The Jewel Garden

Wonderful book

The book is basically split into two parts, first the story of Monty and Sarah and the second about the garden they have made at their home. For me, I would have preferred more on the first part as I found this more interesting. The downfall of their successful jewellery business was sad to read but I felt there were many gaps in the story as a whole, leaving lots of unanswered questions. I am interested in gardening but found the second part a bit boring as I didn't expect a gardening type book. I found Monty's description of his rehabilitating depression very powerful and related a lot to that so I thank him for being so honest. It will help a lot of people find the words to describe how they feel with this illness, and help break down some of the huge barriers we struggle with every day. Overall a good read but would have hoped for slightly more about Monty and Sarah's story and life. Perhaps there will be another book along the way?

Many of us have been there and wished we were somewhere else, or had sudden successes that went wrong, discovered that what seemed to be good idea was not, have grown weary of working to put things right, and have struggled with physical and mental health burdens. Some of us have learned, adapted and grown as result but many more have not been able to overcome the setbacks; many have succumbed to self-pity. This book encourages a productive approach that accepts the past and the inevitable for what it is and shows how determination and small but steady steps build a new life. A fascinating and honest insight into the a life which TV tends to suggest is one of easy privilege - a wonderfully warm read.

I was very sorry to hear of Monty Don's recent stroke and it was reading a newspaper article which gave some brief history of his life that led me to buy this book. This book is essentially divided into two parts or themes. One is the story of how Monty and Sarah Don met and built a life together, which included building up a successful business - and how that business went wrong and it's impact on their lives, and the second theme is their love of gardening and the garden they built in their home. The book will appeal to anyone who wants to know more about Monty Don as a person, and it will also appeal to those who have an interest in gardening. I would not describe it as an instructional gardening book, but more about a personal journey that encompasses the pleasures of gardening. Having suffered from life events myself which have led to depression, I found reading about Monty's own personal experiences of depression and how he sought recovery, inspiring and hope fulfilling. No doubt much of his ability to fight though the difficult times was through the support and love of his wife Sarah, which becomes very apparent in the book. They do appear to be 'soulmates' if such exist, and I found the cover photo of the book very much a picture into their personalities and relationship. After reading the book, have closer look at the photo, and you will know what I mean. Highly recommended to anyone who is a Monty Don fan. (P.S. Monty, if you read this review, I wish you well and know you are a fighter, and I hope you will be back on our TV screens very soon.)

I bought this book looking forward to reading about how Monty and his wife set up the jewelry business and how they went from that to Long Meadow and presenting Gardeners World and this is all in the book. Unfortunately it's in the first half of the book and it's not a huge book. The 2nd half of the book is really just a description of what's in their garden (or rather, was in their garden when the book was written) and how it changes through the year. While this might be interesting for some, I was more interested in their history and could have read a lot more about that. This is not as good as his book about Nigel but it does contain a map of the garden at Long Meadow - something the Nigel book would have benefited from.

I was very disappointed when I collected this book this morning from the Post Office. I had hoped for large glossy photographs, plans and diagrams, extensive instructions on how to plant the flowers I knew the Dons grow. Instead this is a fairly small format book (a little larger than a paperback novel) and it is like a joint gardening autobiography with particular emphasis on their present garden. I am in fact delighted with it: there are actually loads of photographs, and although of course they aren't enormous they are beautiful, evocative and inspirational. The writing is down to earth but also very descriptive. After a bit of history to explain how they got to be there, the main part of the book is divided seasonally. They explain what are the main attractions in the garden at each time of the year and how they came to grow them, and what tasks they do at that time. This means that although it isn't primarily a "How To" book you do of course learn loads from it. It's beautifully produced and I'm very glad I did splash out and buy it as a hard-back because I know I'll want to keep it. I think it would make a super present for a garden-minded person.

When I ordered this book I assumed that it would help to further enrich my Mothers joy and adoration for gardening; a consuming joy which means she has little time to do much else, especially reading. However when seeing her only a few days after she received it, I was surprised to find she had already voraciously read half the book. This is an excellent book for anyone who's interest goes beyond purely the beauty of garden design, and to whom want a greater understanding of the dedication required.

Wonderful! Honest! Great book about their own journey through life.

Very moving story

If anyone who appreciates Monty Don's gardening, this book is a must read. It tells the backstory in a diary type of way for him and his wife Sarah. The honesty is above all, perfect. You can see why they get such wonderful results in their gardens as it mirrors their vulnerability in telling their story.

I am a fan of Monty Don but as I live in Australia did not connect with him until the 2000s when I watched some of his TV travel shows; 'Italian Gardens' etc which were shown in Australia. We recently spent 16 months in Ireland and while there started to watch 'Gardeners World'. Now that we are back in Australia I am keenly awaiting the return of GW (shown on YouTube) in March. I really enjoyed reading 'The Jewel Garden' as it filled me in with his and Sarah's lives through the tough times and the making of his garden and how tough it was when they first bought their house and garden. Needless to say I had heard bits and pieces along the way but 'The Jewel Garden' fills in the missing bits but also chronicles their journey and the making of a garden. I very much enjoyed this book.

É um excelente livro sobre como uma queda na vida pode te levar a construir algo melhor. O meu único porém em relação a este livro é que ele referência várias plantas e eu gostaria que tivessem mais fotos das mesmas.