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A Handful of Earth: A Year of Healing and Growing
When Barney Bardsley's husband was diagnosed with cancer he was thirty-six, and their daughter just one. The family was too young for sell-by dates - there was too much to live for. And so they did. But when he finally died, Barney felt alone and exhausted. Their savings had all gone and now she must support their child single-handedly. She would just have to take life one day at a time.
She took to tending her small, scruffy allotment. Fresh air, wildlife, exercise, nature's cycles of growth and decay - she found solace in it all. This is the diary of her year in the garden. It begins with January's brisk walks, nourishing soups,and dreams of spring. In May comes a messy abundance of bluebells, tadpoles, and honeybees. In summer the sunflowers shout. And in autumn a harvest of blackberries, beans and squash. The garden's meditative atmosphere also provokes deeper musings. Barney recounts the myths and emotions associated with particular plants; she paints memories of childhood; she evokes the changes of mood as the seasons shift. Above all, she charts how her own life is slowly restored, under the garden's healing influence.
She took to tending her small, scruffy allotment. Fresh air, wildlife, exercise, nature's cycles of growth and decay - she found solace in it all. This is the diary of her year in the garden. It begins with January's brisk walks, nourishing soups,and dreams of spring. In May comes a messy abundance of bluebells, tadpoles, and honeybees. In summer the sunflowers shout. And in autumn a harvest of blackberries, beans and squash. The garden's meditative atmosphere also provokes deeper musings. Barney recounts the myths and emotions associated with particular plants; she paints memories of childhood; she evokes the changes of mood as the seasons shift. Above all, she charts how her own life is slowly restored, under the garden's healing influence.
- GenresNonfiction
Paperback
First published January 24, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 19, 2019
Loved loved loved it! Couldn't wait to crawl back into bed to read it. My two favorite subjects- family and gardening all rolled into one breathtaking English journey. A wonderful memoir of loss and the healing power of the earth.
August 30, 2020
A philosophical, refreshing ,yet relaxing book marrying gardening and family ups and downs very well
April 11, 2012
(This review also appears on Amazon.co.uk)
Elizabeth (`Barney') Bardsley nursed her husband Tim through terminal cancer for more than ten years before he sadly succumbed to the illness. This book is the story of her coming to terms with her grief and loss, aided by her love of gardening. Diarised, it reflects on Barney's past and present across the course of one year- with both poignant anecdotes about her and Tim's relationship and his illness, as well as what she is up to on her allotment and in her garden at the moment. Whilst the writing about Tim and her family is somewhat bittersweet, her attitude towards her garden is quite matter of fact in places, which adds a nice balance to the narrative. A keen gardener myself, I found her `lists of jobs' for the month to be very useful- and I picked up some great gardening ideas too!
I usually tend to avoid memoirs dealing with grief and loss because I find them too upsetting, but I was drawn to this book by the cover and the gardening aspect, and I am so glad that I gave it a try. The author has been through such a lot of sadness and consequently it could have been very easy for this book to get too mired down in sentiment or become overly heavy and maudlin in places- but the beautiful prose and attention to detail that the author pays to her garden and of her plants slowly creeping to life around her as the seasons change, ultimately ensures that this books final message is one of hope. I actually found this to be a very uplifting and engaging book to read. It is also a wonderful way for her to honour her husband's memory- I felt like I knew them both by the time I had finished reading.
Highly recommended. This is a book that will stay with me and will undoubtedly be a thought-provoking (and also possibly inspiring) read for many people out there.
Elizabeth (`Barney') Bardsley nursed her husband Tim through terminal cancer for more than ten years before he sadly succumbed to the illness. This book is the story of her coming to terms with her grief and loss, aided by her love of gardening. Diarised, it reflects on Barney's past and present across the course of one year- with both poignant anecdotes about her and Tim's relationship and his illness, as well as what she is up to on her allotment and in her garden at the moment. Whilst the writing about Tim and her family is somewhat bittersweet, her attitude towards her garden is quite matter of fact in places, which adds a nice balance to the narrative. A keen gardener myself, I found her `lists of jobs' for the month to be very useful- and I picked up some great gardening ideas too!
I usually tend to avoid memoirs dealing with grief and loss because I find them too upsetting, but I was drawn to this book by the cover and the gardening aspect, and I am so glad that I gave it a try. The author has been through such a lot of sadness and consequently it could have been very easy for this book to get too mired down in sentiment or become overly heavy and maudlin in places- but the beautiful prose and attention to detail that the author pays to her garden and of her plants slowly creeping to life around her as the seasons change, ultimately ensures that this books final message is one of hope. I actually found this to be a very uplifting and engaging book to read. It is also a wonderful way for her to honour her husband's memory- I felt like I knew them both by the time I had finished reading.
Highly recommended. This is a book that will stay with me and will undoubtedly be a thought-provoking (and also possibly inspiring) read for many people out there.
January 12, 2012
Loved this book so much I keep a copy forever on my shelf. Very moving, sad but uplifting. A gem.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews