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The Gardener's Year

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( 1,617 ratings, 244 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Gardener's Year by Karel Capek offers a humorous and insightful exploration of gardening through the changing seasons. The author shares his personal observations and reflections on the joys and challenges faced by gardeners, weaving together practical advice with charming anecdotes. This book captures the universal experiences and emotions familiar to anyone with a passion for nurturing plants.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you have a passion for gardening and appreciate a witty, humorous take on the joys and challenges of nurturing a garden throughout the seasons. The author's insightful and playful observations provide both practical advice and lighthearted commentary, making it appealing to both novice and seasoned gardeners.

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A pocket-sized gift edition of Karel Capek’s The Gardener’s Year, featuring black and white line drawings by the author’s brother, Josef Capek.

A pocket-sized gift edition of Karel Capek's The Gardener's Year, featuring black and white line drawings by the author's brother, Josef Capek.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The Gardener's Year is a charming and light-hearted insight into the life of an amateur gardener. Structured loosely around what to plant, grow, or cultivate each month, Karel Capek takes us on a rollicking journey through a year in his own small garden.

Complete and unabridged. Part of the Macmillan Collector's Library; a series of stunning, pocket-sized classics with ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition features lively black and white illustrations by Czech artist Josef Capek and is translated by M. and R. Weatherall.

From making puddles with an untamable hose to sowing luxuriant weeds instead of grass, Capek reveals how a gardener grows into his surroundings 'spurred on by each new failure'. Subverting the tradition of a 'how to' gardening book, he teaches his readers about the magic of seeds, the perils of planting vegetables, and the thrilling surprises of a rock garden.

As the year progresses and frail buds turn from flowering stems to drooping bulbs and falling leaves, Capek's small garden buzzes with life, wisdom, and humour.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Gardener's Year by Karel Capek is praised for its charm, subtlety, and delightful approach, making it a must-have for any gardening enthusiast. The book combines useful information, philosophical musings, and humour, all of which are woven together to convey the joys of cultivating one's own garden.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781529096248

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 30 March 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Macmillan Collector's Library

Contributors:

  • Illustrated by Josef Capek
  • Translated by Marie Weatherall
  • Translated by Robert Weatherall

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 15.0mm

Width: 99.0mm

Height: 156.0mm

Weight: 140g

Pages: 176

About the Author

Karel Capek was born in 1890 in Czechoslovakia. He was interested in visual art as a teenager and studied philosophy and aesthetics in Prague. During WWI he was exempt from military service because of spinal problems and became a journalist. He campaigned against the rise of communism and in the 1930s his writing became increasingly anti-fascist. He started writing fiction with his brother Josef, a successful painter, and went on to publish science-fiction novels, for which he is best known, as well as detective stories, plays and a singular book on gardening, The Gardener's Year. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature several times and the Czech PEN Club created a literary award in his name. He died of pneumonia in 1938.

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