Front Yard by Norman Draper
After winning first place in the world famous Burdick's Best Yard Contest, George and Nan Fremont have happily settled in to enjoy their new found fame and fortune. They won the prize despite sabotage from another contestant. Now they have set their sights on a beautifying the front yard too. After a few glasses of their favorite merlot, topped off with a gin and tonic, nothing can stop them. Or can it?
Jealousy abounds in the town of Livia and all eyes are set on the Fremont's yard. I'm not a gardener, so I found myself lost in the plant names and gardening terminology. I had a difficult time picturing what the flower beds and trees should have looked like and why everyone thought they were so beautiful.
I also found this story too busy. It had a large cast of off the wall characters to contend with, many of whom were quite entertaining but others who lacked purpose. As I read further into the book, I started thinking that they were all too similar, quirky but all in the same way. Alcohol flowed on almost every page to the point where it overwhelmed the story of the garden. George and Nan decided to give it up but only for a few seconds. A couple pages later, they were back slugging it down. By the end, there was so much history, dirt, fairies and treasure flying around, I had trouble keeping it all straight.
I want to thank Net Galley for my free copy of Front Yard. Unfortunately it didn't contain a topic I had much interest in. A gardener would feast in this story but it wasn't for me.
After winning first place in the world famous Burdick's Best Yard Contest, George and Nan Fremont have happily settled in to enjoy their new found fame and fortune. They won the prize despite sabotage from another contestant. Now they have set their sights on a beautifying the front yard too. After a few glasses of their favorite merlot, topped off with a gin and tonic, nothing can stop them. Or can it?
Jealousy abounds in the town of Livia and all eyes are set on the Fremont's yard. I'm not a gardener, so I found myself lost in the plant names and gardening terminology. I had a difficult time picturing what the flower beds and trees should have looked like and why everyone thought they were so beautiful.
I also found this story too busy. It had a large cast of off the wall characters to contend with, many of whom were quite entertaining but others who lacked purpose. As I read further into the book, I started thinking that they were all too similar, quirky but all in the same way. Alcohol flowed on almost every page to the point where it overwhelmed the story of the garden. George and Nan decided to give it up but only for a few seconds. A couple pages later, they were back slugging it down. By the end, there was so much history, dirt, fairies and treasure flying around, I had trouble keeping it all straight.
I want to thank Net Galley for my free copy of Front Yard. Unfortunately it didn't contain a topic I had much interest in. A gardener would feast in this story but it wasn't for me.
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