The Fair Botanists: Could one rare plant hold the key to a thousand riches?

Product Information

In short, if you found this review to be over-long and dragged-out, then you will find The Fair Botanists to be just as bad. Despite the ceaseless descriptions of everything and everyone and the abundant amount of research that’s gone into it, The Fair Botanists is ultimately a dull, uninteresting read with neither substance, charm, nor intrigue. Reading this book feels like trying to eat tissue paper – bland, pointless, and ultimately forgettable. This is a great book. An immersive read and a heartfelt, human story of science and botany * The Book Trail *

You have an excellent question, and allow me to answer it for you: No. No, they are not, not in any capacity. Even beyond the style struggles, the prose problems, and the tense troubles, the story itself is utterly, entirely unforgettable, with as much hold on the reader as a gentle breeze. Less, even. At least a breeze will still stir your hair. The Fair Botanists is set around the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens’ move from Leith Walk to the new larger location at Inverleith in 1822. The main players in the novel all have an interest in the gardens. There’s William McNab, the poorly paid head gardener, and Robert Graham, the regius keeper. However, the story revolves around two women: Elizabeth Rocheid, an impoverished widow newly arrived from London to live with her late husband’s aunt, and Belle Brodie, an independent woman with a passion for perfume creation. Elizabeth, a botanical illustrator offers to make drawings of the plants and their historic move. I also enjoyed the feminist history that was woven through the story, and how the story depicted that over time more opportunities have been opened up to women. They are quite differently strong," says Sheridan. "Elizabeth could have just shut the door at Inverleith House and never gone out, but the gardens provided an outlet for her. She had experience with botanical illustration and that was something a lot of women got involved with.Belle is determined to keep both her real identity and the reason for her interest the Garden secret from her new friend. Added into the mix is Belle Brodie, granddaughter of an aristocrat who is empowering other women through the use of scented oils (what wouldn’t she give to see what that agave smells like?) and Mhairi, a blind woman who is a whizz at whisky blending and might just be able to help Belle out. The book itself centres around a rare plant that flowers only once in its life – and let’s just say that many of the characters have their own needs and vested interests when it comes to flowers, seeds and the like! Sheridan creates an evocative, enjoyable portrait of 1820s Edinburgh and of two women determined to lead independent lives. * Sunday Times *

Belle is determined to keep both her real identity and the reason for her interest the Garden secret from her new friend. But as Elizabeth and Belle are about to discover, secrets don't last long in this Enlightenment city . . . We were so pleased to see you add in your passion for perfume in The Fair Botanists. Can you tell us more about what you love about perfume creation? A beautifully written, enchanting escapist delight, peopled with wonderful characters. I really enjoyed the exploration of growing female independence in a male world - Belle and Elizabeth will stay with me for a long time. -- Caroline LeaREAD MORE: Sara Sheridan on battling deafness, reclaiming Scottish cultural identity and perfecting cosy crime noir Records the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie. I would start every chapter hoping (praying) that this chapter would be different, something would happen to grab my interest and pull me in, but this never happened, I would be bored again after one sentence.

I love when you smell, touch and clearly see in your inward eye – quoting one of my favourite Romantic poets, Wordsworth - what the words narrate and describe. Well, it practically means I love when a story is very well written. I appreciate even more when I can recognize research, accuracy and respect behind the good story-telling. You find all that in The Fair Botanists. They are both very different, but great feminist characters. They've both faced adversity in their lives, yet they are able to use their circumstances to the best of their ability, and to overcome the difficult situations they've found themselves in. I was trying to remember all those women," says Sheridan. "Often in historical fiction, people go immediately to the names you will recognise and largely they are male. I absolutely loved The Fair Botanists. Set in 19th century Edinburgh when the New Town is being built, the city is preparing for a Royal visit from King George IV, and botanists are getting excited about the imminent flowering of the Agave Americana. This plant is known as the century plant and flowers only once every few decades. It's much sought after by many for varied reasons and many of the characters in this book have reason to want to get a hold of its valuable flowers and seeds.As rare and lush as the Agave flower itself, The Fair Botanists is a richly realised, transportive delight -- Rachel Rhys There are three very strong women in this story. Elizabeth, who is newly widowed (and somewhat relieved to be), who has come to Edinburgh to make a new life dependent upon a relative. Clementina is her dead husband's aunt, an outlandish (I love that word) woman who her nephew wishes to keep hidden away, outspoken and overtly political. And then there's Belle, a sex worker of noble birth who uses her profession to fund her ambition to make a love potion. Each become bound together by a rare agave that is about to flower for the first and only time in thirty years, in the newly-formed Botanic Gardens - at least the location is new. Sprinkled with deliciously tantalising scandal and intrigue, and colourful, engaging characters. A sheer joy to read -- Sue Lawrence This was such a brilliant book to sit and read, I found a fabulous story that does have historical facts and of course there is the botanical part of the story. I thought this made fascinating reading as did the section at the end where the author gives more details as to her characters. Those who were real and for these, she did give a little more detail.

As I am fond of Scotland, the 19th century, historical fiction and - why not? - flowers and perfumes, how could I not enjoy Sara Sheridan’s latest novel? In The Fair Botanists, Sheridan has expertly woven multiple strands of machinations, a heady mix of sex, intrigue, scent, and flora. -- Ever Dundas Set in Edinburgh during the reign of King George IV, the book is a brilliant evocation of what it was to be a woman in this Enlightenment city. We meet Elizabeth, newly widowed and sent to live with her late husband’s aunt; the excellently named Clementina. Elizabeth hasn’t had a particularly happy marriage and this move promises to open up new experiences. Not least among these is the chance to sketch the flower of a Century plant, a slightly mad American Agave, which flowers only once every thirty years. The Fair Botanists transports the reader to 19th century Edinburgh, a city divided into rich and poor areas, and undergoing rapid development with new housing springing up on land formerly given over to farming.Both are fascinated by the imminent blooming of the century plant; the Agave Americana, which blooms only once before it dies. The women become instant friends, but Belle’s secretive habits and real identity and Elizabeth’s longing to know more set them on a collision course. Will their friendship survive? The two female leads in the novel, Belle and Elizabeth – I wish I knew both in real life! Belle Brodie, is a courtesan. She just does her own thing and seeks pleasure where she can despite what society might dictate. Elizabeth has just suffered a bereavement and so is seeking new adventures. /having worked at Kew Gardens, she is keen to work in the new Edinburgh gardens.