Reviews for This Piece of Earth: A Life in My New Zealand Garden

The average rating for This Piece of Earth: A Life in My New Zealand Garden based on 2 reviews is 2.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-04-05 00:00:00 Saber Saad Excellent book, this solved a lot of myths for me. Robinson believed in creating a 'wild garden' - no ornamental flowers, no knotwork or windows, no beds, no greenhouses, not out of a concern for native species (he planted hardy plants from all over the world), but because he thought bed planting was ugly and stilted (I think he was right!). I was surprised to learn that he was not very keen on aesthetic or fruit-bearing trees either, and liked just a few trees to add a sense of beauty and contrast to meadows, along with his forestry projects. I was surprised by the utilitarian focus of Robinson's gardens (e.g. his plantations of conifers were planted to offer an alternative fuel to coal which he disliked and thought was unhealthy). He appreciated hardy perennials which could fend for themselves. One of the things I really admired about Robinson was that he said what he thought. He made some enemies but also seems to have made lots of allies so presumably he could chill out sometimes too. That's comforting! The narrative in the book is generally really good and informative. I loved the comparisons with Francis Bacon views in particular. The mentions of Japanese knotweed and Himalayan balsam were eye-opening! Some of the descriptions were too long to take in, but the pictures helped break up the book really well. The biggest thing to fix if the book is ever to be reprinted was that the discussion of Robinson's relationship with Gertrude Jekyll was v. sexist. Why assume that just because Jekyll is a woman their relationship was any less professional? Several parts of that passage were awkward and could have done with editing from someone from a different background.

Review # 2 was written on 2012-04-17 00:00:00 Martin Southworth I am a gardener and a huge fan of garden books and garden writers. I have been studying Elizabeth Lawrence for several years now (having "met" her thru the book Two Gardeners, a book of letters which happened top be edited by Emily Herring Wilson, the author of this biography.) I liked this book but I felt that Ms. Wilson did not delve anywhere near far enough into the unchartered personal life of Elizabeth Lawrence. For example, I was disappointed that the luncheon between Katharine White and Elizabeth in New York at the Algonquion was not explained or investigated in more detail. This luncheon put a stop to years of letter writing between these two women for reasons that have never been fully explained. Miss Wilson glosses over the subject . I would have been more satisfied had she explained the attempts that she went to at least to try and find out more details but we do not even get to learn what attempts were made. Additionally, there are several references in Lawrence's letters to "cocktail hour" and mention of several falls and broken bones, and no mention is made of any drinking issues (which may have been none at all but begs the question to be asked) . Wilson skims over a couple of romances and leaves them on the table and stops exploration of Lawrence's love life there. I find it hard to believe that this vibrant woman had no interest past these initial fizzeled relationshships. She maintained many relationships with people thru letter writing for years and traveled many times to visit and stay with some of them. Wilson paints a portrait of a woman void of any sexual identity and interested only in gardening. Yes, I know it was the South in the 40's and 50's but I have relatives that were women in the South in the 40's and 50's , and trust me, where there is smoke, there is fire. This biography is a love letter to Lawrence (who deserves it) but it is not a serious in depth biography by any means and those looking for deeper insight into the life of Elizabeth Lawrence will not , unfortunatley, find that insight in No One Gardens Alone. Review by Jim VanDevender- June 2010