Never too Late to Read Classics discussion

This theme read is about Flowers or Gardens, it is open to your choice for the Classic that draws you in. Please tell us about the Classic you are choosing to read and share your thoughts with others.

Here are a few suggestions of Classics that fall into this category:

The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady
The Black Tulip
The Secret Garden
Elizabeth and Her German Garden
Tom's Midnight Garden
Kew Gardens
The Garden of the Finzi-Continis
Under the Lilacs

and a short story:
The Garden of Forking Paths

I will be reading The Garden of the Finzi-Continis

I am going to read Old Herbaceous: A Novel of the Garden by Reginald Arkell.

Welcome Tracey! Happy your joining us on this read :)

I am going to read Under the Lilacs for the theme read- Flower/Garden

You all have inspired me to branch out beyond Little Women, which I did not at all care for and the only Alcott book I've read. From reading the synopses of some of the above, they sound very interesting and I have added to my to-read list. Thanks.

You are most welcome, Sydney. 😺

The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady is a very beautiful book with really wonderful full color sketching's.
A fast read.

If you have never seen it, please put it on your list to check out!

I have just finished reading Old Herbaceous: A Novel of the Garden by Reginald Arkell, which is about an orphan who eventually becomes head gardener of an estate garden. It was an enjoyable "feel good" read and I recommend it as a nostalgic read of bygone years in the English countryside.

Thanks Rosemarie! Sounds like a lovely read to add to the pile!

I read Old Herbaceous earlier this year and enjoyed it also. Another book I liked was Merry Hall by Beverley Nichols, a memoir about the author restoring an old house and garden after World War II.

I read Camille: The Lady of the Camellias, Alexandre Dumas fils which Rosemarie recommended in another group. The writing was beautiful, even though I read an English translation of the book. A very sad story, but worth reading.

Not heard of that one Trisha, sounds like another to add to my wish list!

I think that the movie version of Camille stars Greta Garbo.
In the French book, her name is Marguerite, which means Daisy.

Lesle wrote: "Not heard of that one Trisha, sounds like another to add to my wish list!"

I’m so happy to see this, Lesle. I thought I was probably the only person who didn’t know about this book. Apparently it’s the basis for the opera La Traviata (according to Wikipedia, where I looked after seeing Rosemarie’s comments). So now I’m admitting ignorance about opera too!

I read The Garden of the Finzi-Continis by Giorgio Bassani and loved it. Here is my review:

Most excellent book. I nearly missed this little gem but a recent 'gardens' theme on a goodreads group made me give this one a go.
Set in Italy, this is a story of unrequited love but also of a people under threat in the doom laden period of Mussolini and Hitler. It is also a story of what it means to be alive and to feel connected and have a place in the community one lives in. In a time of much disconnection and the splitting apart of families, communities, nations, this story leads one to think how evil this is. There is a period of calm and refuge in the garden of the title, where the young start to discover their identity and their need for others. This is a book that transfers one to the time and place of the story and causes one to feel for those caught up in the drama unfolding

I am glad you enjoyed it, Tracey. I have read the book twice and seen the movie too.

Great review Tracey! Love the positive idea of the garden being a place for peace during an awful time.

Thank you!