Malaya, 1949, & Yun Ling Teoh, a Cambridge law graduate who`s spent time helping to prosecute Japanese war criminals, has returned to the jungle-fringed plantations of her childhood. Herself a scarred prisoner of war survivor, Yun Ling has to battle her hatred of the Japanese when she meets the charismatic Aritomo; owner & curator of Malaya`s only Japanese garden & former gardener to the country`s emperor. Despite her cautious advances, Aritomo is reluctant to create a new garden in Kuala Lumpur in memory of Yun Ling`s sister, who died in the camp she escaped. But he does agree to take on Yun Lin as his new apprentice ”until the monsoon comes”, by which point she can design a green space for herself. While her knowledge & appreciation of Aritomo`s skill increases day by day, so too does the threat of kidnapping & murder at the hands of the jungle hinterland`s guerrillas. As the weeks go by, certain mysteries deepen
- why did Aritomo leave Japan? & how did Yun Ling manage to survive the war while those around her perishedshortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, The Garden of Evening Mists is Tan Twan Eng`s poignant depiction of Malaysia`s rocky road to independence. Buy your copy today!
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This is a haunting, elegiac novel which captures the mood & atmosphere of Italy (and in particular Ferrara) in the last summers of the thirties, focusing on an aristocratic Jewish family moving imperceptibly towards its doom. Vittorio De Sica turned the book into a film in 1970, winning the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1974. ...

The third book in The Corfu Trilogy (after My Family & Other Animals & Birds, Beasts & Relatives), the beloved books that inspired ITV`s television series The Durrells. Just before the Second World War the Durrell family decamped to the glorious, sun-soaked island of Corfu where the youngest of the four children, ten-year-old Gerald, discovered his passion for animals: toads & tortoises, bats & butterflies, scorpions & octopuses. Through glorious silver-green olive groves & across brilliant-white beaches Gerry pursued his obsession.. .causing hilarity & mayhem in his ever-tolerant family. ...

Innovative, startlingly perceptive & aglow with colour, these fifteen stories were written towards the end of Katherine Mansfield`s tragically short life. Many are set in the author`s native New Zeal&, others in England & the French Riviera. All are revelations of the unspoken, half-understood emotions that make up everyday experience
- from the blackly comic ` The Daughters of the Late Colonel`, & the short, sharp sketch ` Miss Brill`, in which a lonely woman`s precarious sense of self is brutally destroyed, to the vivid impressionistic evocation of family life in ` At the Bay`. ` All that I write, ` Mansfield said, `all that I am
- is on the borders of the sea. It is a kind of playing.`

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This is the latest book by a popular & highly professional writer who has opened the eyes of thousands of readers to both the complex beauty & the practical implications of garden design. The first part offers a worldwide survey of garden philosophies, & the modern phenomenon of garden tourism. Why do owners want to open their gardens, & why do people want to visit them? The rest of the book is effectively an answer to these questions. This will be essential reading for all garden visitors & also for garden owners & garden designers. ...

Igor is confident his old Soviet policeman`s uniform will be the best costume at the party. But he hasn`t gone far before he realises something is wrong. The streets are unusually dark & empty, & the only person to emerge from the shadows runs away from him in terror. After a perplexing conversation with the terrified man, who turns out to be a wine smuggler, & on recovering from the resulting hangover, Igor comes to an unbelievable conclusion: he has found his way back to 1957 Kiev. & it isn`t the innocent era his mother & her friends have so sentimentally described. As he travels between centuries, his life becomes more & more complicated. The unusual gardener who lives in his mother`s shed keeps disappearing, his best friend has blackmailed the wrong people, & Igor has fallen in love with a married woman in a time before he was born. With his mother`s disapproval at his absences growing, & his adventures in each time frame starting to catch up with him, Igor has to survive the past if he wants any kind of future. ...

This brain-teasing puzzle book is the perfect way to relax after a hard day's toil in the garden. With 200 intriguing puzzles, ranging from Spot the Difference to plant & flower anagrams, interspersed with beautiful historical engravings & fascinating facts & garden folklore, it's guaranteed to keep your mind as sharp as a thorn, & germinate lots of ideas in your mental greenhouse! David Squire has spent a lifetime gardening & writing. He has written 80 books which have been published in over 18 countries. This is David's first gardening puzzle book & the culmination of many years of research. ...

With over a million visitors a year, Kew is one of the world's best-loved gardens. As well as having a fascinating history & holding an unchallenged position as the world's leading botanical research institute, it is a paradise for plant lovers, offering a wealth of ideas & inspiration for every gardener. Allen Paterson charts the evolution of Kew from private pleasure ground to public park to international institution. This story

Includes:: a cast of royalty, scientists, landscape designers & artists, at first being influenced by, later leading the development of plant collections elsewhere in Britain & around the world. This book will be beautifully illustrated with photographs of the garden today & archive illustrations from the Kew collection. It is published to tie in with the 250th Anniversary of Kew & is published by Frances Lincoln in association with the Royal Botanical Gardens Kew.

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This is a stunningly illustrated guide to Florence & Tuscany`s best gardens. This superbly illustrated volume takes readers on a grand tour of all the public gardens in Florence & throughout Tuscany as is divided into three sections: Florence Within the Walls
- 9 gardens; Florence Outside the Walls
- 28 gardens; &, Gardens in Tuscany
- 58 gardens. This superb volume provides a wealth of historical, botanical, & architectural information on these 95 gardens & the people who helped create them. Featuring travel info, maps, & visitor itineraries to help you make the most of your visit, plus photos, chronologies, & plans, this is a must-have volume for anyone wanting to discover the natural beauty of Florence & Tuscany.


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In Japanese gardens, visitors find nature condensed & brought to perfection. Trees are trained & sculpted; the finest natural landscapes are reproduced in miniature; & the seasons are celebrated with spring blossom & the fiery leaves of autumn. The Gardens of Japan is the perfect introduction to Japanese gardens. Helena Attlee captures the essence of Japanese garden style, & outlines its history. She then explores 28 of the great Japanese gardens in detail, explaining their character & nature. Alex Ramsay`s superb photographs, specially taken for The Gardens of Japan, illustrate every aspect of the gardens. ...