Like A Watered Garden (Garden Gates)

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful treat!
Review: From the highly intriguing first line ("I received a box of flowers from my dead husband"), I was hooked!

Whithin the first chapters, a wonderful set of characters had won me over, each in their own way...

I felt I was perched on Mibby's shoulder all along, smiling with her and handing her tissues during her "blubberfests"...
If I reached down my sofa, I could even Pet black lab Blink.I could feel his breath down my neck riding the Daisymobile with Mibby...I could smell and taste Louise's pastries and hear her comforting sermons to Mibby.

The gardener I am NOT could feel the sun on her back, the dirt under her fingernails and smell the flowers... Not a small feat!!

In her first book, novelist Patty Hill has managed to address the very personal and private topic of grieving, without sounding too mushy, languishing or pessimistic. The Catholic-girl-gone-bad that I am even enjoyed the religious bits intertwined here and there all along...

Her fresh, quirky writing style and her down-to-earth, warm tone left me wishing for more when I got to the last page.

I will be eagerly waiting for book number 2. In the meantime, I am actively looking for a house in Orchard City... Preferably in Mibby and Louise's street!

Rating:
Summary: Like having a cup of tea with a friend
Review: I really enjoyed this witty and heart-felt novel. It's unusual for me to both cry and laugh while reading a book but this one made me do both. Patti Hill intertwines friendship and faith in her story using the lovely visuals of her main character's garden and the physical setting of the book. The plot has a surprise twist which kept me intrigued until the end. I couldn't help but feel like I was sitting down with friends while I was reading the book. I can't wait for the next one!

Rating:
Summary: Like the comforting touch of a good friend
Review: In her fiction debut, author Patti Hill has given us a book about grieving that manages to be warm, comforting, wryly humorous and realistic at the same time...no small feat for any writer, much less a first-time novelist.

We learn right away that Mibby Garrett is a widow, and we are instantly pulled into her world. While still struggling to cope with the painful loss of her beloved Scott, Mibby immerses herself in her garden design business. Indeed, plants and gardens are an ongoing theme in the story, with each chapter opening with Mibby's daily forecast and updates on her own garden.

But as Mibby takes comfort in frequent "blubberfests" and avoiding what she calls "whammies o' grief," her 13-year-old son Ky is enduring his own confusion and loss, and acting out accordingly.

And just as she thinks things can't get any worse, a young girl enters her life with stunning news that sends Mibby reeling with questions about how well she really knew her late husband.

The book is peopled with memorable characters, some eccentric and some just plain wonderful, like Mibby's ever-optimistic Southern neighbor, Louise--who bolsters Mibby's faith with frequent sermons and lots of love, humor and baked goods left over from her bed-and-breakfast.

Complicating matters is Mibby's growing attraction to Ben, one of her male clients, over which she feels confusion and even guilt.

Like the comforting touch of a good friend, this book captures a widow's journey from pain and grief to growing faith and hopefulness, and does so absorbingly and with gentle humor and realism.

Patti Hill is a gifted storyteller who possesses a lovely and engaging way with words. I look forward to future books from this talented new author.



Rating:
Summary: An endearing story about enduring truths
Review: Like its endearing characters, this book's prose is rooted in the real-life rhythm of a small town in the Colorado high desert. As late spring gives way to early summer, events in the lives of the narrator, Mibby, and her friends are skillfully interwoven with descriptions of the plants that blossom in the gardens Mibby designs and maintains. The plants are sometimes threatened by pests and disease, and Mibby faces obstacles to her spiritual growth that are just as persistent. As she confronts new ethical dilemmas, she reaffirms the old truths of unconditional forgiveness and unqualified trust in God and healthy. Healthy new growth appears in her life.

Patti Hill's writing incorporates colorful descriptions, realistic dialog, and a generous sprinkling of humor. Her characters are likable and believable. I was challenged and inspired by this book, and look forward to Hill's next novel!