Sometime when I read books about people who go on epic adventures like this, I feel slightly jealous that there's not really anything left in the world to see that someone hasn't already found. Then I consider what the people in these real situations have been through, and how dangerous it is, and I'm happy to stay home. Thank you for approving this title for me.

*Many thanks to Gabriel Hemery, Unbound, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
A tale based on a real person's journey across the American continent, John Jeffrey, who in the mid-19th century is granted the task of collecting all kinds of specimens of botanical interest. An unusual and brave man whom we meet through his journal and letters exchanged bewteen himself and socities and important figures of his times. I always admire such adventurers who dared when others withdrew ..

What a good idea to take a handful of connected historical characters and their letters and weave a story about an impressive man and explorer.
In 1850, John Jeffrey was commissioned by the Royal Botanical Society in Edinburgh and a group of subscribers to go on a plant-hunting expedition to Oregon.
He was to send back boxes of plant specimens and seeds together with journals of his progress. The boxes arrived, the journals never materialised
The story of his unbelievable 10,000 mile journey with dangers to life and limb, but also a love story, stoically documented in his journals, would only resurface over 150 years later in a dusty storeroom in Boston.
For the geographically challenged, like me, it would have been really useful to have included the occasional detailed map, so that the progress of the exhibition could be followed and enjoyed. I found myself constantly checking on Google maps to follow his awe-inspiring progress. A few (fictional or otherwise) drawings of scenery or plant specimens would have elevated this book to a whole new level.

Green Gold: The Epic True Story of Victorian Plant Hunter John Jeffrey by Gabriel Hemery is based on thorough research on behalf of the author. John Jeffery was a young Scotsman who was hired to travel to the “New World” to identify and collect seeds from species of trees, and other plants, as yet unknown in Great Britain. Like most of the early explorers Jeffery endured many hardships due to both weather and terrain in order to reach the west coast of North America, his assigned area for study and collection.
Hemery describes both Jeffery's trials and tribulations as well as the development of society during the mid 1800s in a newly settled, and mostly unknown wild territory. This reviewer appreciated the way Hemery described the Indigenous people with both dignity and respect, while describing their culture, life styles and habits. John Jeffery lived an amazing life of adventure and discovery.
This novel will be of especial interest to historians, botanists and geologists.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

There were parts of this book I enjoyed, and there were parts that didn't work for me at all. The story told through the expedition journals (mainly fiction) I enjoyed a lot. The inclusion of the genuine historical documents, and the fictional present day chapters, I did not. I found it made the story choppy and interrupted the flow. I honestly started to skip them so I could get back to the fictional story being told via the journals. Based on my enjoyment of that alone, I will give this one three stars. However, I think author could have done a better job of melding the fiction with the non-fiction, and doing away with the "present time" all together.

This is a slow burn of a read, something to take your time over and enjoy.

Told by using the journal (fictional) and letters to and from the explorer John Jeffrey, the author Gabriel Hemery takes you back to a time when botany explorers searched for natural plant treasures that the wealthy would flock to see, plants and seeds from distant lands.

These journals and letters were found by a woman during her internship and she realised the interest and importance of the documents and this is where the story begins, as she starts to read and piece together the life of John Jeffrey.

I loved the descriptive writing, bring the wildness of the environment to life, along with the love and tragedy that befell Mr Jeffrey. A real adventure in the written form. Marvellous.

I would like to thank the NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book for free and this is my honest and unbiased review

New from author, Gabriel Hemery, Green Gold: The Epic True Story of Victorian Plant Hunter John Jeffery is a travelogue presentation for any natural history buff. The novel follows Scottish botanist, John Jeffery, as he travels across the Atlantic in service of the Oregon Botanical Association, a UK collective of wealthy patrons and investors. What begins as a formulated presentation of letters, meeting minutes, and journal entries develops into a deeper, unexpected story. For the era, Jeffery is presented as being very conscious of the impending doom that will come with American westward expansion. While he travels across Canada and down the western shores of America, he begins to foster a deeper appreciation for the land and its people. This will change his life, and his family’s, forever.

Based on historical documentation, "Green Gold" proposes a solution to a real-life mystery: what happened to Scottish botanical explorer John Jeffrey after he was last seen in San Francisco in 1854? The young man, sent to the American Northwest by the specially formed Oregon Botanical Association 4 years earlier, had recently been summarily dismissed from his post as Collector for "desertion of duty." How did such a diligent, enthusiastic young man disappoint his patrons so acutely in carrying out his seed-gathering mission?

The novel's main structure consists in an assortment of clearly identified, genuine historical documents such as letters, minutes, instructions and plant labels — these last cleverly used as signposts along Jeffrey's route to show that "J.J. was here." To bridge the gaps between these records, Hemery imagined what Jeffrey might have set down in his expedition journals and created present-day scenes recounting the fortuitous discovery of these journals by Helen, a new intern at the Boston arboretum.

Alas, these fictional sections didn't work at all for me... The style of Jeffrey's writing isn't credible as coming from the pen of a mid-19th-century Scot, and sounds nothing like his actual letters that are reproduced in this novel. The dramatic incidents that supposedly lead Jeffrey to neglect the work he was initially so eager to perform are described matter-of-factly, without any emotional depth behind them. And to top it all off, we're treated to the usual clichés about Native Americans — one of which, you've guessed it, involves a pretty Indian girl coming to our European explorer's bed. (At least she's not an Indian princess.)

As for the present-day "plot," its superficial characters and stilted dialogue are only minor annoyances when compared with its regrettable lack of complexity. We're presented with a handful of bare branches that, with a little care, could have been turned into verdant boughs. Why does the author skim over Helen's investigative work, which could have been the most fascinating part of the story? Instead, we leap from Helen finding the journals (in the very first box she opens on the very first day of her internship, how convenient) to her travelling to Scotland (for no clear purpose) to her curating a great exhibition on John Jeffrey — all in a few sketchily drawn scenes and short emails. We learn nothing about her (save that she likes exclamation marks!) or why she's so fascinated by Jeffrey.

The writing of biographical fiction is a perilous endeavour. Crafting a story around selected sources demands remarkable skill. Stitching together the real and the imagined requires a deft hand, and though many attempt it, few succeed with any kind of credit. This novel, despite its claim at "epicness," is little more than large pieces of old yet sturdy material patched with scraps of dull, threadbare cloth.

While slow at times, this book ended up being a really good read.

Using a fictional journal of explorer John Jeffrey, author Gabriel Hemery brings us into a world where botany explorers searched for “green gold” - natural treasures that wealthy patrons would flock to. The inclusion of official letters and meeting minutes, which are actual contemporary records, tends to bog down the story. I also didn’t like the bouncing back between the present day and the exploration, circa 1850-1853. The real treasure here is the parts that make up Jeffrey’s journal, although it is nearly midway through before we really start to get a sense of Jeffrey’s personality and relationships. Before that it tends to focus more of scientific facts that come off as dry, though clearly well-researched and descriptive.

It isn’t until his relationship with Lily-Wokas, a Native American woman, that the story really gets interesting. The ending was just perfect.

I received this from Netgalley.com for a review.

In 1850, young Scottish plant hunter John Jeffrey was despatched by an elite group of Victorian subscribers to seek highly-prized exotic trees in North America. An early letter home told of a 1,200-mile transcontinental journey by small boat and on foot.

Written in (mostly) journal format and letters exchanged between Jeffrey and his benefactors, his incredible journey is documented. Good writing, interesting observations of wildlife and bleak but beautiful winter landscapes.

3.25 stars