Rosa covers the flower’s history, many of its species, its use in medicine and cosmetics, its relation to spiritualism, religions, politics and many more! It has many beautiful colour illustrations, and it is easy to read. I especially liked the part about roses in art; in paintings and poems and fiction. Its symbolism alone is fascinating.

To sum up, I’ve learned a lot from this book—both about roses and the culture around it. It made me want to learn a lot more, and this is always a good sign. It would make an excellent gift for flower lovers because it is gorgeous and informative.

--The Armchair Rose Book for Rose Lovers--

I received an advance review copy from the publisher through NetGalley and here are my thoughts.

If you are a rose lover. Get it.

If you are looking for a gift for a rose lover. Get it.

This book is jammed packed with gorgeous images of roses, their history, origin, and influence on the humans who love them. If you use the Look Inside feature, you can see the Contents page giving you all you need to know about what topics are covered. But do you really need to do that?

No. Just get it. Love at first sight for this book!

Are you still reading?

It's beautifully designed. You'll want a copy for each room of the house.

Rose lovers. Stop reading this review.

All others....go and get this book for the rose lovers you know.

I was attracted to this book not just due to the beautiful artwork and images of Roses, the protagonist of this book, but also because of the element of the cultural significance of the Rose across eras, regions and religions. The book is cleverly divided into chapters based on the interface of roses with cultures like the Greek and Roman, Modern popular culture as well as the contrast between their significance to religion as well as secular views. I knew about maybe a handful of types of Roses but I was pleasantly surprised to learn about the wide varieties (With very different appearances) within the species. I particularly entertained by the significance of Roses to artists as I've seen people rendering roses in multiple media. I know I was inspired to render the lesser known rose varieties in water colours or embroidery. This book will engross anyone with an interest in Botany and cultures.

Beautiful illustrations with unknown facts about Queen of flowers throughout human history. There are hundreds of varieties of Roses 🌹 can you imagine?! Wow

Thank you Netgalley, Yale university press for the arc in exchange for an honest opinion.

This is a beautiful book if you want to learn more about roses in history. It's incredibly thorough and deals with how roses were used in all different cultures, in religion, in art, you name it. It starts with a basic explanation of the science of roses, their family, cultivars and information like that. The vast majority of the book, though, is about how roses were used around the world and throughout time. It's beautifully illustrated and very well researched. If you're only an expert on roses in the gardening sense, this will teach you all kinds of fascinating new things about them.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

*This book was received as an Advanced Reviewer's Copy from NetGalley.

Roses are a flower that I've learned to appreciate. Years ago, when I thought of them only as a gesture of romance, they weren't as appealing to me as live plants or other flowers. But now, having a bit of dirt to play in and grow things and learning more about them, they're quickly becoming one of my favored plants in the garden. From making rose syrup to candied petals, they're even edible as well!

This book takes the rose through history, from ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt, to the present where hybridization and other initiatives are taking place. Each chapter uncovers what was popular about the rose during that time whether it was as a medicinal, decorative, or consumable crop. It also talked about works of art, literature, and other references that would include the rose during the time period. The section at the beginning also goes through rose species and types in general, with information about each and an accompanying picture for identification.

I found myself saving tons of quotes from this book and getting inspiration from it as I had never heard some of the poems or pieces of literature that incorporated roses. Which is surprising, since there are many, and many by well known artists and writers. It was a bit inspirational to be quite frank and I appreciated their inclusion. I also thought that all the pictures and illustrations were well thought out and helped truly give a sense of the rose in the time period. This is definitely more of a coffee table or physical type book that you'd want because of the pictures though. E-reader's won't really do it justice.

This was a well done, thorough book on such a favorite flower of many. I can't wait to start searching in the spring for some more roses for the garden.

Review by M. Reynard 2020