The Fair Botanists: Could one rare plant hold the key to a thousand riches?

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It's the summer of 1822 and Edinburgh is abuzz with rumours of King George IV's impending visit. In botanical circles, however, a different kind of excitement has gripped the city. In the newly-installed Botanic Garden, the Agave Americana plant looks set to flower - an event which only occurs once in several decades.

The Fair Botanists: Could one rare plant hold the key to a The Fair Botanists: Could one rare plant hold the key to a

Chapters end with lines such as: “Clare… I’ve got some terrible news.” Graveyards loom through windows. Horrified at what’s going on, Clare reveals to a friend: “I keep thinking I’m in a book.” “You always think that,” she is told with a sniff. For me the fascination is always in asking the question: where do we come from?’ It’s the summer of 1822 and Edinburgh is abuzz with rumour of King George IV’s impending visit. In botanical circles, however, a different kind of excitement has gripped the city. In the newly-installed Botanic Garden, the Agave Americana plant looks set to flower – an event that only occurs once every few decades. So begins the tale, and – no spoilers – fantastic read awaits. Author Sara Sheridan tells us more. Today is my stop on the blog tour for 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗔𝗜𝗥 𝗕𝗢𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗦 by Sara Sheridan. Thank you to Steven Cooper at Hodder Books for sending me a copy of this gorgeous historical fiction book, and for having me along on the tour 🌿🌻🌺 The two female leads in the novel, Belle and Elizabeth – I wish I knew both in real life! Belle Brodie, is a courtesan. She just does her own thing and seeks pleasure where she can despite what society might dictate. Elizabeth has just suffered a bereavement and so is seeking new adventures. /having worked at Kew Gardens, she is keen to work in the new Edinburgh gardens.

Books by Sara

Tippermuir Books Ltd is a book publisher based in Perth. Established in 2009, Tippermuir seeks to add to the cultural life of Scotland by publishing interesting and worthy books in English and Scots. Our strength is our smallness and love of the writte … But you’ll also be intrigued by less famous real-life characters like William McNab and Robert Graham, whose well-documented stories have been interwoven with the fictional lives of many of the characters, obtaining an interesting, multi-layered, lively picture.

The Fair Botanists by Sara Sheridan | Waterstones The Fair Botanists by Sara Sheridan | Waterstones

We begin the book with Belle – a character I loved! Independent, slightly racy and driven in the directions of pleasure and desire rather than in the direction that society dictates she should go. She is bracing, fiery, independent and able to hold her own. She reminds me a little of the main protagonist in Elizabeth Gilbert’s ‘City of Girls’ – confident and unashamed in her pursuit of pleasure. Yes please – we need more characters like this, especially in historical fiction! We have Elizabeth, arrived recently from London following her husband’s death. Demure and at times slightly naïve, but with a heart of gold. Unsure of what awaits her, she is pleasantly surprised and we get to share the joy she experiences as she discovers a Botanic Garden right on her doorstep – and all the adventure that awaits. The friendship that develops between Belle and Elizabeth is really lovely to see – despite its challenges at times!

I'd highly recommend The Fair Botanists for any fans of historical fiction, for readers interested in nature, and for readers who enjoy stories depicting strong female characters. LIKE many great literary stories our tale begins with a chance encounter. In this case, the author Sara Sheridan was enjoying a coffee at the Edinburgh restaurant Contini's in late 2019 when her phone pinged with a text message. This caught my attention as I am reading an historical novel right now about an artist in Malaysia who is searching for the elusive parasol flower so she can paint it. I will have to keep my eye out for this one, as well! Lively and generous-hearted, with an array of utterly engaging characters, this enchanting novel reads like a warm tonic for the soul’ Mary Paulson-Ellis