Oh my God, you! I just had to sit and talk about the last book that captivated me completely. I mean, you know me, I have a lot of books probably higher than me, hahaha, joke, but occasionally blows different. And that is exactly what “The garden against time” by Olivia Laing did.

Find my reading corner: A little barons Haugh Magic

So, even before immersing myself in the book, let me configure the scene. I took this beauty to Natural Haugh Barons To read in nature, honestly, there is nothing like that. It is such a peaceful place, perfect to get lost in a good book. In fact, I took some photos there (you may have seen a look at my Instagram), And although it is beautiful, I will not share also Much about the barons Haugh yet. We could not explore it in the way I wanted this time, so we are definitely planning an adequate return trip. For those of you familiar with the area, think about it as another lovely place, a little similar to the feeling of Lochwinnoch But with his own unique charm. It was the absolute ideal backdrop for this particular reading.

“The garden against time”: more than a garden book

Now, in the main event: “The Garden Against Time” by Olivia Laing. Boys, if you expect a cozy guide to plant petunias, you are surprised by a surprise. This book is so Much more than that. It is really a non -fiction masterpiece, combining so many genres that it feels like a completely new literary experience.

Olivia Laing, the writer, is simply brilliant. She has this incredible way of weaving her own deeply personal experiences: in this case, very physical work, sometimes exhausting, to restore a walled garden covered in suffra in Suffolk, with great sections of cultural history, literary criticism and writing of nature. It is as if she took a thread from her own life and collapses in centuries of human thought and emotion.

What really Cava is this idea of ​​gardens as a kind of paradise. We all have that image, right? A perfect and serene escape. But what Laing does, so intelligent and unwavering, is that he removes the layers to show the hidden costs to create these beautiful spaces. She does not shy away the darkest side in history: the links to power, privilege, exploitation even. She makes you really think about how many of these idyllic visions were built on the common land or even colonial legacies. It is a challenging and necessary conversation to have, and completely changed my perspective.

But here is the thing: not everything is pessimism. Even in the midst of these deep criticisms, Laing manages to find so much hope and even radical possibilities within the gardens. She highlights figures and places where gardens became incredible creativity sites, resistance and even a kind of challenge against conventional standards. She shows us how to work with the earth, understand their cycles, can be a way to connect with something much bigger than us, to deal with the time itself.

Reading this book felt how to have the most intelligent and insightful friend who gave you about the world, history and humanity, along the lens of something as apparently simple as a garden. It is beautifully written, stimulating and absolutely absorbent.

If you love the books that make you see the world differently, that they combine the personal with the deep, and that are not afraid of asking great questions, then you absolutely has to Add “the garden against time” to your TBR battery. It is a genuine journey, and I recommend that you get pregnant.

Go looking for a copy, maybe find your own quiet place in nature and let me know what you think!