The Garden Club and the Kumquat Campaign

by Des Kennedy

In this warm and humorous novel, narrator Joseph Jones leads us into the world of Upshot Island, an imaginary place off the coast of British Columbia. Joseph's life takes an interesting turn when members of the local garden club decide to take part in the effort to save the Kumquat Sound rain forest. What starts out as a peaceful pilgrimage turns into an outrageous adventure. Along the way, readers will meet the strange characters who inhabit Upshot Island, such as Elvira Stone who believes her missing husband was abducted by a UFO and Waddy Watts, a cantankerous old-timer who predicts the next rainfall by the sound of the frogs. Award-winning garden writer Des Kennedy's descriptions of coastal plants create a perfect natural environment for the story. His intriguing narrative delves into realms of mystery, death, and love. With a foreword by Des added to this new edition, The Garden Club is a must-have for all lovers of the outdoors.

Genres: Fiction

215 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1996

Reviews

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story would have been a three star had it not been for the setting and the cause which is dear to my heart. I found the plot not strong enough to keep me from putting down the book every few chapters until I was near the latter part of the story. Then I did want to keep reading and was impressed with information shared about the deforestation throughout western US and Canada and throughout the world. I appreciate stories that have more purpose than just entertainment. Note to self: next novel by Des Kennedy I want to read on my reader so I can look up those words I don't see very often! I'm a lazy reader and rarely stop to use a dictionary.

[Mila · Rating 2 out of 5]

A nice light read about the time the author got arrested for civil disobedience protesting logging of Clayoquot Sound.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started off as a rather amateurish effort, but as it progressed it became quite a delightful book with well developed characters and a few worthwhile life lessons to be learned as well. It is no masterpiece but a special treat for anyone familiar wit Denman Island in the Canadian Gulf Islands. Though the island is represented as fictional, it is quite obvious that and Vancouver Island are the real settings. The quality of the writing almost deserved 4 stars, or at least 3-1/2 if that were possible.

[Donna Beckley · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting and fun read. As I live in the same area as the fictional book was set, it is fun identifying the places and events that the author uses in his story. It is the story of a man's search for his place in a changing world. He lives in a beautiful peaceful place and his choice to take a side in an environmental issue forces him to leave his paradise and make the choices that change his life. An easy read.

[Ceanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring, boring, boring. I started flipping pages as the narrative droned on and on and on... I have no idea how it's sitting with almost 4 stars from everyone else. Oh well, obviously not my taste as all.