This was a really interesting and emotional read, as the author looks back on his life as a gardener at home, and how he found solace in the garden after the loss of his wife.

he has a lovely way of communicating with the reader and explores how he and his wife found their ideal home and garden, and then life got in the way of their plans, and then how he had to pick back up and his new wife helped him find a way forward to get help and he found a passion for gardening as a way of coping.

He couldn't have done it without the help of his gardener and it was nice to see him taking on board new ideas from him, which gave him a new vigour for the property and garden and how it could work for them in a different way.

My Life in a Garden by Carl Gorham spans throughout fifteen years with the author telling us the story after he, his wife, and their young daughter moved out of London to the country, to a house with a three acres garden.

I really liked the focus of this book in which the author guides us through his changing relationship with his garden: sometimes he hates it, sometimes he loves it. But the main point for me was how the garden impacts his own life experience, almost as a companion. Sometimes it seems the author is loosing a fight with the garden, with some comic relief moments, other times he takes strength and support from the garden to fight through illness, loss and bereavement. I also loved the perspective of a person that is/was not a gardener which makes the book also appealing to non gardeners. I also would say that it's a book that will stay with you for sometime.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. Although this book wasn't entirely what I expected (it was more general autobiography than about gardening), I really enjoyed it and read through it quickly. Gorham is an engaging and skillful storyteller. I was invested in his journey, and he switched between emotive topics and more light-hearted ones well. Sensitive, heartwarming, bittersweet, and funny, this was a lovely read.

A very moving read, that proves again that gardens offer a special sort of place for those who need emotional solace and peace. The jumping back and forth in time worked for the topic of this book, as a garden today is composed of all the many seasons that have gone before.

The author brings out the worst and the parts of gardening. I found the book a bit confusing but loved the stories within it.