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Garden Variety: A Novel
If you thought community gardening was nothing but pulling weeds and planting seeds think again. In this fresh and delightful debut, Christy Wilhelmi shows that there's more to gardening than merely keeping pests at bay …
Each time Lizzie steps through the gates of the Vista Mar Community Gardens, she knows she's left the chaos of the outside world behind. Here, the rows are even, tools are properly stored, and each season brings new life. But even the shiniest apple can hide a worm, and behind the leafy green façade there is hidden heartbreak, tomato hornworms, and inter-garden political powerplays.
And to make things worse-a long forgotten loophole enacted by a nasty neighbor brings the outside world crashing in. The members are feuding, Lizzie's budding romance is wilting on the vine, and the very existence of Vista Mar is threatened. Can Lizzie and her fellow gardeners fight to save their urban oasis while they struggle to stay grounded in this chaotic city?
Garden Variety is as much about growing food and flowers as it is about life's growing pains, and how a community rallies and comes together to save their own.
Each time Lizzie steps through the gates of the Vista Mar Community Gardens, she knows she's left the chaos of the outside world behind. Here, the rows are even, tools are properly stored, and each season brings new life. But even the shiniest apple can hide a worm, and behind the leafy green façade there is hidden heartbreak, tomato hornworms, and inter-garden political powerplays.
And to make things worse-a long forgotten loophole enacted by a nasty neighbor brings the outside world crashing in. The members are feuding, Lizzie's budding romance is wilting on the vine, and the very existence of Vista Mar is threatened. Can Lizzie and her fellow gardeners fight to save their urban oasis while they struggle to stay grounded in this chaotic city?
Garden Variety is as much about growing food and flowers as it is about life's growing pains, and how a community rallies and comes together to save their own.
Editorial Reviews
"You don't have to be an avid gardener to fall in love with Garden Variety and the characters from Vista Mar… Every time I opened it, Christy Wilhelmi made me feel like I was coming back to a place of comfort, compassion, and sympathy with a good smattering of dry humor and no-nonsense honesty." - Milla Jovovich
Readers Top Reviews
Love2ReadRobin Ma
4 ½ stars Garden Variety is a delightful and charming novel. It’s about a community garden, it’s participating gardeners, and one of it’s neighbors. It’s about gardening, gardening politics, friendship, romance, and more. It holds some big surprises, and it’s always entertaining. The book follows the community garden and its members through the growing year in Los Angeles, which is all year around. Lizzie is a respected and involved member of the garden, and has been for years. When she meets new gardener Jared Raju, they click right away, but Lizzie has had some difficult relationships and hesitates to further their friendship. Mary is the garden’s president. One of the other gardeners wants to replace her and make changes to how the garden is run. Ned is the octogenarian garden master, responsible for all the technical aspects of running the garden. When the garden’s neighbor, Kurt Arnold, decides he wants the garden closed, he’s willing to go to any length to make it happen. I completely enjoyed this book and it’s inhabitants. Enough happens to keep it interesting and moving along, and yet it always remains focused on the importance of growing your food and helping the planet. I’m not a big gardener, but I’ve learned a few thing from reading this book. I can recommend it whether you’re into growing your own food and flowers or not. I recommend this book. I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. I thank all involved for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.
Robin SatzRobin S
Garden Variety was a fun and easy read! I am not a gardener and I loved this book! Learned some things about gardening that were very interesting! She even had tips at the end of the book! Nice touch!!
ScottRobin SatzRo
I really enjoyed this book. It's fascinating to learn the complexity and strategy of gardening - and the passion that it inspires. The story is also a wonderful reflection of the sense of community that it creates. Everyone will enjoy the story - but for an aspiring gardener, this is a must read!
Marilyn AdamsScot
I just finished reading Garden Variety. What a fun, engaging, and inspiring read! I thoroughly enjoyed it, though it did make me miss being part of a community garden community. The characters were engrossing and I looked forward to watching them grow. I also loved the chapters laid out like the garden unfolds throughout the year. Well written, a very entertaining and educational read!
mgc11Marilyn Adam
I found Garden Variety by Christy Wilhelmi to be a delightful view into the lifes and loves of the members of a community garden. The characters are engaging, and their stories kept me turning the pages. Equally interesting was the garden lore woven throughout. Even though I'm not a gardener myself, I found the gardening facts and philosophies fascinating. I think I finished it in three days! I'm hooked on Lizzie and Jarod's romance and am hoping this will become a series - Garden Variety is the spice of life and I want more!
