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Mister Owita's Guide to Gardening
Carol Wall was at a crossroads. Her children had flown the nest, her beloved parents were ageing and she had overcome a serious illness. A neglected garden should have been the least of her worries.
Until one day she sees a man working in her neighbour's garden and realises he is responsible for its spectacular transformation. His name is Giles Owita. He comes from Kenya and he's very good at gardening.
‘It was kismet … And while I knew from the moment I met him that he was something special – truly, I didn't know the half of it.'
Before long Mister Owita is transforming not only Carol's garden, but her life. Although they seem to have nothing in common, a bond grows between them. When both are forced to share long-buried secrets, their friendship is transformed forever.
From the publisher of The Help comes a uniquely moving and inspiring true story of of an unlikely friendship between a white school teacher and the intriguing Kenyan man whose grace in facing life's challenges is a lesson for us all.
Until one day she sees a man working in her neighbour's garden and realises he is responsible for its spectacular transformation. His name is Giles Owita. He comes from Kenya and he's very good at gardening.
‘It was kismet … And while I knew from the moment I met him that he was something special – truly, I didn't know the half of it.'
Before long Mister Owita is transforming not only Carol's garden, but her life. Although they seem to have nothing in common, a bond grows between them. When both are forced to share long-buried secrets, their friendship is transformed forever.
From the publisher of The Help comes a uniquely moving and inspiring true story of of an unlikely friendship between a white school teacher and the intriguing Kenyan man whose grace in facing life's challenges is a lesson for us all.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
134 people are currently reading
3167 people want to read
About the author
Carol Wall
6 books9 followersBest known for her groundbreaking memoir, Mister Owita’s Guide to Gardening: How I learned the Unexpected Joy of a Green Thumb and an Open Heart, Carol F. Wall (1951 - 2014) was also an accomplished teacher and public speaker. Beginning in 1973, with her first teaching job at East High School in Nashville, TN (Oprah Winfrey’s alma mater), Carol became famous for her ability to reach even the most reluctant student, and for her storytelling talents. Whether describing the culinary exploits of her husband (a “binge cooker”) or detailing the day her beagle Rhudy was banished from an exclusive spa for dogs, she brought wit and liveliness to ordinary subjects. Later, as Writer-in-Residence for Roanoke County Schools, Carol's high school audiences looked forward to her entertaining and engaging presentations. A graduate of Peabody College for Teachers at Vanderbilt University, her articles and essays on family life were popular features in such publications as Southern Living magazine and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. In 2014, just nine months after Mister Owita’s Guide To Gardening was published to critical acclaim, Carol died from complications from breast cancer. She is survived by her husband, three grown children, three beautiful granddaughters, and two grandsons—all of whom, in accordance with her wishes, are carrying on the message of her book, speaking to readers and groups across the country. In tribute to his mother, Carol's youngest son, the filmmaker Phil Wall, joined his father on a book tour in 2015, shooting footage for The Ground In Winter, an upcoming documentary about Carol and her work. Upon the publication of her memoir in 2014, Carol’s book was named one of the top 10 books of the year by USA Today, and then cited as one of the best books of 2014 by AARP, and acclaimed by Oprah as a “book that every joy-seeking woman should read.”
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 615 reviews
March 16, 2014
Boy do I feel out of step when I see what other readers have rated this book. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy reading it or find it touching in places, but (and it is a BUT) I felt it was so contrived. Wall used the whole story of the gardener to augment her own story which felt like a gimmick. Not that I doubted that she had a nice friendly relationship with the gardener, but so much of the suspense seemed contrived and didn't evoke the sympathy I would normally feel for people in the same circumstances. The fact that Wall would continually act rashly, yet immediately recognize her fault for doing so, just didn't feel authentic.
I actually think that Carol's story or Owita's story alone, told simply, would have been endearing. Sorry, this just didn't hang together for me.
I actually think that Carol's story or Owita's story alone, told simply, would have been endearing. Sorry, this just didn't hang together for me.
June 12, 2014
This book has little do do with gardening. It is about a selfish, whiny, middle aged woman who hires her neighbors gardener to help with her neglected yard.
Lucky for the Kenyan born Mr Owita, Mrs Wall is not a racist . . .which we know because she tells us and Mr. Owita several times. Like when she is holding up the line at the grocery store where he bags because she wants to discuss the bushes in the yard. When the manager asks Mr. Owita to help Mrs. Wall take her purchases to the car and he will bag. She sure it is racism and tells Mr. Owita she does not support such attitudes. (silly me, I thought the manager wanted to help cutomers get through checkout quickly)
Unluckily though for the minimum wage earner, she is a snob. Mrs Wall hires Mr Owita after seeing his impressive work next door. (The neighbor runs a nursery where Mr. Owita is an employee and hired him to help maintain her gardens.) Mrs. Wall treats him like an idiot, until the neighbor shares his nursery job application (can anyone say privacy act?) which shows his doctorate in horticulture. She writes him insisting on the correct address of Dr. Owita in future and proceeds to call him Giles.
I have to admit I did not finish.. . I just couldn't take another line of her whiny, selfish, self adoring, snobbish writing.
Lucky for the Kenyan born Mr Owita, Mrs Wall is not a racist . . .which we know because she tells us and Mr. Owita several times. Like when she is holding up the line at the grocery store where he bags because she wants to discuss the bushes in the yard. When the manager asks Mr. Owita to help Mrs. Wall take her purchases to the car and he will bag. She sure it is racism and tells Mr. Owita she does not support such attitudes. (silly me, I thought the manager wanted to help cutomers get through checkout quickly)
Unluckily though for the minimum wage earner, she is a snob. Mrs Wall hires Mr Owita after seeing his impressive work next door. (The neighbor runs a nursery where Mr. Owita is an employee and hired him to help maintain her gardens.) Mrs. Wall treats him like an idiot, until the neighbor shares his nursery job application (can anyone say privacy act?) which shows his doctorate in horticulture. She writes him insisting on the correct address of Dr. Owita in future and proceeds to call him Giles.
I have to admit I did not finish.. . I just couldn't take another line of her whiny, selfish, self adoring, snobbish writing.
September 12, 2018
A surprising friendship blossoms between two people with supposedly very little in common.
SUMMARY
Carol Wall was at a crossroads in her life. Her children were grown, she had successfully overcome an earlier illness, and her beloved parents were getting older. One day she notices a dark-skin man working in her neighbors yard. The yard was gorgeous, while hers was well beyond “rough around the edges.” It wasn’t the worst yard in the neighborhood but it was quickly moving in that direction. She wanted to hire this gentleman to work on her yard. His name was Giles Owita, and he had immigrated from Kenya. The book is about the relationship that develops between Carol and Mr. Owita. It is about the changes in both their lives and about how they helped each other overcome some difficult battles.
“I never liked getting my hands dirty. This was one reason that our yard looks so sad but there were other reasons, too— bigger reasons that were much harder to confront than brutal grass and overgrown bushes.”
REVIEW
My favorite part of this charming story was the silent war over Carol’s three azela bushes. She detested them and wanted them yanked out...Mr. Owita thought them beautiful, and merely fertilized and trimmed them. And so their relationship began. She was furious, he would not do what she wanted with the blasted azaleas, she wanted to be in control. Mr. Owita was a soft-spoken, humble horticulturist with a huge smile for everyone. He was full of wisdom about plants and about the difficulties of life. A unique and enjoyable part of the book were the letters that Mr. Owita and Carol exchanged with each other. Each letter from Mr Owita further conveyed his wisdom and bright attitude. They were a joy to read. The story written by CAROL WALL was part memoir and part tribute. The writing was charming, heartfelt and thought-provoking. It increased my awareness of the importance of treating all those around you with respect and dignity. You never know what someone else is going through.
Publisher Berkley Books
Published February 3, 2015
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com
“It’s seem to me like too many people spend too much of their time taking care of their houses instead of enjoying their spouses. And where was the fun in that?
SUMMARY
Carol Wall was at a crossroads in her life. Her children were grown, she had successfully overcome an earlier illness, and her beloved parents were getting older. One day she notices a dark-skin man working in her neighbors yard. The yard was gorgeous, while hers was well beyond “rough around the edges.” It wasn’t the worst yard in the neighborhood but it was quickly moving in that direction. She wanted to hire this gentleman to work on her yard. His name was Giles Owita, and he had immigrated from Kenya. The book is about the relationship that develops between Carol and Mr. Owita. It is about the changes in both their lives and about how they helped each other overcome some difficult battles.
“I never liked getting my hands dirty. This was one reason that our yard looks so sad but there were other reasons, too— bigger reasons that were much harder to confront than brutal grass and overgrown bushes.”
REVIEW
My favorite part of this charming story was the silent war over Carol’s three azela bushes. She detested them and wanted them yanked out...Mr. Owita thought them beautiful, and merely fertilized and trimmed them. And so their relationship began. She was furious, he would not do what she wanted with the blasted azaleas, she wanted to be in control. Mr. Owita was a soft-spoken, humble horticulturist with a huge smile for everyone. He was full of wisdom about plants and about the difficulties of life. A unique and enjoyable part of the book were the letters that Mr. Owita and Carol exchanged with each other. Each letter from Mr Owita further conveyed his wisdom and bright attitude. They were a joy to read. The story written by CAROL WALL was part memoir and part tribute. The writing was charming, heartfelt and thought-provoking. It increased my awareness of the importance of treating all those around you with respect and dignity. You never know what someone else is going through.
Publisher Berkley Books
Published February 3, 2015
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com
“It’s seem to me like too many people spend too much of their time taking care of their houses instead of enjoying their spouses. And where was the fun in that?
April 27, 2014
I have tried twice, months apart, to get into this book but I can't. Part of my problem is that there is too much unpleasantness. The title leads me to believe that the tale is going to be uplifting and wondrous. A story of plants and personalities --like A FARM DIES ONCE A YEAR-- but in reading the beginning chapters I keep falling across prejudices, hateful concepts and speech, and information that seems too personal and not at all about Mr. Owita and Carol Wall's relationship, but rather about Carol Wall and how she feels responsible for her parents' and children's' happiness.... The conversation about her sister's death decades before is an example. It is curious and interesting, but as a modern reader I'm a bit put off by her constant references to this sister as being mongoloid. I know that's the term they used then, but I find it repulsive and not a little bit off-putting.
I think I would have liked the book better if it had more clearly indicated that is was really an autobiography.
I think I would have liked the book better if it had more clearly indicated that is was really an autobiography.
June 20, 2014
2.5 stars, rounded up to 3 stars
Carol Wall has written a memoir about her friendship with Giles Owita, a horticultural specialist and African immigrant. They bonded as they gardened and faced other challenges, especially health problems. Although I felt empathy for the author battling breast cancer, Mister Owita's story was the more compelling. The charismatic man found such beauty in nature, and approached life with optimism and wisdom. I wish more of the book had been devoted to Mister Owita.
Carol Wall has written a memoir about her friendship with Giles Owita, a horticultural specialist and African immigrant. They bonded as they gardened and faced other challenges, especially health problems. Although I felt empathy for the author battling breast cancer, Mister Owita's story was the more compelling. The charismatic man found such beauty in nature, and approached life with optimism and wisdom. I wish more of the book had been devoted to Mister Owita.
September 2, 2014
Our yard is beautifully landscaped with green grass and trees, much like a park. My husband works hard to keep the grass trimmed, bushes shaped and trees pruned. Despite this I could relate to how Carol Wall felt about the "rough around the edges" look of her property. No longer could she just call it natural. What it lacked was color and flowers reminding me of mine. This is totally my fault, a lack of knowledge of where to start and a fear of getting it wrong. I could use the gardening lessons Carol Wall hoped to learn from Mr. Owita.
Mr. Owita's Guide to Gardening: How I Learned the Unexpected Joy of a Green Thumb and an Open Heart turns out to be much more than the transformation of a person who sports a brown thumb into a green one. It is a slow journey for Wall who finds that things are not always as they seem, that assumptions truly do make "an ass out of you and me" and that in midlife she still has much to learn. She does manage to learn a lot about plants, flowers and balance along the way.
It was hard for Wall to separate her own story in writing a tribute to Mr. Owita. Some readers faulted her for this. I enjoyed the blending of their lives that begins with Wall hiring a helping hand which then grows into a friendship built on caring and respect, each benefiting from the best qualities of the other.
A touching read which kept my interest.
Mr. Owita's Guide to Gardening: How I Learned the Unexpected Joy of a Green Thumb and an Open Heart turns out to be much more than the transformation of a person who sports a brown thumb into a green one. It is a slow journey for Wall who finds that things are not always as they seem, that assumptions truly do make "an ass out of you and me" and that in midlife she still has much to learn. She does manage to learn a lot about plants, flowers and balance along the way.
It was hard for Wall to separate her own story in writing a tribute to Mr. Owita. Some readers faulted her for this. I enjoyed the blending of their lives that begins with Wall hiring a helping hand which then grows into a friendship built on caring and respect, each benefiting from the best qualities of the other.
A touching read which kept my interest.
February 24, 2014
As someone who loves flowers and gardens, I was attracted to the title of this memoir even before I read the publishers note. Imagine my surprise when in the Prologue, the Author states her hatred for flowers!
Carol Wall is a white woman living in a neighbourhood in America where an African man will definitely be noticed. Despite being raised by parents who teach her to not to judge a person by the colour of their skin, Carol nevertheless jumps on her brakes when she notices such a man in her friend Sarah’s garden. She learns his name is Giles Owita, he is from Kenya and he is very good at gardening
When Carol employs Mr Owita as her gardener, she means for him to tidy up, get rid of weeds and dispose of the azaleas she hates! He seems to not fully understand her instructions when he tells her he will prune and fertilize the azaleas. Despite a beautifully written note in English Mr Owita leaves in Carol’s letterbox, she wonders if perhaps he has trouble understanding her instructions. Who wins? Do the azaleas stay or go and what about Carol’s hatred of flowers? You will have to read the book to learn the answers to those questions, although the subtitle may give you a hint.
Nonetheless, whilst the garden is the heart, the soul of Mr Owita’s Guide to Gardening is friendship. Despite their huge cultural differences, Carol Wall and Giles Owita become friends, although both have secrets not easily revealed. Discussions about the garden turn into discussions about life
Many people in this day and age have difficulty understanding a friendship between a man and a women which does not threaten the other relationships in their lives. Carol and Giles are two beautiful souls meeting at the right time in their lives for a friendship to blossom.
This is a life-affirming memoir beautifully written by this first time author, so much of which resonated with me on a deeply personal level. Both Carol Wall and Giles Owita have faced many challenges in their lives and Carol tells their stories with humour, pathos and love.
Thanks to Random House Australia via NetGalley for my prepublication copy of Mr Owita’s Guide to Gardening; it’s a pleasure to meet such quality people.
Carol Wall is a white woman living in a neighbourhood in America where an African man will definitely be noticed. Despite being raised by parents who teach her to not to judge a person by the colour of their skin, Carol nevertheless jumps on her brakes when she notices such a man in her friend Sarah’s garden. She learns his name is Giles Owita, he is from Kenya and he is very good at gardening
When Carol employs Mr Owita as her gardener, she means for him to tidy up, get rid of weeds and dispose of the azaleas she hates! He seems to not fully understand her instructions when he tells her he will prune and fertilize the azaleas. Despite a beautifully written note in English Mr Owita leaves in Carol’s letterbox, she wonders if perhaps he has trouble understanding her instructions. Who wins? Do the azaleas stay or go and what about Carol’s hatred of flowers? You will have to read the book to learn the answers to those questions, although the subtitle may give you a hint.
Nonetheless, whilst the garden is the heart, the soul of Mr Owita’s Guide to Gardening is friendship. Despite their huge cultural differences, Carol Wall and Giles Owita become friends, although both have secrets not easily revealed. Discussions about the garden turn into discussions about life
Many people in this day and age have difficulty understanding a friendship between a man and a women which does not threaten the other relationships in their lives. Carol and Giles are two beautiful souls meeting at the right time in their lives for a friendship to blossom.
This is a life-affirming memoir beautifully written by this first time author, so much of which resonated with me on a deeply personal level. Both Carol Wall and Giles Owita have faced many challenges in their lives and Carol tells their stories with humour, pathos and love.
Thanks to Random House Australia via NetGalley for my prepublication copy of Mr Owita’s Guide to Gardening; it’s a pleasure to meet such quality people.
May 1, 2015
I hated this! I hated her adjective loaded meaningless descriptions, I hated her arrogant assumptions that she is so insightful and wise. I hated her meandering attempts to tell us what should have simply remained between herself and her therapist. I hated her instant bestowal of “natural” wisdom, “close to the earth”ness on a chance-met unknown black man. I hated her need to immediately start displaying her non-racistness to him. I hated her assumptions of his magicalness. I can’t help wondering if she is really this unpleasant in real life, or if this is just a disservice she has done herself by displaying her innermost thoughts to us.
The first third of this is horribly written, and I just didn’t want to hear this woman’s whining and watch her put her foot in her mouth or be her therapist. After the first third it got a touch better – she began to show us what was so interesting about this man instead of all the mystical nonsense she’d been feeding us; perhaps she was just guilty of heavy-handed foreshadowing? But it is still so awkwardly written and the unrecognized racism and blind assumption of privilege that underlies this is truly disturbing.
The first third of this is horribly written, and I just didn’t want to hear this woman’s whining and watch her put her foot in her mouth or be her therapist. After the first third it got a touch better – she began to show us what was so interesting about this man instead of all the mystical nonsense she’d been feeding us; perhaps she was just guilty of heavy-handed foreshadowing? But it is still so awkwardly written and the unrecognized racism and blind assumption of privilege that underlies this is truly disturbing.
June 7, 2014
The title suggests it's about him. But it's really about our whiney multi-cancer surviving victim. I mean author. That sounds wretched but she is Debby downer cloaked in I-and-every-white-person-in-my-middle-class-Roanoke-suburb-learned-so-much-from-this-extraordinary-and-misunderstood-PhD-possessing (oh shock!!!)-African-gardener-grocery-bagger . And of course is a better person for it. Blah blah blah. Nothing wrong with that experience OR writing a memoir but it was often eye-rollingly trite and dully written. Would've been so much more interesting if we focused on him instead of her thru the lens of knowing him. She saddles us with her banal dramas. She tries to be simple everywoman (nothing wrong in that either). And she's just boring. I wanted to smack her. Not alwasy, but enough to win 2 stars. And my mean review.
I was misled by the NYT book review!
I was misled by the NYT book review!
March 14, 2014
It really wasn't Mr. Owita's story. It was Carol Wall's story of her life. Disappointing.
February 22, 2014
Amy Einhorn Books|March 4, 2014|Hardcover|ISBN: 978-0-399-15798-1
MISTER OWITA'S GUIDE TO GARDENING is about a wonderful friendship between Carol Wall and Giles Owita. It's a book about illness and also how we need to learn to not make assumptions.
Carol Wall is a high school teacher living in the United States and is happily married with grown children. Giles Owita also lives in the United Sates, is happily married and has young children but is originally from Kenya.
Carol and her husband never much cared about how their garden looked, it just wasn't a priority in their lives. One day she was admiring a neighbours garden which was breathtaking when she began to have a change of heart. Why subject her community to their mess when everyone else had well maintained yards. Carol noticed a black man working in the neighbours yard and figured she'd ask him to come and speak with her about doing her garden. The woman who owned the home was a master gardener herself so Carol thought Giles must be good if she let him maintain her yard.
Carol assumed because Giles was a yard worker that he was automatically uneducated and probably not very bright. When Carol first met Giles she wasn't overly friendly and fought him on a lot of the ideas he had to improve her garden. Over time they became the best of friends even though Carol was occupied with worry over her cancer returning. She and Giles, although happily married to other people, enjoyed a completely platonic but intimate friendship. As their friendship blossomed and their complete trust in each other grew, they began to reveal private and tragic secrets to each other.
As Carol confided in Giles, Giles too confided in Carol further cementing their relationship. Carol said: "...my conversations with Giles Owita became my ideal postgraduate education, I even took notes..."
This memoir is a very personal account really of two people's lives. And, there is a lot more to Giles Owita than meets the eye. You'll be surprised at what you learn about this charming man from Kenya. We'd all be lucky to meet and befriend a Giles Owita.
I liked the line where Carol wrote: "Fate had sent a professor to my door, and my conversations with him were like a dream class..."
I enjoyed this book thoroughly and will be sharing it with friends and recommending it to other people.
MISTER OWITA'S GUIDE TO GARDENING is about a wonderful friendship between Carol Wall and Giles Owita. It's a book about illness and also how we need to learn to not make assumptions.
Carol Wall is a high school teacher living in the United States and is happily married with grown children. Giles Owita also lives in the United Sates, is happily married and has young children but is originally from Kenya.
Carol and her husband never much cared about how their garden looked, it just wasn't a priority in their lives. One day she was admiring a neighbours garden which was breathtaking when she began to have a change of heart. Why subject her community to their mess when everyone else had well maintained yards. Carol noticed a black man working in the neighbours yard and figured she'd ask him to come and speak with her about doing her garden. The woman who owned the home was a master gardener herself so Carol thought Giles must be good if she let him maintain her yard.
Carol assumed because Giles was a yard worker that he was automatically uneducated and probably not very bright. When Carol first met Giles she wasn't overly friendly and fought him on a lot of the ideas he had to improve her garden. Over time they became the best of friends even though Carol was occupied with worry over her cancer returning. She and Giles, although happily married to other people, enjoyed a completely platonic but intimate friendship. As their friendship blossomed and their complete trust in each other grew, they began to reveal private and tragic secrets to each other.
As Carol confided in Giles, Giles too confided in Carol further cementing their relationship. Carol said: "...my conversations with Giles Owita became my ideal postgraduate education, I even took notes..."
This memoir is a very personal account really of two people's lives. And, there is a lot more to Giles Owita than meets the eye. You'll be surprised at what you learn about this charming man from Kenya. We'd all be lucky to meet and befriend a Giles Owita.
I liked the line where Carol wrote: "Fate had sent a professor to my door, and my conversations with him were like a dream class..."
I enjoyed this book thoroughly and will be sharing it with friends and recommending it to other people.
April 4, 2014
I was worried this would be largely about gardening, of which I have zero interest. But the author integrates her growing knowledge and joy in gardening just the right amount. This is really about her unique friendship with Giles, and how they help each other. It's just lovely.
January 27, 2014
As usual I received this book for free in exchange for a review, this time from Shelf Awareness. Also as usual I give my candid opinions below.
To summarize, this book is a memoir that is only remotely about gardening. Rather than focus on those things that we putter about with in the ground it's really a story of the relationships that we cultivate with others and the impact that those relationships have on our lives.
To the positive side of things, the author of this memoir is as brilliantly introspective and self-aware as any of a memoir author I've read in a long time. It has been my general observation that authors of memoirs seem to describe in painful detail how they stormed through the world and how they made a difference and why you should recognize their greatness in some way. In this case the author candidly describes how one simple man made a huge difference in her own life while being unafraid to lay out for all to see how she very easily could have missed out on what he had to offer.
Also to the positive, the book has much to say about society and how we look at others. I will avoid spoilers by resorting to generalities, but we see examples of unintentional prejudice based on race, socioeconomics, general appearance and all this from a woman who prides herself on being a champion against these prejudices. This book is a delightful example of those accidental judgments that we all make and the author is candid enough to share these with us. Finally, we do also find in this book a delightful example of humanity and weakness under what is otherwise a superhuman image. Proving finally and completely that no one is entirely what they seem whether that be positive or negative.
The only negative I would put forth is that the story does at times grow a bit soft and saccharine sweet. These occurrences, however, are vanishingly brief and probably only of note because I'm a guy reading a somewhat female-oriented book.
In summary, this is the sort of memoir that is an example to other writers. It is candid, coherent, honest and the author has generously shared the lessons she's learned from her friend. It presents a wonderful view of human frailty from the viewpoint of a woman that we could all learn from as we deal with the world around us and the people in it. I'd buy her a cup of coffee any time.
To summarize, this book is a memoir that is only remotely about gardening. Rather than focus on those things that we putter about with in the ground it's really a story of the relationships that we cultivate with others and the impact that those relationships have on our lives.
To the positive side of things, the author of this memoir is as brilliantly introspective and self-aware as any of a memoir author I've read in a long time. It has been my general observation that authors of memoirs seem to describe in painful detail how they stormed through the world and how they made a difference and why you should recognize their greatness in some way. In this case the author candidly describes how one simple man made a huge difference in her own life while being unafraid to lay out for all to see how she very easily could have missed out on what he had to offer.
Also to the positive, the book has much to say about society and how we look at others. I will avoid spoilers by resorting to generalities, but we see examples of unintentional prejudice based on race, socioeconomics, general appearance and all this from a woman who prides herself on being a champion against these prejudices. This book is a delightful example of those accidental judgments that we all make and the author is candid enough to share these with us. Finally, we do also find in this book a delightful example of humanity and weakness under what is otherwise a superhuman image. Proving finally and completely that no one is entirely what they seem whether that be positive or negative.
The only negative I would put forth is that the story does at times grow a bit soft and saccharine sweet. These occurrences, however, are vanishingly brief and probably only of note because I'm a guy reading a somewhat female-oriented book.
In summary, this is the sort of memoir that is an example to other writers. It is candid, coherent, honest and the author has generously shared the lessons she's learned from her friend. It presents a wonderful view of human frailty from the viewpoint of a woman that we could all learn from as we deal with the world around us and the people in it. I'd buy her a cup of coffee any time.
January 19, 2014
It wasn't quite the self-help nor gardening book that I thought it would be, and that worked brilliantly in its favour. It could have been tacky by using every gardening tip as some sort of metaphor for lessons in life, but thankfully this tender memoir did not resort to such unnecessary tricks. It could have been preachier given its content, but Carol Wall gives a balanced perspective, never lingering on nor overplaying a heavy-handed emotion. "Mister Owita's Guide to Gardening" covered a wide range of topics, from race, religion, gender, wealth, and social status, to humility, health, family, marriage, and friendship; illuminating for Wall and Owita, and perhaps even some readers will take away a thing or two.
February 24, 2014
This is such a moving book! I had to keep reminding myself that it was based on a true story. It reads like a novel. The author, Carol, and her husband Dick never cared for doing yardwork. The results were a shabby looking yard. Carol Envies her neighbor Sarah's yard filled with beautiful flowers, bushes, and trees. Carol meets Sarah's gardener, Mr. Owita. Their friendship grows and flourishes the same as the plants and flowers that he plants in her yard. Mr. Ostia teaches Carol to embrace life, release the guilt, and accept things you cannot change. Although Carol has to deal with two different bouts of cancer, I consider her a lucky woman to have had Mr. Owita in her life.
March 22, 2015
I loved this book. Don't let the title throw you--it is not a gardening book, even though it has a sub-theme of gardening and how that process can awaken one's inner feelings. It's a book about friendship, love, seeking understanding, dealing with difficult circumstances, etc. It was beautifully written and captured the essence of the characters so well.
March 7, 2014
I typically read books about psychology which was the area I worked in prior to retirement and history hitch is an area of interest. I decided to go in a totally different direction and read Mister Owita's Guide to Gardening. What a stroke of luck! This book gripped me and never let go!
July 28, 2019
This is now on my favorites list. A charming yet compelling memoir about friendship, relationships, community and connectedness. The author's honesty and candor make this book so real and I was hooked from page 1.
December 6, 2017
Onvan : Mister Owita's Guide to Gardening: How I Learned the Unexpected Joy of a Green Thumb and an Open Heart - Nevisande : Carol Wall - ISBN : 399157980 - ISBN13 : 9780399157981 - Dar 294 Safhe - Saal e Chap : 2014
August 1, 2020
I had this book on my TBR shelf for quite some time and finally had the good sense to read it. It is a lovely story of friendship, acceptance, loss, grief and hope. This is a total delight.
January 1, 2015
This is the true story of a unique friendship between two people, who at first, seemed to have nothing in common with each other. Carol Wall was a white woman living in a middle class neighborhood in middle America. Her children were grown, she was dealing with her beloved parents growing older, and still dealing with the cancer which she had successfully overcome, but she still fears that it will return. One day, she notices an African man tending her neighbor's yard; the same man that bags her groceries at the supermarket. He is from Kenya, and he is very good at gardening. His name is Giles Owita.
Before long, Giles is transforming Carol's yard, and also her life. A caring bond grows between them, but they both hold long buried secrets that, when revealed, will cement their friendship forever.
I really enjoyed this book, it was a very compelling story. If you are expecting to find actual gardening tips, you won't find them in this book. If you looking for a story about how the power of friendship can change our hearts and transform our lives, then this book is for you. It also teaches the lesson that we as humans have more in common with each other than we think; we just need to take the time get to know each other and scratch beneath that surface.
I could see this book being adapted into a movie; I think Meryl Streep would be perfect in the role of Carol.
I received a free advance readers copy of this book from Library Thing; it will be released for sale on March 4, 2014.
Before long, Giles is transforming Carol's yard, and also her life. A caring bond grows between them, but they both hold long buried secrets that, when revealed, will cement their friendship forever.
I really enjoyed this book, it was a very compelling story. If you are expecting to find actual gardening tips, you won't find them in this book. If you looking for a story about how the power of friendship can change our hearts and transform our lives, then this book is for you. It also teaches the lesson that we as humans have more in common with each other than we think; we just need to take the time get to know each other and scratch beneath that surface.
I could see this book being adapted into a movie; I think Meryl Streep would be perfect in the role of Carol.
I received a free advance readers copy of this book from Library Thing; it will be released for sale on March 4, 2014.
April 2, 2016
This is definitely not a guide to growing a garden, although a garden is important in the book. Instead, it is the true story of a Kenyan man and his family living in America and the difference he made in the life of Carol Wall, who tells their story here. Carol was a very needy person, struggling with cancer, dealing with her elderly parents, and just a generally helpless and pessimistic person. She and her husband had neglected their yard for years, and when a neighbor hired a gardener and Carol saw what he accomplished there, she asked him to come and dig out some azalea bushes that she didn’t want. Mr. Owita was a very talented gardener – it turned out that he had a PhD in horticulture that he had earned in Kenya. As she got to know Mr. Owita and his wife and realized all the hardships and burdens they were carrying in their own lives, she began to treasure them as friends. He was a very caring and understanding person, and slowly and steadily he showed Carol how to open her heart and appreciate the life that she had. To quote Mr. Owita, “In every moment there exists a lifetime. Every day brings something good.”
September 1, 2017
Normally this would not be my kind of book, however I listened to the audiobook, read by Cynthia Darlow, a narrator with a soft Southern accent, and I found the story fairly moving and memorable. I happened to be listening to it while all of the unrest in Charlottesville was transpiring, and I realized about half-way through, how much I enjoyed returning to this memoir, versus following the violence and its aftermath in the media. A Southern woman (of apparent “white privilege”) forms a genuine, life-altering bond with an amazing Kenyan man and his family, sharing the very same hopes, heartbreaks and fears, and how bad of a story could that be, especially when it all takes place in contemporary Virginia? I’m surprised at how many Goodreads reviews are so negative about this book, especially considering that the author writes about her roller-coaster ride with cancer and eventually succumbs to it as the book was being published. However, I get that, as a cancer memoir, there are probably many more out there that are better “books” with much better writing, and this is basically a 3-star book with an emotionally-charged, tear-jerking 5-star story.
Still, I am glad that before she died, Carol Wall decided to tell her story, and impart to us the character of Mister Owita. He is a wizard gardener with a soul of pure compassion, sure to dispense tidbits of ordinary wisdom at those moments when they are most needed (and are, of course, in nearly every chapter), a peculiar African man, who had bagged her groceries countless times but, turns out, could make her world burst with color and life that she did not even believe she wanted. Carol Wall may not have been breaking new literary ground, but she does give us a lasting image of a remarkable man, who worked hard for her and the community at large, while harboring deep troubles of his own. In contrast, she makes harrowing, painful observations about herself, and if nothing else could be remembered and commended for her utter honesty, laying her paranoid, cancer-tainted thoughts and tendencies before us, melodramatic (and ugly) as they sometimes may have been. May her name, and Giles Owita’s, live on in Roanoke, as far as I’m concerned.
Still, I am glad that before she died, Carol Wall decided to tell her story, and impart to us the character of Mister Owita. He is a wizard gardener with a soul of pure compassion, sure to dispense tidbits of ordinary wisdom at those moments when they are most needed (and are, of course, in nearly every chapter), a peculiar African man, who had bagged her groceries countless times but, turns out, could make her world burst with color and life that she did not even believe she wanted. Carol Wall may not have been breaking new literary ground, but she does give us a lasting image of a remarkable man, who worked hard for her and the community at large, while harboring deep troubles of his own. In contrast, she makes harrowing, painful observations about herself, and if nothing else could be remembered and commended for her utter honesty, laying her paranoid, cancer-tainted thoughts and tendencies before us, melodramatic (and ugly) as they sometimes may have been. May her name, and Giles Owita’s, live on in Roanoke, as far as I’m concerned.
July 7, 2018
I’m surprised to see such a low rating for this book, because I really enjoyed it. I found it to be an incredible and inspiring story based on a surprising friendship, and a real look at illness and fear. I was happy to discover at the end that it was based on a true story. If you are looking for a joyful book about gardening then this isn’t for you, but if you are looking for a story that touches your heart and makes you think, this is it!
March 19, 2014
This novel is a heartwarming story about an unexpected friendship. Carol Wall has battled cancer, lost her sister at a young age, and is now solely responsible for her two aging parents. Her yard is the least of her worries until she sees her neighbor's oasis. Finding that this neighbor is employing a gardener to transform her yard, Wall approaches the gardener to assist her as well. The man with the green thumb is Giles Owita, a native Kenyan working at her local grocery store. His polite manners and sunny dispostion are pleasing to Wall but they disagree on the very first task in her yard transformation. Wall eventually learns to trust Owita's decisions regarding the garden and they begin opening up a bit more to each other during their work.
Read my full review here: http://www.ivoryowlreviews.blogspot.c...
** I received this book in exchange for an honest review **
August 14, 2014
I was disappointed by this read. I found it rather self-indulgent and whiny, and for a memoire, rather lacking in growth and substance. Which is a shame, as I had hoped, given the initial pages, that the book would be much better than it was. There were many aspects of this piece that just didn't sit well, not the least of which was the author's seeming inability to look at herself from outside herself. I found, as a result, that there seemed no actual forward movement to her personality other than small glimmers that were often nullified by her repetition of past grievances. Overall, it wasn't the worst book I have read, but I wouldn't likely pick it up again or recommend it to someone else.
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June 29, 2017I picked up the book as a possibility for a group book discussion and although I enjoyed the read, I'm not sure we will use it for discussion. It's a very personal story - and the author openly shared her feelings. It's a story of a lovely friendship between two possibly unlikely people who are able to provide support for one another.
September 12, 2017
I purchased this book inJuly while at a friend's book club in MI. Dick Wall, the author's husband, spoke to us about his wife, their life and her story. I set aside the book thinking it might not be a favorite. I was so mistaken. It is a beautiful story of a special friendship......one of those friendships that greatly enrich both people. Those who read Carol Wall's book will be enriched also.
February 13, 2018
As a simple man, my review differs from the intellectuals or those looking for just gardening tips. It tells of how plants and people deal with life. Make no assumptions on plants until you see them bloom, where they are planted. Nor on people until you've walked in their gardening shoes. Both need assistance, nourishment, Son/sun light and space to grow.
August 29, 2020
Didn’t realize until half way through book that this is a memoir Would have enjoyed the book more if it had been less about her anger at her parents for allowing radiation treatment for her as a child,and more about Mr. Owita.
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