The Fair Botanists

By Sara Sheridan,

Book cover of The Fair Botanists

Book description

'Compelling, fascinating . . . A cracking good read'
Val McDermid

'An evocative, enjoyable portrait of 1820s Edinburgh'
Sunday Times

'Lush, seductive'
Daily Mail

'Completely enchanting'
Scotsman

'A beautiful tale of scandal and intrigue'
Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of Pandora

***

Could one rare plant hold the key to a thousand…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Fair Botanists as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This book is an evocative historical tale written in rich language.

The descriptions of plants and trees while creating a botanical garden in 1832 Edinburgh are a delight to read and take you back to that time and place.

The two female protagonists are unusual; one is a botanical illustrator, and especially well-drawn is Belle, a courtesan and botanical perfumer who has a plan to use her talents to capture a rare flowering succulent to solve her problems.

Unfortunately, plans rarely work out perfectly, but this novel does. A treat for gardeners everywhere.

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