Author:Patricia Atkinson
For most people giving up the day job and moving to a beautiful area of France and living off the vines is an impossible but delicious dream. In 1990, Patricia Atkinson and her husband decided to sell up in Britain and emigrate to the Dordogne. Their idea was to buy a house with a few vines attached and employ someone to tend to the wine while they earned their living with some financial consultancy work. There followed a series of disasters: the stock market crashed leaving their small holding as their sole source of income; the first red wine harvest turned to vinegar; and Patricia's husband returned to Britain, unable to cope with the stress. He never returned. Patricia Atkinson, whose only knowledge of wine up to that moment was 'that it came from a bottle' and who had not a word of French, was left to salvage their life savings form the vineyards. What follows is a remarkable story of struggle and transformation whereby her tiny 4 hectare plot has become a major estate of 21 hectares, where her Clos d'Yvigne wines have won awards and been adopted by wine merchants throughout the world and where she has been hailed as a superstar by UK wine writers.
[an] eloquent tale
—— CitylifeRemarkable . . . an extraordinarily affecting read
—— Carla McKay , Daily MailEnthralling . . . you end up admiring this plucky, warm-hearted woman and lusting to sample her vinous output
—— Christopher Hirst , The IndependentShould be required reading for anyone enjoying the vineyard dream...an impressive human story
—— SpectatorAmazing and amusing . . . unputdownable
—— The LadyA story which will inspire many
—— Clitheroe Advertiser and TimesInspirational reading
—— The WeekA wondrous telling of the history of the very English love affair with gardens and growing things
—— Jon Snow, Channel Four NewsThe Brother Gardeners is a delightful book. It brings the story of 18th-century gardening to life in a remarkably vivid way, and sheds new light on the personality clashes and prejudices which lay at the root of the Georgians' passion for plants
—— Adrian TinniswoodThe Brother Gardeners were a group of men involved in the 18th-century quest for new plants, at a fascinating period in garden history. Andrea Wulf brings their personalities vividly to life in her thoroughly researched and lively account.
—— Jane Fearnley-WhittingstallA totally engrossing read
—— Rosie Atkins, Curator, Chelsea Physic GardenImmaculately written and researched, this book brings to life the dramas and dangers of eighteenth-century plant collecting
—— Catherine Horwood[An] engrossing history of botanical obsession in England in the 18th century ... The author has a good eye for interesting detail and a fine sense of literary economy
—— Tim Richardson , Country LifeA 'biography' of the quintessential English garden, taking in Captain Cook, Carl Linnaeus, and the simultaneous rise of the British Empire and flower arranging - a delightful look at horticultural history
—— Scotland on SundayAs Wulf triumphantly shows, plants and gardens reveal a wider view of the forces that shape society ... An antidote to dry garden history; rarely has the story of English plants been told with such vigour, and such fun
—— Jennifer Potter , TLSThe best book this year is The Brother Gardeners: Botany, Empire and the Birth of an Obsession
—— Leo Hollis , Independent on SundayAndrea Wulf has written a wonderful book, using a clutch of fascinating men to remind us the British Empire was once as much about white pine and Camellia japonica as it was about guns and steel ... enthralling story ... brilliantly readable book
—— Kathryn Hughes , Mail on Sunday
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