Susannah Misselthwaite was gazing up at the brightness of the blue sky when the deer leapt in front of the car. She never knew what happened. Her husband Guy, Professor of Botany, hides from his grief in his greenhouse - without Susannah, everything is lost. Meanwhile, little Felix pores over photographs of his mother who is slipping from his memory more each day. Happiest sitting in the branches of a tree in the university's botanical garden, away from the emptiness of home, he presides over the dreams and dramas of those who pass beneath him. Teachers and students, young and old, happy, sad, or filled with longing, all find sanctuary and space for contemplation in this few square feet of soil.
A Bit of Earth
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Review
`A thoroughly charming, original and hugely readable novel' -- Nina Bawden
`Fans of Smith's sharply observed tales of contemporary life will
find much to enjoy ... this beautifully written, funny work' -- Christina Koning, The Times
`Having come through life's tragedies and disappointments, the
compensating happiness of Smith's protagonists is all the more satisfying' -- Big Issue
`I loved it ... a truly touching portrait ... I was sorry when I'd
finished it' -- Mavis Cheek
`With a deft touch and an obvious joy in the semiotics of botany,
this novel has it all for closet gardeners and romantics' -- Katy Guest, Independent
`Fans of Smith's sharply observed tales of contemporary life will
find much to enjoy ... this beautifully written, funny work' -- Christina Koning, The Times
`Having come through life's tragedies and disappointments, the
compensating happiness of Smith's protagonists is all the more satisfying' -- Big Issue
`I loved it ... a truly touching portrait ... I was sorry when I'd
finished it' -- Mavis Cheek
`With a deft touch and an obvious joy in the semiotics of botany,
this novel has it all for closet gardeners and romantics' -- Katy Guest, Independent
From the Publisher
A modern-day, grown-up Secret Garden. For fans of Gil McNeil,
Raffaella Barker and Esther Freud.
Raffaella Barker and Esther Freud.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
THIS HEARTRENDING STORY PORTRAYS THE FATHER/SON RELATIONSHIP AND THEIR STRUGGLE TO COME TO TERMS WITH SUCH A TRAGIC LOSS , WHILST DESPERATELY TRYING TO LIVE A 'NORMAL' LIFE.
FELIX BLOSSOMS AND IS HAPPIEST WHEN NURTURING HIS 'BIT OF EARTH', WITHIN THE UNIVERSITY BOTANICAL GARDEN.HE ADOPTS AND CARES FOR HIS VERY OWN PIECE OF LAND AS ESCAPISM FROM THE TRAUMA OF EVERYDAY LIFE. HIS CONTRIBUTION UNWITTINGLY HELPS SAVE THE GARDEN FROM THE GRIP OF MODERN DAY DEVELOPMENT!
ALTHOUGH THIS IS AN EXTREMELY SAD TALE, REBECCA SMITH, THE AUTHOR MAINTAINS AN AIR OF HUMOUR AND LIGHT, SHOWING THE FUNNY SIDE OF THE DOMESTIC CHAOS THAT ENSUES, FOLLOWING SUSANNAH'S DEATH ........ CEREALS FOR BREAKFAST, CEREALS FOR LUNCH ........ AND WHAT WILL IT BE FOR DINNER DADDY ? - OH WELL, CEREALS ARE EASY!!
FINALLY, I HAVE ALSO READ REBECCA'S FIRST TWO NOVELS "THE BLUEBIRD CAFE" AND "HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND ALL THAT", WHICH I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED FOR THEIR WIT, HUMOUR AND EXCELLENT PORTRAYAL OF THE UPS AND DOWNS OF EVERYDAY LIFE.
FELIX BLOSSOMS AND IS HAPPIEST WHEN NURTURING HIS 'BIT OF EARTH', WITHIN THE UNIVERSITY BOTANICAL GARDEN.HE ADOPTS AND CARES FOR HIS VERY OWN PIECE OF LAND AS ESCAPISM FROM THE TRAUMA OF EVERYDAY LIFE. HIS CONTRIBUTION UNWITTINGLY HELPS SAVE THE GARDEN FROM THE GRIP OF MODERN DAY DEVELOPMENT!
ALTHOUGH THIS IS AN EXTREMELY SAD TALE, REBECCA SMITH, THE AUTHOR MAINTAINS AN AIR OF HUMOUR AND LIGHT, SHOWING THE FUNNY SIDE OF THE DOMESTIC CHAOS THAT ENSUES, FOLLOWING SUSANNAH'S DEATH ........ CEREALS FOR BREAKFAST, CEREALS FOR LUNCH ........ AND WHAT WILL IT BE FOR DINNER DADDY ? - OH WELL, CEREALS ARE EASY!!
FINALLY, I HAVE ALSO READ REBECCA'S FIRST TWO NOVELS "THE BLUEBIRD CAFE" AND "HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND ALL THAT", WHICH I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED FOR THEIR WIT, HUMOUR AND EXCELLENT PORTRAYAL OF THE UPS AND DOWNS OF EVERYDAY LIFE.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By D. Cotton
Format:Paperback
A Bit of Earth by Rebecca Smith begins with the accidental death of Susannah Misselthwaithe, University Librarian, Wife and Mother. Her death causes Husband Guy and Son Felix's lives to fall to chaos around them, leaving friends, old and new, to help pick up the pieces and give Felix a shot at a normal childhood.
I thought the first half of the novel contained far too much of Guy's depression and failings as a Father, coming across as a kind of fictional misery memoir. However, at around the half-way point, Smith starts introducing characters who will eventually become as equally central to the story as both Guy and Felix, providing the second half of the novel with much more variety to the plot and a much more focused and optimistic aim as the characters fight to save the euphoric University Botanical garden from a concrete destruction.
Once past the half way point of the novel, I found it a much more enjoyable and fulfilling read, and for that I would definitely recommend it. A decent feel-good novel for the Summer.
I thought the first half of the novel contained far too much of Guy's depression and failings as a Father, coming across as a kind of fictional misery memoir. However, at around the half-way point, Smith starts introducing characters who will eventually become as equally central to the story as both Guy and Felix, providing the second half of the novel with much more variety to the plot and a much more focused and optimistic aim as the characters fight to save the euphoric University Botanical garden from a concrete destruction.
Once past the half way point of the novel, I found it a much more enjoyable and fulfilling read, and for that I would definitely recommend it. A decent feel-good novel for the Summer.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By S. Dawson
Format:Paperback
A sweet story, with a simple but very unique idea. The garden forms a focal point, with the lives of the people who use the garden in their daily life or are using to escape from their daily life. There is an interesting array of characters who form new friendships and let old ones go. Recommended for anyone looking for something a little different and charming.
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