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Modern Library Gardening
Recuerdos de un jardinero inglés
Si un libro es «como un jardín que se lleva en el bolsillo», éste hace realidad como ningún otro ese proverbio árabe, pues recrea la historia de uno fértil, armonioso y encantador, un verdadero vergel: narcisos, orquídeas, crisantemos, dalias y campanillas azules brotan de sus páginas, cultivadas con mano maestra por el inefable jardinero Herbert Pinnegar.
El protagonista de esta maravillosa novela fue un niño solitario que siempre mostró una pasión desmedida por las flores, especialmente por las silvestres, que crecían en las orillas del viejo canal que recorría con la profesora que le transmitió todo su saber botánico. La segunda mujer en apreciar su talento será la joven Charlotte Charteris, quien le otorga el primer premio en el Concurso Anual de Flores y cambia definitivamente su destino al ofrecerle, poco después, trabajar en el jardín de su mansión. Desde la vivienda anexa, que ha habitado a lo largo de sesenta años, Pinnegar repasa su vida consagrada a velar por ese cosmos en miniatura, un genuino jardín inglés: una de las contribuciones más originales de los británicos a la cultura universal. Con Pinnegar aprendemos que la paciencia, la tenacidad y la gratitud son virtudes necesarias para quien está expuesto al rigor de las estaciones y a los esplendores fugaces, ¿acaso no querríamos un mundo en el que todos lleváramos un jardinero dentro? De sus acciones y propósitos se desprende una ética singular: en un jardín no se puede estar enfadado mucho tiempo.
Publicado en 1950, sobre este clásico moderno de la literatura inglesa, rebosante de humor y ternura, se proyecta también, de forma sutil, la sombra de los pesares de una sociedad que acaba de superar una guerra y, en este sentido, la idea del jardín supondrá su contrapunto: un lugar de ensueño, una metáfora de la buena vida y una promesa de felicidad. Los desvelos y alegrías que colman la existencia sencilla de este entrañable personaje, al igual que la belleza de un paisaje, reportan beneficios inmediatos al lector: una novela que estimula los sentidos, atempera el espíritu y apacigua el corazón maltrecho. En definitiva estamos ante una novela tierna, divertida, con un personaje inolvidable que desgrana perlas de sabiduría, mientras practica con una pasión desmedida el arte de la jardinería. Un retrato inteligente y cómico de un personaje entrañable que también es un homenaje delicado y nostálgico a la vida en el campo.
«Una historia deliciosa, desprovista de toda seriedad gracias al sentido del humor gamberro de Arkell.» Penelope Hobhouse
Biografía del autor
Reginald Arkell (1872-1959) fue un escritor y guionista británico, célebre por sus obras humorísticas. Creció en Gloucestershire, donde siendo muy joven se formó como periodista y comenzó a escribir para el teatro. Tras servir en el ejército durante la Primera Guerra Mundial, centró su producción en libretos cómicos para musicales, entre ellos el de 1066 and All That, aclamada parodia de la historia británica. Fue, además, editor de la revista Men Only y autor de cuatro volúmenes de «poesía de jardín»: "Green Fingers", "More Green Fingers", "Green Fingers Again" y "And a Green Thumb". Apasionado de la jardinería y la horticultura, Arkell consagró a esta disciplina varios textos, entre los que destaca "Recuerdos de un jardinero inglés" (1950), su gran obra, protagonizada por Bert Pinnegar, inolvidable personaje cómico que recuerda al mítico mayordomo Jeeves, de P. G. Wodehouse. La versión teatral de esta novela fue representada en el castillo de Windsor frente a la familia real en las navidades de 1979.
El protagonista de esta maravillosa novela fue un niño solitario que siempre mostró una pasión desmedida por las flores, especialmente por las silvestres, que crecían en las orillas del viejo canal que recorría con la profesora que le transmitió todo su saber botánico. La segunda mujer en apreciar su talento será la joven Charlotte Charteris, quien le otorga el primer premio en el Concurso Anual de Flores y cambia definitivamente su destino al ofrecerle, poco después, trabajar en el jardín de su mansión. Desde la vivienda anexa, que ha habitado a lo largo de sesenta años, Pinnegar repasa su vida consagrada a velar por ese cosmos en miniatura, un genuino jardín inglés: una de las contribuciones más originales de los británicos a la cultura universal. Con Pinnegar aprendemos que la paciencia, la tenacidad y la gratitud son virtudes necesarias para quien está expuesto al rigor de las estaciones y a los esplendores fugaces, ¿acaso no querríamos un mundo en el que todos lleváramos un jardinero dentro? De sus acciones y propósitos se desprende una ética singular: en un jardín no se puede estar enfadado mucho tiempo.
Publicado en 1950, sobre este clásico moderno de la literatura inglesa, rebosante de humor y ternura, se proyecta también, de forma sutil, la sombra de los pesares de una sociedad que acaba de superar una guerra y, en este sentido, la idea del jardín supondrá su contrapunto: un lugar de ensueño, una metáfora de la buena vida y una promesa de felicidad. Los desvelos y alegrías que colman la existencia sencilla de este entrañable personaje, al igual que la belleza de un paisaje, reportan beneficios inmediatos al lector: una novela que estimula los sentidos, atempera el espíritu y apacigua el corazón maltrecho. En definitiva estamos ante una novela tierna, divertida, con un personaje inolvidable que desgrana perlas de sabiduría, mientras practica con una pasión desmedida el arte de la jardinería. Un retrato inteligente y cómico de un personaje entrañable que también es un homenaje delicado y nostálgico a la vida en el campo.
«Una historia deliciosa, desprovista de toda seriedad gracias al sentido del humor gamberro de Arkell.» Penelope Hobhouse
Biografía del autor
Reginald Arkell (1872-1959) fue un escritor y guionista británico, célebre por sus obras humorísticas. Creció en Gloucestershire, donde siendo muy joven se formó como periodista y comenzó a escribir para el teatro. Tras servir en el ejército durante la Primera Guerra Mundial, centró su producción en libretos cómicos para musicales, entre ellos el de 1066 and All That, aclamada parodia de la historia británica. Fue, además, editor de la revista Men Only y autor de cuatro volúmenes de «poesía de jardín»: "Green Fingers", "More Green Fingers", "Green Fingers Again" y "And a Green Thumb". Apasionado de la jardinería y la horticultura, Arkell consagró a esta disciplina varios textos, entre los que destaca "Recuerdos de un jardinero inglés" (1950), su gran obra, protagonizada por Bert Pinnegar, inolvidable personaje cómico que recuerda al mítico mayordomo Jeeves, de P. G. Wodehouse. La versión teatral de esta novela fue representada en el castillo de Windsor frente a la familia real en las navidades de 1979.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1950
143 people are currently reading
4437 people want to read
About the author
Reginald Arkell
37 books17 followersReginald Arkell was a British script writer and comic novelist who wrote many musical plays for the London theatre. The most popular of those was an adaptation of the spoof history book 1066 and All That: 1066—and all that: A Musical Comedy based on that Memorable History by Sellar and Yeatman.
He was the author of A Cottage in the Country and the Green Fingers series of garden verse.
Arkell was born on 14 October 1882 at Lechlade, Gloucestershire, England, was educated at Burford Grammar School and trained as a journalist. He married actress Elizabeth Evans in 1912.
During the First World War he served with the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry and The Norfolk Regiment. Arkell died on 1 May 1959 at Cricklade, England.
He was the author of A Cottage in the Country and the Green Fingers series of garden verse.
Arkell was born on 14 October 1882 at Lechlade, Gloucestershire, England, was educated at Burford Grammar School and trained as a journalist. He married actress Elizabeth Evans in 1912.
During the First World War he served with the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry and The Norfolk Regiment. Arkell died on 1 May 1959 at Cricklade, England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 331 reviews
September 21, 2025
I’ve read gardening books and even books about gardeners, but never a novel about a garden with an “Old Herbaceous.” I’d never expected this to work out so well.
Old Herbaceous aka Bert Pinnegar remembers his life as a gardener from youth to old age. He weathers all the fashion changes from the high Victorian country garden period through Edwardian times, Great War, between war periods and on through WWII and beyond into his own old age. Difficulties belonged to the whole system not just one crotchety old head gardener.
The novel could appeal to anyone not just gardeners. However, it will make you smile if your favorites are mentioned especially if those favorites are often considered weeds. I love any character who appreciates mulleins.
Old Herbaceous aka Bert Pinnegar remembers his life as a gardener from youth to old age. He weathers all the fashion changes from the high Victorian country garden period through Edwardian times, Great War, between war periods and on through WWII and beyond into his own old age. Difficulties belonged to the whole system not just one crotchety old head gardener.
The novel could appeal to anyone not just gardeners. However, it will make you smile if your favorites are mentioned especially if those favorites are often considered weeds. I love any character who appreciates mulleins.
April 6, 2013
I don't know how to review this book, because it was so different from anything I've ever read. It reminds me of so many books: The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, the Flavia de Luce books by Alan Bradley, Agatha Christie (Miss Marple loved her garden), even the Downtown Abbey TV shows. but it's not like any of those. No murders take place in these greenhouses!
Written in 1951, it has recently been reissued. It's a simple, quiet, quickly read story of the life of this man, Herbert Pinnegar, the head gardener at a manor house in England. The story opens with him at the end of his life, looking back on everything he had gone through.
You will love this if you are an Anglophile, as I am - this couldn't have been more British. If you're a gardener, you will love this book, although I'm just a wanna-be green thumb. If you like delicate narrative, with characters painted with the brush of a humane hand, this book is for you.
I'm lucky to have come across a mention of the reissure of this book - wonderful, wonderful.
Written in 1951, it has recently been reissued. It's a simple, quiet, quickly read story of the life of this man, Herbert Pinnegar, the head gardener at a manor house in England. The story opens with him at the end of his life, looking back on everything he had gone through.
You will love this if you are an Anglophile, as I am - this couldn't have been more British. If you're a gardener, you will love this book, although I'm just a wanna-be green thumb. If you like delicate narrative, with characters painted with the brush of a humane hand, this book is for you.
I'm lucky to have come across a mention of the reissure of this book - wonderful, wonderful.
February 23, 2022
One of those quiet novels that you sink into and before you know it, it's dark outside, you've got nothing done, and you've finished. I'm already looking forward to re-reading this one.
I'd never heard of this author but it turns out he was local. Born in Lechlade and lived in Cricklade. In the opening chapters he talks about the Thames and Severn canal and what fertile hunting grounds they were for wild flowers, since my early years were spent near Sapperton (very close to the tunnel entrance), at Lock Cottage, which was in the middle of the woods, on the bank of this canal it really struck a chord with me.
I'd never heard of this author but it turns out he was local. Born in Lechlade and lived in Cricklade. In the opening chapters he talks about the Thames and Severn canal and what fertile hunting grounds they were for wild flowers, since my early years were spent near Sapperton (very close to the tunnel entrance), at Lock Cottage, which was in the middle of the woods, on the bank of this canal it really struck a chord with me.
August 22, 2017
The description makes this sound a bit arch, but really it's more of a gentle story...
Available for download at the Internet Archive.
Available for download at the Internet Archive.
March 10, 2021
4,5 🌟
En esta historia nos acercamos a la vida de Herbert Pinnegar y es de esos personajes que se van a quedar conmigo. Este libro, sencillo y fácil de leer, nos muestra a esta figura que vemos crecer, diferente al resto, cojo y con un fuerte complejo de inferioridad se gana el respeto de los demás como puede. Solitario y enamorado de las flores silvestres encuentra en ellas y en el cuidado de la tierra y los jardines su yo, su vida, su esencia, y se entrega por completo a esta profesión, que es mucho más que eso para él, es su razón de vivir. A ella puede dedicarse gracias a la influencia de dos mujeres que marcan su camino.
El Viejo Yerbas nos transmite mensajes muy interesantes. Se habla de la guerra, de lo antiguo que se va rompiendo con lo moderno, cómo va cambiando la vida con el paso del tiempo y los cambios generacionales que se producen. La jardinería está muy presente claro está, con palabras técnicas y específicas de ese ambiente, pero para nada se me ha hecho tedioso en ese sentido. Me ha gustado mucho leer este libro, me ha emocionado por momentos y lo he disfrutado.
En esta historia nos acercamos a la vida de Herbert Pinnegar y es de esos personajes que se van a quedar conmigo. Este libro, sencillo y fácil de leer, nos muestra a esta figura que vemos crecer, diferente al resto, cojo y con un fuerte complejo de inferioridad se gana el respeto de los demás como puede. Solitario y enamorado de las flores silvestres encuentra en ellas y en el cuidado de la tierra y los jardines su yo, su vida, su esencia, y se entrega por completo a esta profesión, que es mucho más que eso para él, es su razón de vivir. A ella puede dedicarse gracias a la influencia de dos mujeres que marcan su camino.
El Viejo Yerbas nos transmite mensajes muy interesantes. Se habla de la guerra, de lo antiguo que se va rompiendo con lo moderno, cómo va cambiando la vida con el paso del tiempo y los cambios generacionales que se producen. La jardinería está muy presente claro está, con palabras técnicas y específicas de ese ambiente, pero para nada se me ha hecho tedioso en ese sentido. Me ha gustado mucho leer este libro, me ha emocionado por momentos y lo he disfrutado.
February 7, 2014
If you should happen to read this lovely book about the life of a curmudgeonly yet charming head gardener of an English country manor house and not be touched, there must be something wrong with you. Perhaps some childhood trauma left you unable to feel; unable to appreciate the graciousness of a noble heart well placed at last after an ignominious beginning. This heartwarming ( I can't believe I used that corny word, but there it is) work of fiction celebrates quietly the better parts of human nature. It is a soothing balm to the world weary among us who, like me, can not even bear the harsh realities of the evening news. It reminded me that there are good people out there. Old Herbacious is an all too short application of cheer on a gloomy winter's day.
November 3, 2021
Siglos XIX, XX. Inglaterra. Flores silvestres, narcisos, buganvillas, tulipanes y nomeolvides. Cuando estaba empezando esta reseña, @xpgigirey tuiteó: La clave de todo, en la literatura y en la vida, es dar con personajes memorables. Recuerdos de un jardinero inglés es eso mismo: la vida de costumbres de Herbert Pinnegar, un entrañable jardinero que ahora a sus ochenta años rememora su tranquila existencia.
Libro bonito, sencillo y tierno, ¡en los que no pasa nada pero pasa todo! Arkell, hombre de la misma época en la que se desarrolla la novela, nos recuerda que el mundo empezó en un jardín, donde no se puede estar enfadado mucho tiempo. Y le creo cuando dice que si los jardineros pudieran reunirse y aclarar las cosas, se acabarían los problemas del mundo...
💐🌿🌺🌸🌻🌾
Libro bonito, sencillo y tierno, ¡en los que no pasa nada pero pasa todo! Arkell, hombre de la misma época en la que se desarrolla la novela, nos recuerda que el mundo empezó en un jardín, donde no se puede estar enfadado mucho tiempo. Y le creo cuando dice que si los jardineros pudieran reunirse y aclarar las cosas, se acabarían los problemas del mundo...
💐🌿🌺🌸🌻🌾
June 15, 2020
Un libro carino, semplice, rilassante, racconta la storia di un uomo a sua volta semplice e vecchio stile che dedica la sua vita alla sua passione. Una lettura per gli amanti dei giardini.
November 12, 2020
The writing style was a little modern for my taste (it was written in 1951), but I did enjoy the gentle humor and even gleaned a few ideas for my own garden while reading it. 😊
April 25, 2024
לסקירה מפורטת בעברית, קישור לבלוג שלי -
https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/זיכר...
https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/זיכר...
February 19, 2018
I purchased this original 1950's copy because of the John Minton artwork which is printed in green rather than the usual old black finish for this type of illustration.
A novel about gardening! A good read, uncomplicated and very relaxing. Nothing epic happens it's just a pleasant read that allows one to relax and truely forget the world. A beautiful pastoral pleasure
Would I recommend this? Maybe not it is a very acquired taste, like putting on an old and battered pair of shoes, you know you should get rid of them, but they are so comfortable.
Recommended.
A novel about gardening! A good read, uncomplicated and very relaxing. Nothing epic happens it's just a pleasant read that allows one to relax and truely forget the world. A beautiful pastoral pleasure
Would I recommend this? Maybe not it is a very acquired taste, like putting on an old and battered pair of shoes, you know you should get rid of them, but they are so comfortable.
Recommended.
January 18, 2026
There’s a surprising amount of depth in this short, gentle novel about a gardener. The book is at once a character study, a reflection on the role of work in a changing society, and a celebration the art of gardening. Herbert Pinnegar (nicknamed “Old Herbaceous”) works for wealthy Mrs. Charteris for nearly 80 years, beginning as a boy during Queen Victoria’s reign and eventually rising to head gardener. Herbert is a bit of a loner who never marries, yet Arkell convincingly depicts the true affection he he holds for his employer and the garden they’re both so invested in.
One of the most moving things about the novel is the way that each new phase in Herbert’s life brings its own joys. Even the bleak times have a way of transitioning into something new and better, as winter gives way to spring. At the very end of the novel, Mrs. Charteris sells the estate due to her declining health, and Herbert worries he will lose his job and his home. But it turns out she has provided for his pension, and the new owner gives him a greenhouse where he can do whatever work most appeals to him. In addition to emphasizing the value of a good employer, this ending is shows us the hope that life can still be satisfying even as we grow older.
One of the most moving things about the novel is the way that each new phase in Herbert’s life brings its own joys. Even the bleak times have a way of transitioning into something new and better, as winter gives way to spring. At the very end of the novel, Mrs. Charteris sells the estate due to her declining health, and Herbert worries he will lose his job and his home. But it turns out she has provided for his pension, and the new owner gives him a greenhouse where he can do whatever work most appeals to him. In addition to emphasizing the value of a good employer, this ending is shows us the hope that life can still be satisfying even as we grow older.
Altogether, taking one thing with another, it was the happiest time Old Herbaceous had ever known. They still smiled at him behind his back; but only as you might smile at the lines of some famous old battleship. And when they used his nickname, still behind his back, they thought less of the "acerbaceousness" that had prompted it, than of those wide borders where hardy perennials bloom newly with each succeeding summer and continue to do so for the life of a man.
August 22, 2021
“Las flores que cultivas hoy nunca son tan bellas como las que cultivaste ayer y que volverás a cultivar mañana. El jardinero es un ser frustrado para el que las flores nunca brotan en el momento oportuno.” ~ Recuerdos de un jardinero inglés de Reginald Arkell.
Herbert Pinnegar, de mayor conocido como el Viejo Yerbas, contempla el jardín desde su ventana. Ya está retirado y rememora su vida desde niño, su amor por las plantas y sus anécdotas como jardinero de la señora Charteris. Recorremos con él su infancia y su juventud como aprendiz de jardinero de la mano del señor Abbis y su época de madurez como respetado jardinero.
Maravilloso y precioso. Un libro que se lee con una sonrisa permanente. Es una historia llena de ironía, de crítica y de humor pero también de nostalgia, de melancolía y de amor. No sé si hay ni habrá película basada en este libro pero si la hay la veo porque yo, que soy un desastre para las plantas, me encantaría pasearme por ese jardín de la mano de Herbert, así, a distancia, porque yo planta que miro, planta que mato 🤦🏼♀️. Un libro que os recomiendo y que nada más acabar estoy deseando volver a leer.
Herbert Pinnegar, de mayor conocido como el Viejo Yerbas, contempla el jardín desde su ventana. Ya está retirado y rememora su vida desde niño, su amor por las plantas y sus anécdotas como jardinero de la señora Charteris. Recorremos con él su infancia y su juventud como aprendiz de jardinero de la mano del señor Abbis y su época de madurez como respetado jardinero.
Maravilloso y precioso. Un libro que se lee con una sonrisa permanente. Es una historia llena de ironía, de crítica y de humor pero también de nostalgia, de melancolía y de amor. No sé si hay ni habrá película basada en este libro pero si la hay la veo porque yo, que soy un desastre para las plantas, me encantaría pasearme por ese jardín de la mano de Herbert, así, a distancia, porque yo planta que miro, planta que mato 🤦🏼♀️. Un libro que os recomiendo y que nada más acabar estoy deseando volver a leer.
July 12, 2021
Heartfelt, quick read about an old man looking back over his life as head gardener at an English manor house during the Victorian era, the Edwardian era, and two world wars, as well as the comradeship he has with the lady of the house. Very touching.
January 6, 2026
Mr. Pinneger is the epitome of a head gardener in a grand English manor estate. He’s headstrong because he is so knowledgeable but subservient in most ways to Mrs. Charteris, the owner of the estate. Their interactions are the backbone of the book rather than the garden itself; which continues for many decades with a bittersweet ending. Delightful!
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February 1, 2026Fue publicada en 1950 y se considera un clásico de la literatura inglesa.
Aunque ya he finalizado la novela, el jardinero Herbert Pinnegar seguirá vivo en mi. Es de aquellas novelas que cuando las acabas piensas: ¡Que bonita! ¿Cómo puede ser que no la haya leído antes?
La definiría como deliciosa, emotiva y entrañable. Un buen libro para leer en verano.
Aunque ya he finalizado la novela, el jardinero Herbert Pinnegar seguirá vivo en mi. Es de aquellas novelas que cuando las acabas piensas: ¡Que bonita! ¿Cómo puede ser que no la haya leído antes?
La definiría como deliciosa, emotiva y entrañable. Un buen libro para leer en verano.
September 28, 2024
Jan 2016
I don't know what it is about gardening books that so enthrall me since I'm only a passable gardener myself. I suspect a goodly portion of it is simply that I wish I were a genuinely green-thumbed individual. It's not that I haven't made an effort, starting with small plants I found while camping that I'd attempt to transplant from their native mountain to my home soil. Never successfully. On to taking a horticulture class in college that I well and truly enjoyed. Eventually, at one point, I decided my growing skills were best limited to children (I was blessed to raise five), roses which I dearly love, and herbs which are somehow able to thrive in poor soil with very little care once they are established.
My three cultivating loves are still in that particular order: my children, roses, and herbs. And every so often, with expected regularity, I feel compelled to read yet another gardening memoir or novel, perhaps more for the dreaming, or wishing, element it provides than from any real improvement in my skills. Yes, this was still another gardening book of that sort, the kind that calls to me and allows me to fall under its spell and enjoy the fantasy that in another place and time, perhaps another life, my dream might have been realized.
A delightful novel of a young boy taken under the wing of the lady of the manor and who eventually grows up to be not only her head gardener, but her friend as well. Sometimes laugh aloud funny and other times touchingly poignant. A wonderful fiction selection for any gardener, or gardener wannabe like myself.
Sept 2024
Still delightful. The only distraction the abrupt, rather strange, ending.
Definitely recommended. 4 stars
I don't know what it is about gardening books that so enthrall me since I'm only a passable gardener myself. I suspect a goodly portion of it is simply that I wish I were a genuinely green-thumbed individual. It's not that I haven't made an effort, starting with small plants I found while camping that I'd attempt to transplant from their native mountain to my home soil. Never successfully. On to taking a horticulture class in college that I well and truly enjoyed. Eventually, at one point, I decided my growing skills were best limited to children (I was blessed to raise five), roses which I dearly love, and herbs which are somehow able to thrive in poor soil with very little care once they are established.
My three cultivating loves are still in that particular order: my children, roses, and herbs. And every so often, with expected regularity, I feel compelled to read yet another gardening memoir or novel, perhaps more for the dreaming, or wishing, element it provides than from any real improvement in my skills. Yes, this was still another gardening book of that sort, the kind that calls to me and allows me to fall under its spell and enjoy the fantasy that in another place and time, perhaps another life, my dream might have been realized.
A delightful novel of a young boy taken under the wing of the lady of the manor and who eventually grows up to be not only her head gardener, but her friend as well. Sometimes laugh aloud funny and other times touchingly poignant. A wonderful fiction selection for any gardener, or gardener wannabe like myself.
Sept 2024
Still delightful. The only distraction the abrupt, rather strange, ending.
Definitely recommended. 4 stars
October 29, 2014
I am becoming more and more fond of books about gardeners. I will probably always be looking for another "Henry", and never find him, but that's alright as long as I keep coming upon fellows like Old Herbaceous.
Chock-full of charm - how else to describe it? A story about the rise of a misfit boy to head gardener of an estate.
Chock-full of charm - how else to describe it? A story about the rise of a misfit boy to head gardener of an estate.
April 15, 2022
Esta novela relata con afabilidas la trayectoria vital de un típico personaje de la campiña británica a mediados del siglo XX. En su simplicidad, las peripecias del protagonista con las plantas y las relaciones con los propietarios y ayudantes configuran una narración optimista que se lee con placer.
Para el que le gusten los jardines es una obra altamente recomendable y bien escrita.
Para el que le gusten los jardines es una obra altamente recomendable y bien escrita.
November 26, 2025
Delightful, quiet novel about an old gardener looking back over his life (from late 1800’s through WWII) working at a manor house. Clever and witty writing.
November 22, 2020
«Nada más empezar tuvo que aprender la lección que aprende todo jardinero: las flores nunca salen todas al mismo tiempo. O llegas demasiado tarde o llegas demasiado pronto. Las flores que cultivas hoy nunca son tan bellas como las que cultivaste ayer y que volverás a cultivar mañana. El jardinero es un ser frustrado para el que las flores nunca brotan en el momento oportuno. En todo lo que lo rodea ve cambio y descomposición. Es todo muy triste, y cómo los jardineros consiguen salir adelante ante tales adversidades es una de esas cosas que nadie entenderá nunca.»
July 5, 2019
Free download: https://archive.org/details/oldherbac...
The mists be on the river bed,
The roses all be gone;
And here be I, about to die,
With Harvest coming on.
Dear Lord, I've traipsed some weary miles,
I'll be main glad to rest awhiles.
The folk'll soon be in the fields
A-getting in the grain;
For most of those, the time You've chose
Be awkerd in the main.
Though not so bad, 'tis sure, for they
As be a-workin' by the day.
September be a better month
For all the carter men;
And when I die don't signify,
So let I bide till then:
The wagons'll be standing by,
And there'll be time to bury I.
(from green FingersAgain
Opening: It was one of those mild autumn mornings when early mist had turned to soft rain and water dripped from everything. No real touch of winter yet; just a soft pause between the seasons, giving you the best of both. Not too warm, as it had been; not too cold, as it would be. . . .
This was the time of year and the time of day that the old man loved best. He couldn't get around so much now, but they had made up his bed by the cottage window, and there he would sit, half waking and half sleeping, dreaming of this and that.
From where he sat, propped up among his cushions, he could see into the Manor gardens. Not what they were—not by a long chalk. . . . Mind you, it was only fair to admit they were still a bit short-handed, and you had to take the dry summer into account, but these young fellows ought to have made a better job of it than that. . . . When he was a young chap, he had to move at double their pace. No slipping off when the clock struck for him. Hours he'd spent watering when the sun was off the borders. . . . But not to-day. That meant overtime, and where was the money to pay for that? So the old garden wasn't what it had been when he was in charge.
The mists be on the river bed,
The roses all be gone;
And here be I, about to die,
With Harvest coming on.
Dear Lord, I've traipsed some weary miles,
I'll be main glad to rest awhiles.
The folk'll soon be in the fields
A-getting in the grain;
For most of those, the time You've chose
Be awkerd in the main.
Though not so bad, 'tis sure, for they
As be a-workin' by the day.
September be a better month
For all the carter men;
And when I die don't signify,
So let I bide till then:
The wagons'll be standing by,
And there'll be time to bury I.
(from green FingersAgain
Opening: It was one of those mild autumn mornings when early mist had turned to soft rain and water dripped from everything. No real touch of winter yet; just a soft pause between the seasons, giving you the best of both. Not too warm, as it had been; not too cold, as it would be. . . .
This was the time of year and the time of day that the old man loved best. He couldn't get around so much now, but they had made up his bed by the cottage window, and there he would sit, half waking and half sleeping, dreaming of this and that.
From where he sat, propped up among his cushions, he could see into the Manor gardens. Not what they were—not by a long chalk. . . . Mind you, it was only fair to admit they were still a bit short-handed, and you had to take the dry summer into account, but these young fellows ought to have made a better job of it than that. . . . When he was a young chap, he had to move at double their pace. No slipping off when the clock struck for him. Hours he'd spent watering when the sun was off the borders. . . . But not to-day. That meant overtime, and where was the money to pay for that? So the old garden wasn't what it had been when he was in charge.
July 6, 2018
La storia della vita di Hubert (Bert) Pinnegar, a cominciare da come è cominciata la sua passione per i giardini (lui è un piccolo orfano, ma non ha intenzione di diventare contadino, anzi, per i contadini prova una sorta di timore/antipatia), e di come il suo amore per le piante lo abbia portato a essere il favorito della sua padrona (che è stata la prima a stimolarlo a diventare un giardiniere, proponendogli di lavorare con lei dopo un concorso floreale), tanto da nominarlo capo giardiniere e poi, in conclusione della sua vita, eleggerlo come uno dei suoi più cari amici.
Molto bello, e ho trovato tantissime somiglianze nello spirito tra Bert e il giardiniere senza nome di Giardino sul mare, un altro romanzo che ho adorato.
Molto bello, e ho trovato tantissime somiglianze nello spirito tra Bert e il giardiniere senza nome di Giardino sul mare, un altro romanzo che ho adorato.
February 20, 2020
Davvero un libro delizioso! Viene narrata l'intera vita di Bert Pinnegar, orfano cagionevole di salute che, spinto dalla propria passione per i fiori (che non lo abbandonerà mai per tutta la vita) comincia a lavorare come giardiniere, arrivando a raggiungere traguardi importanti. Davvero un bel libro...Bert è un personaggio burbero ma al tempo stesso capace di battute divertenti e la storia della sua amicizia con la proprietaria del giardino in cui lavora è tenerissima.
Una bella lettura, senz'altro da consigliare.
Una bella lettura, senz'altro da consigliare.
September 18, 2021
Un libro muy bonito, recomendado para los amantes de la jardinería y para cualquiera que necesite una historia tierna, amena y que te haga sonreír. Muy bonita la relación a lo largo de los años del protagonista Herbert Pinnegar con la señora Charteris, la dueña de la casa. El final me ha gustado mucho, muy emotivo.
May 24, 2016
"La signora Charteris sosteneva che se passassimo il tempo libero a curare dei fiori invece che a dire delle grandi sciocchezze, al mondo si starebbe molto meglio."
November 6, 2023
This is an old-fashioned book (published in 1951) about a gardener and the garden he loved. It is, at times, funny, always sweet, and has such a perfect ending that I got a little teary.
December 27, 2021
Pues si, le he dado cinco estrellas por el buen sabor que me ha dejado. Es una historia sencilla con un personaje entrañable que me ha sacado un par de lágrimas de emoción porque es agradable que una historia termine bien ¿por qué no? Un poco de justicia poética fortalece la esperanza. Entregar la vida a un jardín es darte vida cuidando vida, el trabajo y dedicación a la horticultura debe ser hermoso. El libro se lee con fluidez, es agradable y sencillo pero no por ello simple, hay esa profundidad de apreciar lo cotidiano, la riqueza de amar lo que uno hace, de la entrega total a lo que le apasiona a una persona. ¿Te imaginas dedicar tu vida a aquello que amas y además ser recompensado por ello de todas las formas posibles? Con paga, reconocimiento, admiración, respeto y amor. Eso, para mí es vivir en plenitud. Deseo que todos encontremos nuestro camino y lo sigamos con lealtad, entrega y satisfacción de la labor cumplida.
May 28, 2023
Cortito, amable y delicioso. Con un personaje principal (el viejo Yerbas) al que le darías un coscorrón en algún momento pero al que adoras profundamente por su capacidad de entrega y amor a un jardín.
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