Literary Gardens

Gardens both real and imagined have long captured our imaginations. They are places of mystery and magic, beauty and danger, romance and revelation; writers have used them to reflect longing and create unforgettable moments of drama, escape, and wonder. Literary Gardens explores thirty of the most atmospheric and emotionally charged gardens in literature. From The Secret Garden and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to Rebecca and The Great Gatsby, these fictional gardens capture the atmosphere and emotion of the stories they belong to. Some feel peaceful or nostalgic, others are rich with mystery or unspoken tension – each is shaped by the characters and moments that are revealed within them. In Literary Gardens, readers will uncover new stories and rediscover old favourites, guided by Sandra Lawrence’s lyrical storytelling and Lucille Clerc’s evocative vision. Literary Gardens is a tribute to the spaces that have stayed with us long after the final page – a perfect gift for yourself, or anyone who has ever wanted to step through the page and into another world.

Lucille Clerc is a French illustrator based in London. She mainly works in editorial design and book illustration and sometimes designs interior and exhibition spaces. Her work is inspired by the natural world and the streets and architecture of London. 

Introduction The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier ‘The Enchanted Garden’, Italo Calvino Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll ‘The Garden of Forking Paths’, Jorge Luis Borges imaginary species Tom’s Midnight Garden, Philippa Pearce Elizabeth and her German Garden, Elizabeth von Arnim The Hanging Garden, Patrick White The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis The Pillow Book, Sei Sh-nagon  Strange Worlds Larry’s Party, Carol Shields ‘Rappaccini’s Daughter’, Nathaniel Hawthorne The Garden of Evening Mists, Tan Twan Eng Hallowe’en Party, Agatha Christie ‘The Garden Party’, Katherine Mansfield  Literary Plants The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Beatrix Potter R-m-yäa, V-lm-ki ‘Kew Gardens’, Virginia Woolf My Mother’s House, Colette The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, Giorgio Bassani  Fairytales Mort, Terry Pratchett My Garden (Book):, Jamaica Kincaid ‘The Door in the Wall’, H.G. Wells The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros ‘Mr Humphreys and His Inheritance’, M.R. James The World Tree The Black Tulip, Alexandre Dumas No Tomorrow, Vivant Denon The Big Sleep, Raymond Chandler The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald Visiting About the Author & Illustrator Index