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patchworkbunny 's review for:
Mr Darwin's Gardener
by Kristina Carlson
In the village of Downe, a gardener is mourning the loss of his wife. It just so happens he is Charles Darwin’s gardener. Avoiding the prying minds of the rest of the village and turning his back on religion, he is considered a loner. He has questions; if he doesn’t believe in God then what should he put his faith in?
I’ve been struggling with how to word my feelings for this little book. You could open it up at any point and read something, thought-provoking, beautiful or amusing in itself. Peirene Press pride themselves on “literary cinema”; books to be devoured in the time it takes to watch a film. Yet here, the lack of a structured plot makes it a book that doesn’t suit one sitting. I generally like plots in novels, and I think if this were any longer I may have grown tired of it, but as a novella it works so well.
It’s hard to keep track of the narrator, so my advice would be not to try. It becomes a much more enjoyable read when you let go! The narration passes between the villagers and it becomes this wonderful portrait of a village in a moment of time. It’s just like sitting in the local pub and listening to different conversations, only these are the villager’s inner thoughts. Charles Darwin’s presence means that their thoughts veer towards those of religion and science. But some of them are still preoccupied by more everyday things as well as the need for gossip.
I’ve been struggling with how to word my feelings for this little book. You could open it up at any point and read something, thought-provoking, beautiful or amusing in itself. Peirene Press pride themselves on “literary cinema”; books to be devoured in the time it takes to watch a film. Yet here, the lack of a structured plot makes it a book that doesn’t suit one sitting. I generally like plots in novels, and I think if this were any longer I may have grown tired of it, but as a novella it works so well.
It’s hard to keep track of the narrator, so my advice would be not to try. It becomes a much more enjoyable read when you let go! The narration passes between the villagers and it becomes this wonderful portrait of a village in a moment of time. It’s just like sitting in the local pub and listening to different conversations, only these are the villager’s inner thoughts. Charles Darwin’s presence means that their thoughts veer towards those of religion and science. But some of them are still preoccupied by more everyday things as well as the need for gossip.