Review: The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman

With 85 percent or more of the books I read being mysteries of some sort (including suspense/thrillers/romantic suspense) or comics related (comic books/comic strips/graphic novels), every now and then I take a chance on something different.

And Abbi Waxman's debut novel, The Garden of Small Beginnings, is different. Words like "funny," "original," "poignant," and "quirky" are being used in advance reviews of the book. And they're all accurate. The book is that good -- and "good" isn't enough of a superlative for a book where the characters feel so real that the reader can feel the pain Lilian Girvan lives with since the death of her husband or laugh out loud with complete abandon at some of the all-too-real conversations and situations between Lilian and the family and friends in her life. I'm kind of partial to describing The Garden of Small Beginnings as "magnificently fantastic."

Synopsis: Lilian Girvan has been a single mother for three years—ever since her husband died in a car accident. One mental breakdown and some random suicidal thoughts later, she’s just starting to get the hang of this widow thing. She can now get her two girls to school, show up to work, and watch TV like a pro. The only problem is she’s becoming overwhelmed with being underwhelmed.

At least her textbook illustrating job has some perks—like actually being called upon to draw whale genitalia. Oh, and there’s that vegetable-gardening class her boss signed her up for. Apparently, being the chosen illustrator for a series of boutique vegetable guides means getting your hands dirty, literally. Wallowing around in compost on a Saturday morning can’t be much worse than wallowing around in pajamas and self-pity.

After recruiting her kids and insanely supportive sister to join her, Lilian shows up at the Los Angeles botanical garden feeling out of her element. But what she’ll soon discover—with the help of a patient instructor and a quirky group of gardeners—is that into every life a little sun must shine, whether you want it to or not…

I found it extremely difficult to put The Garden of Small Beginnings aside once I started reading. It will be the perfect read at the beach or on a rainy weekend afternoon or anytime the reader can block out a few hours for some reading enjoyment. Highly recommended!

(While writing this review I read on-line that Publishers Weekly announced recently that Waxman's second novel, A Variety of Tremendous Things, will be published by Berkley in 2018. That seems like a very long time to wait . . ..)

Rating: 5 Stars

I received a copy from Berkley through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.