The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

The Savage Garden by Mark Mills

This is next on my TBR. I can't wait to read it.

Have it on mine too thanks to this theme read!!

I'm about a third of the way through and it is intriguing. The description of the garden reminds me of a trip I took to Florence one winter and my visit to the Boboli gardens. (I will write more later. Have to dash off but I wanted to remind myself to share this experience. Age, don't you know!)

Here's my review in the mean time:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14...

wrong link, see below

Has anyone else read this? I really liked it. As I said in my review I thought it fell apart a little at the end, but not enough to ruin the read.

I was reminded of two trips I took to Florence, one in the summer and one in the winter and brrr! Florence is cold in the winter! My summer trip was short. My boyfriend and I went by train across Europe and we stopped in Florence for a few days before going to Rome. My boyfriend said that we would stay with a friend of his.

The friend came to pick us up at the train station in a Fiat 500 (called a Cinquecento, because the engine is 500 cc).



As you can see they are very small. Makes a VW Beetle look like a luxury car. And as my boyfriend and I are very tall, and his friend even taller it was a comical scene. The luggage was on the back seat. I had to sit on my BF's knees with my head out the "sun roof".

We drove out of Florence and up into the hills and I discovered that my BF's friend had a big whacking villa, very much like the one described in the Savage Garden. I hadn't thought about that trip in a long time. Fun.

The winter trip happened a few years later. I wanted to get out of NYC for New Year's as my BF (who had become my fiancé in the mean time) and I had just broken up (my choice, whew!) so I went to stay with some friends (my friends!) in Florence.

One morning I went off to the Boboli Gardens, a typical place to go in the summer: green, cool, fountains, flowers, birds... Instead in the winter all the fountains had frozen over. Some were still spouting water, and the water had frozen into weird shapes. Everything was hazy and mysterious as there was a lot of fog that morning. I still have the images of that foggy morning in my mind's eye and the cover of the book brought it back to me.

Hi Hayes, wanted to read your review but couldn't find it. I finished the Savage Garden but it did take me a while to get into it. I thought it was slow at times and a little repetitive but once I got into it, it was enjoyable. I was in Italy when I finished the book so I could get the feeling of the villa in the country!! Gave it a 3.

I think I got the link wrong... sorry: try this:

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

I ended up giving this 2 stars. There were aspects of it I liked; some of the writing was okay; there was some nice description of scenery. I found the opening, where his girlfriend is reading part of her novel to him, and then she dumps him, unnecessary. It also took me about 150 pages to realize that the entire book was set in 1958. At first I assumed it was just that little one page prologue. Then the introduction of Adam's brother Harry seemed pointless. Their parents' marital problems, same. I found it a little odd, but maybe I'm wrong, that this Tuscan family would welcome this English boy so warmly to their bosom, so quickly. Then when the entrapment gig was revealed at the end, I wondered if they were being warm and welcoming as a disguise, or if they actually liked him. Because it sure seems for 300 pages like the author is trying to convince you they truly adore him. Really, the twist at the end was too farfetched. And Adam never reunites with Professor Leonard, which seemed odd. I also wasn't crazy about some of the dialogue - it just seemed too pat. The whole garden-mystery aspect was a little DaVinci Code-ish, but even that didn't bother me as much as the book's other drawbacks.

I liked this-- had fun in the world. But I think it is probably about a 3.

I agree Melanie... got extra credit from me for a lot of reasons. It reminded me so much of so many things that the "willing suspension of disbelief" was not a problem.

Ok, before I read what the rest of you wrote about it, I want to get my thoughts out. I'd give it 3 stars. I liked it. I found it to be a quick, light read, which is definitely not what the cover blurbs suggested I was going to have. Publisher's Weekly--"outstanding"--I think not. NYTBR--"gracefully executed"--again, no. Baltimore Sun--"sumptuous"--nah, not enough detail, not enough layering. Oh, and the best one, Kirkus Reviews--"sublime"--ha! It struck me as a book written by a person who wants to be Arturo Pérez-Reverte, but simply doesn't have that kind of super intelligent, crafty mind.

I literally yelled "Dante!" when Adam was trying to find the theme of the garden. I thought the ampitheater was a dead giveaway and Mills spent too much time getting Adam to that realization. This was the only time that I really felt engaged with the book. The rest of the time, I was merely an observer looking in. I rarely award more than 3 stars if a book doesn't do more than tell me that someone is in danger. I want to feel that sensation. I don't want to be told there's a puzzle to solve, I want to be interested enough to want to solve it too.

So if I had to classify it, I'd stick it in the beach read category. Enjoyable and nontaxing.

K.B. wrote: "Ok, before I read what the rest of you wrote about it, I want to get my thoughts out. I'd give it 3 stars. I liked it. I found it to be a quick, light read, which is definitely not what the cover b..."

really love your insights re what you expect from a book... I agree completely...thanks. Liam www.terminalpolicy.com