Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire

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Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire

by Margot Berwin (Goodreads Author)

3.29 · rating details · 695 ratings · 259 reviews

In the heart of New York City, hidden in the back room of an old Laundromat, are nine rare and valuable plants. Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire tells the story of this legendary garden, and the distance one woman must travel—from the cold, harsh streets of Manhattan to the lush jungles of the Yucatan Peninsula—to claim what is hers.

Lila Nova lives alone in a ...more

Hardcover, 288 pages

Published June 16th 2009 by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group (first published January 1st 2009)

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Nov 04, 2010

Cheryl rated it

· review of another edition

My friend Staci asked if I wanted to read this book and I said I would. She has to sent it to someone, so I had to get reading it. I thought I would like it from her review, but I wasn't sure.

From the cover it looks kind of like a Better Homes and Gardens kind of book or something. I knew it was about plants, and I was unsure about how plants could be sensual.

Lila finds Exley in a plant stand in town. She ends up buying a bird of paradise plant from him. After that, she...more

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Jul 22, 2011

Rebecca rated it

This book was a super quick read. It was kind of hard to tell if it was a true story or not. The forward or opening or whatever, says it wasn't, for the most part and the way it was written, yeah, I have to think it's that. A recently divorced women is gets a plant from a flower market in New York. She is now attracted to anything to do with exotic plants. She stumbles onto a laundromat that is filled with crazy plants and a crazy owner. He tells her about 9 plants to happiness or something. She...more

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Oct 19, 2010

Elsa rated it

Review aqui: http://efeitodoslivros.blogspot.com/2010...

Com uma breve pesquisa passo a explicar o que fique a entender ser um agrosexual.
O Urbandicionary diz:

* a male who has farmed or currently farms and displays strong metrosexual tendencies

Pelo que Lila, a heroína da história descreve, um agrosexual é um homem arranjado e preocupado com o seu aspecto que não se importa...PERDÃO....que gosta de sujar as mãos na terra.
Tinha de começar por aqui ...more

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Jul 30, 2010

Eva rated it

When you pick up this book, turn off your reality meter. Nothing in here is anything like real-life, except maybe the introductions to the plants at the beginning of each chapter. Ready?

Lila Grace Nova is a 30 something, newly divorced, advertising exec in New York City. Her very empty new apartment needs a little decorating, so she goes to the open air market in search of a plant. She meets the decidedly sexy and mysterious David, the Plant Man, who sells her a Bird of Paradise....more

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Mar 06, 2010

jacqs rated it

There were a few good insightful paragraphs toward the end about the main character being desperate for any man who comes along. I also enjoyed some of the ethnobotanical information about the nature of the 9 plants, particularly how cannabis is tortured to make it produce resin. However... most of the first section, in NY, is filled with bad dialogue and nothing happening. Much of the second section, in Mexico, is as randomly surreal as Kafka. It was an attempt at magical realism, trying to...more

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Aug 18, 2009

Pam rated it

Prissy, city business woman with failed relationship, embarks reluctantly on a journey, finds life changing adventure and learns to unwind.

It seems like I could describe the formula for every mediocre book I’ve read recently, this way. I had all but crossed Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire off of my list when it came in to the library per my months-old request (based on this sexy, catchy little thing). Having recently finished some great books, I thought I might be able...morePrissy, city business woman with failed relationship, embarks reluctantly on a journey, finds life changing adventure and learns to unwind.

It seems like I could describe the formula for every mediocre book I’ve read recently, this way. I had all but crossed Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire off of my list when it came in to the library per my months-old request (based on this sexy, catchy little thing). Having recently finished some great books, I thought I might be able to give it a chance without letting it hurt my average too much. Now, I get to give you a big 1950’s toothpaste commercial smile and say, “Gee, I’m sure glad I did!”

While the basic story begins as any other, it grows into something completely different, quickly. Lila Nova is a middle aged, divorced advertising guru, wound too tight to function. On a stroll through the Union Square green market, one day, she happens upon David Exley, a charming plant dealer, who waxes romantic about having the perfect plant for Lila’s ailing soul: a bird of paradise. Taking home her very first living object to care for her since her husband walked out, Lila begins to finds herself rather attached to the plant. She strikes up a casual friendship with Exley that leads her to a slightly deeper knowledge of plants and eventually a slightly, ahem, deeper knowledge of Exley.

What could possibly go wrong? Oh, everything.

Shortly after buffing up on the tropical flora trade in New York City, Lila comes face to face with a beautiful fern attached to a rather unlikely city laundromat. Run by eccentric, fifty-something plant enthusiast Armand, the small business is a local hangout for answer seekers, both mystical and mundane. After a bizarre botanical test, Lila is deemed worthy of Arman’s backroom secret: he has, in his possession, the nine plants of desire.

After an avoidable blunder ends in disaster, ultimately losing Armand the laundromat and the plants to Lila’s big mouth, the two shake on a plan to go down to the Yucatan to retrieve more clippings, restoring the collection. Leaving the concrete jungle for the organic model, the travelers are immersed in an age old web of psychedelic folklore that will heat up even the coldest Manhattan heart.

What a fun little book! Though it takes a fair amount of time to lay the ground work for the real adventure, the second half of the book is well worth the wait. And, while parts made me scream “why do all chicklit protagonists have to be hammered over the head with the message we all got hours ago“, it did that less than I was expecting and its occurrence at all was my only complaint.

The plant information is fascinating but the story reads, at no point, like a text book. It flows more like a well guided romp through the rain forest, covering known characters like canabis sativa and the mandrake but also luring all parties, fictional and reader, into an obsessive hunt for a plant that no one has seen, to date.

It is definitely a beach read but a very different approach to the “girl meets sexy plant dealer” yarn. Don’t expect a botany dissertation; just relax, sit back and enjoy because it is just too much fun.(less)

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Aug 17, 2009

Amanda rated it

Um - the author was obviously smoking her favorite sensimilla bud when writing this. As far as I know, rattlesnakes don't live in wet damp jungles. They don't dance 6 feet tall in the air like cobras. They don't get as big as pythons. Scorpions don't feast on human blood or lurk in grass in numbers that make you have to "tiptoe". I could go on. I still rated this a three because she gets credit for lots of imagination and a fun plot. I have a better appreciation for orchids (I a...more...more

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Jul 27, 2009

Kori rated it

Lila Nova finds herself fascinated with plants after buying a Bird of Paradise from a handsome plant man at NYC's Green Market. Walking home one evening, she spies a very rare fern hanging in a window and stumbles upon a strange laundromat housing a tropical paradise. Armand, the owner of the wacky laundry, gives Lila a cutting from the Fire Fern and tells her that, if she can coax it to grow roots, he will show her the 9 mythical plants of desire he has locked in the back room. Unfortunately,...more

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Jul 12, 2009

Lauren rated it

This novel is about Lila Nova, a thirty something divorcee in the ad business. Like the typical chick lit heroine, Lila is insecure, between relationships, and lonely. She decides to expand her horizons by acquiring a plant. Because her apartment is bright and sunny, she gets a tropical plant from David Exley, a plant vendor in her New York City neighborhood. She develops an interest in tropical plants and finds a plant filled laundromat. A series of events leads her to the Mexican jungle, seeki...more

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Apr 04, 2009

Annmarie rated it

Shelves: fiction, magical-realism

An uneasy mix of magical realism and older chick lit, I think. Starts off intriguingly when Lila Nova, an ad writer and new divorcee in New York, meets David Exley, a handsome plant salesman in the green market. She becomes enchanted with the world of tropical plants, and when she walks past a steamy, magical looking, plant-filled laundromat with a rare fern in the window, she is drawn inside. The sage-like proprietor, Armand, tells her he has the mythical "nine plants of desire" locke...more

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Jun 10, 2010

Diane rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books-read

In Hot House Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire, Lila Nova is a 30 something advertising executive living in New York City. Her life is in flux. She is newly divorced, unhappy with her job, and she's moved to a new tiny apartment. Feeling lonely and somewhat insecure, she needs something to brighten her days, and her tiny but sunny apartment.

While shopping for a perfect plant for her place, she meets David Exley, and after some flirtatious exchanges, and chit chat about plants, she...moreIn Hot House Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire, Lila Nova is a 30 something advertising executive living in New York City. Her life is in flux. She is newly divorced, unhappy with her job, and she's moved to a new tiny apartment. Feeling lonely and somewhat insecure, she needs something to brighten her days, and her tiny but sunny apartment.

While shopping for a perfect plant for her place, she meets David Exley, and after some flirtatious exchanges, and chit chat about plants, she decides on a Bird of Paradise plant. Her interest in plants becomes heightened, and then one day while walking past a laundromat, she notices a gorgeous fern in the window. Curious to find out more, about the fern, she goes inside, and there she meets a mysterious man named Armand. He tells her about the plant, a "fire fern", and begins to tell her about the "nine plants of desire". Armand gives her a cutting of the fern, and he asks Lila to return to see him if she is successful in getting the plant to root. He promises to show her the "nine plants of desire if she returns, but before that happens, his plants are stolen. Both of them suspect David Exley, with whom Lila had a brief fling.

The story continues with Lila and Armand traveling to a Yucatan rain forest in search of these mysterious plants.

MY THOUGHTS - I am always surprising myself lately, by really liking books, I don't expect to enjoy. (Don't you love when that happens?) What can I say except that this was a great audio book. Cassandra Campbell is a fantastic reader. The story and the reader held my interest, and I was always anxious to resume listening to the book whenever I was able to. The background info about the "nine plants" was fascinating, but then I am a plant fanatic. If you like stories with elements of love, lust, passion and greed, and don't mind the elements of magical realism, then I think you should give this book a try.

BTW...Julie Roberts has snapped up the film rights to this one, and I think it would make a terrific movie as well.(less)

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Mar 13, 2010

Jen rated it

An ad exec in NYC buys a bird of paradise from a sexy plant man in Union Square and is suddenly drawn into the intrigue of tropical plants, heading to Mexico to try to find the 9 Plants of Desire, which will bring their possessor whatever they desire.

There are easier ways to learn that life in New York's ad world is shallow, but our protagonist Lila gets to dance with rattlesnakes and drink hallucinagenic flower potions. She's lusty and has crazy dreams and has amazing "luck"...more

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Oct 06, 2009

Andrea Dowd rated it

Beware when you read this book, it will suck you in and make you do things that are unstoppable.

"Hothouse Flower" is a story of Lila, an ad girl, newly single in NYC. On a whim, she buys a tropical plant from a man and unwittingly begins the journey that will change her life. Lila starts to connect herself to people and living things in ways that she has never done. Upon meeting Armand, a laundromat owner who also grows exotic plants, matter-of-factly dives into her soul...more

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Jul 29, 2010

Jake rated it

· review of another edition

I was on Goodreads awhile ago and saw an advertisement for this book then I read the synopsis on that site and decided I should give it a whirl. So I bought it the next time I went to Barnes and Noble and figured I would read it after I finished The Passage. We all know how well that one turned out so I got to start this one sooner than I thought.

Now this is a good book. It has romance, humor, wisdom, drama, a little action, and great characters. The main character is a young New ...more

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Aug 24, 2009

Rachel rated it

I'm not sure why I'm giving this 2 stars instead of one - but it probably wasn't the story that was so bad as much as the characters. I HATED the girl in the book. So much of what she did or said was just idiotic. I didn't connect with any of the characters even a little bit, which was disappointing.

The plant thing might have been cool but it seemed like it was trying too hard to be mystical and, again, I just didn't connect. But I confess I did google a plant or two to learn about t...more

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Dec 19, 2010

Cheryl Gatling rated it

Now this was different. I had heard this categorized as chick lit (which I think is demeaning), and in some ways it is. A divorced woman has adventures and finds herself in the process. But it also taught me things I didn't know (about plants), and gave me things to think about.

According to legend, whoever possesses all of the nine plants of desire will have anything he desires in life. It is so hard to acquire all nine, that men will kill, steal, or go mad in the pursuit of them. Arma...moreNow this was different. I had heard this categorized as chick lit (which I think is demeaning), and in some ways it is. A divorced woman has adventures and finds herself in the process. But it also taught me things I didn't know (about plants), and gave me things to think about.

According to legend, whoever possesses all of the nine plants of desire will have anything he desires in life. It is so hard to acquire all nine, that men will kill, steal, or go mad in the pursuit of them. Armand, the owner of a New York City laundromat which is filled with plants, moss, bees and butterflies (for pollination) has the nine plants. Exley, who sells plants from a stall in the market, wants them. Lila, the divorced woman, is caught in between them. All three of them end up in the jungles of Mexico, racing after the plants, with some seduction and betrayal along the way.

Is there really such a legend, I wondered, or did the author make it up? I think she made it up, but she does tell true things about nine very special plants, and about a whole lot of other interesting plants along the way. I learned about hitting scorpions with a spatula (but not a slotted one, or the juice squirts through), and that crushed up monarch butterflies can treat heart failure. Along the way, plant lore grows into plant magic. Plants hear wishes and reveal secrets. Plants pull people toward them (but only if they like you). A plant somehow gives Exley the ability to escape through a deadbolted door. How? How much of that is supposed to be taken seriously? Armand spouts about the power of plants. Lila, the New York girl, tends to scoff. And what am I to make of these people? Armand is supposed to possess such wisdom that people line up outside his laundromat just to ask him questions. But he is snippy and sometimes cold toward Lila. Is he really to be trusted? Does he really have Lila's best interest at heart, or is he as crazy as he is odd? What about Exley, who spends a night of passion with Lila, and then disappears? And what about Diego, the Huichol shaman Lila meets in the jungle? OK, so the story is far-fetched, and gets more so as it goes along. I wanted to find out what was going to happen, so I kept reading.

Addendum: Far-fetched, I called some of the story elements. I didn't realize just how far-fetched until I tried to recount the plot to a friend, and it sounded really stupid. In the short term I found this book deeply engrossing. From a distance, more than a bit silly. A good book is one that sucks you in. A great book is one you are still thinking about years later. I still think this book was good, but not great.(less)

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May 29, 2010

Chris Kratzner rated it

I wasn't expecting chic lit when I bought this based on an Entertainment Weekly review. Even as chick lit, it's weak. I have enjoyed shopaholic novels and Bridget Jones, but this heroine is weak the people around her are insulting and degrading, and then she continually proves them right! I'm not a stickler for likeable characters, but this is just going too far. I almost want her to fail just because she isn't learning anything and doesn't seem to deserve everything that is promised to the ...more

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Jul 26, 2009

Sarah rated it

Shelves: literature, chick-lit

In the wake of a bitter divorce, New York advertising copywriter Lila Nova meets two men who are obsessed with tropical plants. Within weeks, one of them betrays her spectacularly. The other coerces her into traveling by herself to the Yucatán Peninsula for a chance to right a wrong she has inadvertently caused. What follows is a journey that becomes increasingly mystical as Lila leaves her city life behind and literally walks blindly into the dark unknown of the jungle. Parallel to her phys...moreIn the wake of a bitter divorce, New York advertising copywriter Lila Nova meets two men who are obsessed with tropical plants. Within weeks, one of them betrays her spectacularly. The other coerces her into traveling by herself to the Yucatán Peninsula for a chance to right a wrong she has inadvertently caused. What follows is a journey that becomes increasingly mystical as Lila leaves her city life behind and literally walks blindly into the dark unknown of the jungle. Parallel to her physical journey, Lila also embarks on a highly unusual journey of self-discovery.

This is not your typical book about a middle-aged divorced woman finding herself. As the title indicates, it is about desire, but it is wildly original in its exploration of desire. Lila’s desire for adventure, love, and a new life drive the plot of the book while her sexual desire always lands her in trouble and provides most of the conflict. Both a highly spiritual book and a highly sensory book, it takes the reader deep into both the body and the spirit; in a wonderfully feminine way, it doesn’t attempt to separate the two. Major themes are self-knowledge, sexuality, spirituality, the predator/prey relationship, and my favorite theme: the gritty reality of life and death—both exhilarating and revolting. The author does not shy away from descriptions of the physical, sensory experience of both life and death.

I wish I could give this book four-and-a-half stars; it was a four-star book while I was reading it but it has a five-star aftertaste. It has some truly memorable lines. Moreover, it reminds me of one of my favorite books in the world: A Room With a View by E.M. Forster. Although A Room With a View is a social comedy and holds none of the magical fantasy of Hot House Flower, there are some similarities in theme and plot. Both books also end up advocating a life of passion in which the main character follows her desires, even if they do not conform to social norms. They each chronicle the journey of a woman realizing her great potential. They each feature a teacher/guide figure that recognizes her potential and helps her on her journey towards self-knowledge. But Berwin’s world is less constrained than Forster’s world, and there are more snakes in it—of both the reptile and the human variety.
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Jun 21, 2009

Brandy rated it

Shelves: chicklit, own

I loved this book! It was completely enchanting. Very similar to the Orchid Thief. This book brings you to another world, another place, but still very modern. It's like a cross between a romance adventure and a tutorial on tropical plants. Great Sultry Summery Novel- beach read that's not brainless.

Storyline centers around a recently divorced young woman who scared to go back to the dating scene. She becomes interested in a bird of paradise plant and gets drawn into an adventure th...more

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Mar 14, 2010

Lynda Irene rated it

Loved it! Despite having a bit of trouble with what I thought the weakest part of the story, that being the my suspension of disbelief regarding the main character, Lila, from being an absolute know-nothing-care-nothing about plants to being totally caught up in a lofty, deep and secretive world of plant intrigue. Once I got past that...and I kept coming back and struggling with that point over and over throughout the book, it was a well-crafted story.

Plants really can and do control...more

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Sep 07, 2009

Susan rated it

Set in both NYC and the Yucatan of Mexico, I found the details of the surroundings to be exquisite. The protagonist, a New Yorker, is compelled to give up her job and go to Mexico with a tropical plant expert she met recently. In some ways it reminded me of the second Celestine Prophesy book where the protagonist went to Peru in search of the secrets. I'm not a plant person but found myself getting caught up in the information about the various flora. I even started to believe that Mexico ...more

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Jul 04, 2009

Jennifer rated it

Shelves: direct-from-pantheon, 2009-reads, paperbackswap-sent

I picked up this book only because the title sounded interesting. I didn't read any reviews on it, nor did I read through the description. They say not to judge a book by it's cover, but I did, and I'm happy.

This was a very good book. It has love, romance, lust, greed, passion, death, spirituality, and just about everything else. For a debut novel, I'd say that Margot Berwin did a great job. She's left me with high expectations for her next novel.

The story takes place i...more

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Sep 09, 2009

Nicky rated it

I was absolutely LOVING this book and raced through the first three quarters. It's lush, vibrant, and full of beautiful imagery, and the sage advice of Armand even had me taking notes. Note that I'm always down with magical realism, so that wasn't the issue. The last quarter of the book seemed rushed, forced, and then things got a little sappy for my taste. Still, it's an enjoyable book and I learned some interesting things about plants, and if nothing else I got some great quotes out of the dea...more

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Apr 07, 2011

PJ Swanwick rated it

Shelves: favorites, new-age, spiritual

Mystical novel of plants and love is a pleasure to read.

Margo Berwin’s tale revels in the magic and mysticism of tropical plants. Lush descriptions and tight plotting make for a delightful reader experience that is both artistic and sensual. However, certain metaphysical aspects fail to deliver on the initial promise of the story.

Story: New York ad woman Lila Nova, increasingly disillusioned with her job and the city, becomes enchanted by David Exley, a handsome guy selling p...moreMystical novel of plants and love is a pleasure to read.

Margo Berwin’s tale revels in the magic and mysticism of tropical plants. Lush descriptions and tight plotting make for a delightful reader experience that is both artistic and sensual. However, certain metaphysical aspects fail to deliver on the initial promise of the story.

Story: New York ad woman Lila Nova, increasingly disillusioned with her job and the city, becomes enchanted by David Exley, a handsome guy selling plants at a green market. Soon, she's hooked on him, and her budding fascination with tropical plants leads her to a Laundromat that has a rare fern displayed in the window. Proprietor Armand quickly befriends Lila and gives her a trimming from the fern to take home, telling her if it forms roots, he'll show her the nine special plants he keeps in the back room. When Exley sees the fern trimming, Lila tells him about Armand's special plants, and soon the plants have been stolen and Exley has disappeared. Armand guilts Lila into coming to Mexico with him to find replacement plants, and there's magic, romance, greenery and greed as Lila and Armand venture through the Yucatan, hooking up with potential love-interest Diego and running into the devious Exley. (from Publishers Weekly)

Spiritual/metaphysical content: High. In the preface, Berwin explains that her knowledge of plant magic and shamanism is drawn from her experiences with a friend named Armand. I know little of the art of herbal magic, but her descriptions are fascinating. Armand’s knowledge of plants makes me wish I knew more. Although the material is extremely intriguing, I found myself wanting to learn more about Armand’s experiences in the spiritual realm that I could learn from and apply in my own life.

Debut author Margot Berwin has produced an excellent novel. The plot is tight and moves quickly, her language pleases the senses, and I particularly enjoyed how she structured the chapters around the plants that are vividly described in the book. The introduction to each chapter contains a quirky introduction to the plant that aptly sets up the story to follow. The exotic setting perfectly complements the story’s mysticism.

My take: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The plot is a page turner, and the lush and lascivious descriptions of plants made the novel a pleasure to read on several levels. However, although I felt engaged by the book, I never did connect to the main character. Lila seems cold and remote from the beginning, and her later actions prove her to be greedy, ruthless, and destructive. The ending was definitely unexpected, which is always good. However, it was not entirely satisfying from a metaphysical perspective. More people than just Lila and Exley were revealed to have selfish motives, and Lila did not seem to learn or change very much as a result of what should have been truly profound spiritual experiences.

For more reviews of new age novels, see Fiction For A New Age.(less)

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Oct 13, 2010

Crystal rated it

Shelves: for-review, read-oct-2010

I started this during the read-a-thon over the weekend and I'm glad I did - it was hard to put down and worked great with the hours of straight reading I had to do. I even started this later in the afternoon when I usually start losing my momentum, but HotHouse Flower helped me keep my momentum going.

I found Lila to be engaging from the beginning. I think a lot of women are lost like Lila and will understand her predicament in this book. I liked the storyline, her relation to t...more

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Jul 12, 2011

Kris rated it

What an odd book this was. I was drawn in by the title and a review I had read. "Packed with romantic betrayal, plant lore and a couple of visits to a surreal Laundromat in the East Village, she’s [Lila:] on her way to “high adventure” in the Yucatan rain forest, where she’ll encounter ancient magic, poisonous creatures, a murderous exotic plant dealer, and, yes, true love. A wildly inventive novel as vivid and colorful as a jungle flower."

The book definitely delivered all ...moreWhat an odd book this was. I was drawn in by the title and a review I had read. "Packed with romantic betrayal, plant lore and a couple of visits to a surreal Laundromat in the East Village, she’s [Lila:] on her way to “high adventure” in the Yucatan rain forest, where she’ll encounter ancient magic, poisonous creatures, a murderous exotic plant dealer, and, yes, true love. A wildly inventive novel as vivid and colorful as a jungle flower."

The book definitely delivered all the adventure it promised. Lila was a sympathetic character and in the end I really did want her to find herself. Armand, the owner of the nine plants, has his own quirks but he's interesting and magical just the same. Though we never delve too deeply into his past. David Exley is difficult to find attractive and he makes Lila seem so weak. Perhaps that is what I found so annoying. Lila just seemed so weak, sexually frustrated, and undeserving throughout the entire book. Hothouse is worth a light summer read but I'm wondering if the author thought it would be more. Personally, I didn't care for the writing style, I didn't get terribly invested in any of the characters and I skimmed when the descriptions of the plants became too tedious. I wish that the chapter headings had pictures of the actual plants they were describing rather than a generic frond.

New York ad woman, Lila Nova is newly divorced and looking for a fresh start. She become enchanted by David Exley, a handsome man who sells tropical plants. He sells her a bird-of-paradise and she become infatuated with him and tropical plants. After walking out of a commercial shoot, where her boss is ogling the model, she find herself at a laundromat that has a rare fern displayed in the window.

Proprietor Armand quickly befriends Lila and gives her a trimming from the fern to take home, telling her if it forms roots, he'll show her the nine special plants he keeps in the back room. In the mean time, Lila asks Exley out on a date where he sees the trimming. Wanting to impress Exley, she tells him about Armand's special plants and shows him where the laundromat is.

Soon the plants have been stolen and Exley has disappeared. Armand guilts Lila into coming to Mexico with him to find replacement plants. He first introduces her to his wife, Sonali who loves orchids and longs for the 'passion plant with no name'. Armand takes off for Mexico without Lila so she must fend for herself. She makes it to the Yucatan, rents a car that is then stolen, traverses a jungle and finally makes it to Armand's home that is surrounded by scorpians.

In the jungle she meets Diego and he assists her in finding the first three plants. Introduces her to a deer that helps her find the cacao plant. She and Armand go to town to meet with the Cashier who grows unique plants. Lila encounters Exley in the basement. He steals two of the plants there (2 died when he stole them). One of the plants Lila needs is a mandrake (the Cashier get the dog "Mallorey" to pull it from the ground, screaming as he does, then shoots the dog in the head). Very disturbing.

She gets high in the Cashier's garden of sinsemilla and when she gets back to Armand's house, she wants him so much she cuts part of the mandrake root and mashes it into his flan, remembering it's a aprhodisiac, forgetting it was toxic. Diego gets ill and his magical mother comes over, squashing butterflies into his mouth as they have a unique property to help with irregular heart beats. The butterflies don't help so Lila must go back to the Cashier for a Lily of the Valley. But Exley stole her only flower.

Lila must get high again and visualize where Exley is to get the plant. She finds him, seduces him, and steals the plant. She heads back to Armands but can't see in the jungle until lighting flashes and she find the "passion plant". She scoops this up too and makes it to Armands. Diego's mother prepares the remedy and gives it to Diego. Exley now shows up saying he will kill Diego to get the flower back. Armand chops open a pinata full of scorpians that attack Exley and he dies. Diego gets well and tells Lila he lover her too. Armand has the passion flower for Sonali which is the only reason he dragged Lila to Mexico (he had cuttings of the 9 plants and didn't need to replace them after all).

Lila flies back to New York, Kody (also in advertising) takes care of her plants while she's away. He would like to go to Mexico with her when she goes back. Later that night, while out walking he comes across the laundromat. Sonali has reparied it. She finds the fire fern and takes another cutting. She knows when the cutting produces roots, it will be time for her to go back to Mexico.

Whatever, she was high and horney through the entire second half of the book.
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Sep 07, 2010

Michelle Bird rated it

· review of another edition

This book started with so much potential... copywriter moves to New York alone, divorced, without much in her apartment. Then she brings home her first tropical plant, a bird of paradise, and her life changes. She finds a magical tropical laundromat in the city, is initiated into nine plants of desire (love, immortality, fortune, fertility, sexuality, life, magic, freedom, and adventure) and sets off to find her version of the nine plants. And then, well, the book jumps off the cliff in the Y...more

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Sep 19, 2010

Staci rated it

Recommended to Staci by: Diane-Bibliophile by the Sea/TLC

Shelves: blame-it-on-diane, 2010-reads, tlc-tour

Descriptive Words: steamy, informative, magical, quirky, sexual, thought-provoking,

Why I wanted to read this book:

* I wanted to be on this tour because Diane @ Bibliophile by the Sea read this book earlier this year and loved it to pieces. After finishing I was absolutely in her camp!!

What worked for me:

* I loved all of the mythical folklore surrounding plants. I have never looked at any flower and thought any deeper about it t...more

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Dec 30, 2009

liz rated it

Shelves: fun-slash-junk

Oh, I wish I could give it two and a half stars. I tore right through this book in a couple of hours, and enjoyed it (woo, the supernatural!), but it left me with a funny aftertaste. Partway through started I becoming uncomfortable with the way the Mexican characters were treated (picture the magical negro relocated to the Yucatàn peninsula). And, now that the book is all over, I realize that I don't really know much of anything about the main character. I mean... she was divorced. Instead ...more

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Sep 22, 2010

Shellie (Layers of Thought) rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: mystcial and magical realism lovers - mexico setting lovers

Shelves: genre-womens-chic-lit-romance, genre-general-fiction-literature, spec-fic-fant-slipstream-magicreali, aa-blogged-reviews, read-in-2010, country-mexico-south-america

The original review for this book is posted at Layers of Thought. There is also a giveaway for it there that ends October 3rd - 2010 for the US and Canada.

A “trip” into the realistic yet magical where an urbanite discovers herself in the rain forest of Mexico. It’s city girl goes jungle Jane with consciousness altering plants.

About: Lila is from NYC. She is in her thirties and cynical as well as wounded from her recent divorce. She has sworn off men and most attachments ...moreThe original review for this book is posted at Layers of Thought. There is also a giveaway for it there that ends October 3rd - 2010 for the US and Canada.

A “trip” into the realistic yet magical where an urbanite discovers herself in the rain forest of Mexico. It’s city girl goes jungle Jane with consciousness altering plants.

About: Lila is from NYC. She is in her thirties and cynical as well as wounded from her recent divorce. She has sworn off men and most attachments - “no pets, no plants, no people, no problems”. However she breaks her rule when she decides to buy herself a bird of paradise plant from the hunky greenery vendor around the corner from her studio. This starts her adventures and discovery about the mythical 9 plants of desire.

This humorous story, with its self- depreciating main character, takes the reader to the rain forests of Mexico. Where Lila is propelled by her quirky yet mystically oriented friend Armand to search for the illusive plants in order to repay a debt. As they enter into foreign territory into a place where fantastical elements are the norm, Lila herself makes a mildly hallucinogenic ride into self discovery and more.

Thoughts: Funny, fluffy and a very easy read, it was a needed break from the heavier stuff I have been recently reading. It was a foray into the magical. A chick lit escapist read with some mild romance which includes a gorgeous Huichol Indian from the mountains of Mexico.

As Lila gets to know these plants with their anthropomorphic attributes, we get an interesting mix of fact and fun fiction about each, where all of the short chapters are headed with a plant (and a few critters) and their description. I think my favorite section was on the chocolate plant, native to Southern America, where the author includes a recipe on how to make chocolate from the actual pods. Fun stuff!

I think this book will be perfect for any woman recovering from a recent break up or for anyone needing a light yet magical read. My mom is going to love this book being a plant person extraordinaire – me, the black thumb of the family killing cactus in the desert, enjoyed it just as much. I even found a few new books to add to my tbr list within the text of the novel - The Sheltering Sky by Philip Bowles and one by Carlos Castaneda. I love that. I give this fun book 3.5 stars. It was a blast.(less)

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About Margot Berwin

Margot Berwin earned her MFA from the New School in 2005. Her stories have appeared on Nerve.com, in the New York Press, and in the anthology The Future of Misbehavior. She worked in advertising for many years and lives in New York City.

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“Plants need roots because they can't move on their own. Their roots serve them well, stopping them from getting blown all over the place by the wind. But we humans can move around at will, and our roots hold us in place unnecessarily. Usually in a place we don't want to be. Then, when we try to move, we rip our roots, and it hurts, so we end up staying right where we are.” — 9 people liked it

“What a strange place, I thought. If I look up everything is so clear and beautiful, and if I look down, everything is so dangerous and ugly. I wished I could keep my head in the sky, but the scorpions brought me back to reality. Or was the sky the reality?” — 3 people liked it

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