author themselves was already bored and was trying to get to the end of the book. Because of this rushed feeling you don’t get to connect to any of the characters. When bad things happen you don’t care because why should you? You haven’t gotten to feel any warmth or connection to them, you have just been told “This is this guy,” and then they just remain some random you know of but don’t give a damn about.
This feeling of disconnectedness could also be contributed to the pore dialogue. The conversations feel forced the entire way through, and for me they sealed the deal when it came to not caring about the characters. Towards the end I started to feel something, my head was focussed on the story I was being told and I wasn’t looking to see how many pages where left, but then some forced dialogue reared its ugly head and I was pushed outside of the book again. Things are danced around in a too obvious way, or they are just too plainly laid out for all the world to see. Conversations don’t seem natural (or feelings or reactions for that matter), and I felt as though I was reading school students running through a scripted play for the first time.
That being said however I did love the idea behind the book and feel it has so much untapped potential which makes the failings stand out that much more for me. Gardens which are all connect but all apart, which shape to your imagination and inner most ideals, and are boundless to restrictions of simply ‘good’ or ‘evil’ magic/abilities sounds like a fantastic concept that should have been looked at it more detail. I so desperately wanted to know more about each garden, to spend more that 10-30 pages I was given exploring each garden world.
This one book could easily have been an awesome series if it wasn’t so rushed.
The contents of the book is described in way to much pointless detail that you dont get to form your own opinion or idea, and it happens way to fast for me. You get have barely started reading before major stuff starts happening, and though this can often work in some books it is not the case here. I felt as if I was being rushed through because the author themselves was already bored and was trying to get to the end of the book. Because of this rushed feeling you don’t get to connect to any of the characters. When bad things happen you don’t care because why should you? You haven’t gotten to feel any warmth or connection to them, you have just been told “This is this guy,” and then they just remain some random you know of but don’t give a damn about.
This feeling of disconnectedness could also be contributed to the pore dialogue. The conversations feel forced the entire way through, and for me they sealed the deal when it came to not caring about the characters. Towards the end I started to feel something, my head was focussed on the story I was being told and I wasn’t looking to see how many pages where left, but then some forced dialogue reared its ugly head and I was pushed outside of the book again. Things are danced around in a too obvious way, or they are just too plainly laid out for all the world to see. Conversations don’t seem natural (or feelings or reactions for that matter), and I felt as though I was reading school students running through a scripted play for the first time.
That being said however I did love the idea behind the book and feel it has so much untapped potential which makes the failings stand out that much more for me. Gardens which are all connect but all apart, which shape to your imagination and inner most ideals, and are boundless to restrictions of simply ‘good’ or ‘evil’ magic/abilities sounds like a fantastic concept that should have been looked at it more detail. I so desperately wanted to know more about each garden, to spend more that 10-30 pages I was given exploring each garden world.
This one book could easily have been an awesome series if it wasn’t so rushed.
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