The French Gardener

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It is a quest for perfection, dreamed up by friends who share a dedication to art and craft. An encapsulation of the abundance of the region—sunlight to fresh citrus to wild herbs—The Gardener translates the terroir of the French Riviera and its singular way of life. It is the alchemy of nature, intuition, time and imagination. Within each of us a gardener. The Gardener works in harmony with the shifts of the season, the exchange of warmth and cold, the pleasures of living well. Miranda seems to be a city girl but finds her heart in the country. Where do you feel most at home? At the heart of the story are Miranda—whose blossoming from removed socialite to warm local is so subtle and real you fall in love with her the way the townspeople do—and Ava’s garden, which opens hearts and sustains generations through its enduring beauty. I did not guess the end of this story at all and relished every detail Montefiore gave me about the house and the garden and the people.

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For the first time ever the team at Brighton Gin made their beloved Pride bottles into miniatures! And not just that… they’re … Read more Readers are always interested in which character an author aligns herself with. Is Miranda’s job as a writer and aspirations as a novelist a hint? Do you find it easiest to write about characters to whom you relate, or ones you feel distant from? Born in England in 1970 Santa Montefiore grew up on a farm in Hampshire and was educated at Sherborne School for Girls. She read Spanish and Italian at Exeter University and spent much of the 90s in Buenos Aires, where her mother grew up. She converted to Judaism in 1998 and married historian Simon Sebag Montefiore in the Liberal Jewish Synagogue in London. They live with their two children, Lily and Sasha in London. Described as a “French Riviera Gin”, The Gardener Gin has been crafted by Master distiller and Gin Guild Lifetime achievement award winner Tom Nichol, and is set to make its debut at the Cannes Film Festival later this year. In the hallway I walk down every day to and from my office there is a bookshelf where people put copies of books they don’t need. There are shelves like that on every floor in the building and when visiting other departments you can sometimes find books you haven’t read and you get to take them home. It is like a free bookstore. That is how I found The French Gardener by Santa Montefiore.We strive to be ecologically conscious, keeping in mind changes in climate and precipitation and making adjustments as needed. I decided to divide the book into seasons because of the garden theme, of course – I wanted a whole year to watch Jean-Paul’s garden grow – but also to reinforce the main theme of regeneration. The seasons return again year after year, Ava hands her knowledge and love of the garden to Jean-Paul who then passes them on to Miranda and her children, who will pass them onto their own children one day. My father grew up in the same house that I grew up in, where we now have a cottage. My children build camps in the same parts of the garden and woods and climb the same tree house that my father and I once climbed. Ava’s love is not dead, but will grow season after season in the garden she created. Jonny commented: "It was a great event..its great to see more people joining the Guild, some of my colleagues have joined today....It has been great to see people from around the world being installed, with great diversity, as well as from England and Scotland."

The French Gardener - Santa Montefiore

The residence should be the focal point of the garden. In traditional French-style gardens, the home is the focal point of the garden, with paths that run perpendicular to the structure. Stucco or stonework homes are ideal for a traditional French-style garden, but other styles of homes can work, too. Consider adding window boxes to further connect the home to the landscape.This is Santa Montefiore at her best – an enchanting read overflowing with deliciously poignant moments. If you love a heartfelt, epic trilogy this is for you. I loved it and can’t wait for more’ The light of the French Riviera is a lifeblood. Here, in this place blessed by the gods, the earth is tended by The Gardener.

Book Review | The French Gardener by Santa Montefiore Book Review | The French Gardener by Santa Montefiore

Then an enigmatic Frenchman arrives. With the wisdom of nature he slowly begins to heal the past and the present. But who is he? His secret lies in the deepest recesses of the garden, for a garden, like love itself, can restore the human spirit not just season after season, but generation after generation.

With its realistic characters and vividly described world, which readers will be reluctant to leave, Montefiore’s charming, moving novel will appeal to fans of Like Water for Chocolate. A perfect book for a lazy summer day.” Married couple, Miranda and David, move out of London into a beautiful country house with an idyllic garden. But reality turns out to be very different from their bucolic dream. Soon the latent unhappiness in the family begins to come to the surface, isolating each family member in a bubble of resentment and loneliness. Georgia is a very exceptional, beautiful, talented woman. She embodies the best of British eccentricity in the most glorious way. Having known her as a child I went to see her while researching the book. She was a great inspiration to me and I did think of her as I created Ava. I’ve never seen anyone wear a dungarees with such style. Fortunately for her, I don’t know her well enough to base a character entirely on her, but I was inspired by her unconventional beauty, her animation, enthusiasm, joy and love. I haven’t looked for her on-line but she is a professional garden designer!