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There are currently 19 member reviews
for Backyard
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Gary R. (Bolingbrook, IL)
a gardener's delight
If you want blood and gore you won't find it here, just the sap from the flowers. A decent story of gardening gone goofy. When the gardening contest to end all contests is announced, things get seriously out of hand. A fun read with a cast of characters, give it a try!
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Lea Ann M. (Seattle, WA)
Not your usual garden party
We have often been warned to not judge a book by its cover. However, the cover of "Backyard" is delightful, filled with bright flowers, butterflies, even a silly little gnome. The narrative of the book is likewise filled with both delight and silliness; but fun silliness. Now, I garden myself, but cannot imagine become as fixated on winning a prize as some of the characters in this book, but then I've never had a 5 figure prize in the balance. The gardeners are unusual, to say the least. What we do learn about the plants they so tenderly care for interesting and the lengths some of them go to undercut their competition fascinating. This was a quick read. Not great literature, but as summer turns to fall for most of us, a fun read to carry us over into the "dreaming" season for gardeners. Do get a copy, sit back, make plans for next summer's garden and enjoy.
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Mary M. (Dallas, TX)
Not Your Mama's Garden
Though some might find all the flower references a little crazy making "The Backyard" is hysterically funny. The characters in this madcap adventure in gardening are people you know and you are soon caught up in the frenzy to win the local garden contest. Witches, zombies, sabotage and more await the reader of "The Garden"
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Mary M. (Lexington, KY)
Crazy
A humorous and unusual book that tells the story of amateur gardeners Nan and George and their quest to win the prize for best garden. Dr. Sproot a gardening expert, at least in her own mind, does whatever she can to keep them from winning. There are lots of crazy characters getting themselves in all sorts of predicaments while trying to win the prize. The only thing I didn't like about the book was the setting. It was a fictional town but it just didn't seem like an American town. This book is not great literature but it was fun to read.
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Carol C. (Troy, NY)
Comic Fable
At one point, a minor character wonders whether the article he's writing should instead be a "comic fable" of how the masses act in their quest for acknowledgement. That describes Norman Draper's 'Backyard.' A bit of fantasy and mystery - and a lot of obsession - comprise this amusing chronicle of quirky, fanatical gardeners (a cast of characters in every sense of the word) as they vie for a gardening prize. Woven into the book - and perhaps its star - are the author's vivid descriptions of lush plants and evolving garden designs, which should (and did) appeal to even gardening novices like me.
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Beth B. (New Wilmington, PA)
What Price Beauty?
Open a copy of Backyard and the aroma of floral delights topple out, beckoning you to stroll through the gardens of the town of Livia. Your leisurely pace while admiring the lovely specimens quickly is transformed into a romp as the layers an obsessive hobby are revealed. A community contest creates a flurry of competition that rapidly turns ugly. The manner in which the author portrays all of this must be lauded for his creative storytelling. How Mr. Draper weaves this tale so humorously will be enjoyed by all readers who occasionally enjoy an escape from literary fiction. Being an avid gardener, I find myself wondering how someone who is not a lover of horticulture would rate this book. Regardless, the settings provide some very amusing escapades.
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Amy N. (New Market, TN)
Gardening Laughs
I love a book that makes me laugh out loud as I read it, this was one! The characters were hilarious and played well off one another. The entire town of Livia are gardening for the prize of Greatest Garden. Mystery on every corner as the flowers bloom.
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