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Lost in the Garden
From the author of Dear Zoe, a wry novel of suburban life unraveled
Michael Benedict, overprivileged but undermotivated, seems to have it all: a beautiful wife, two lovely daughters, a law practice that provides a comfortable life for his family, and a natural golf swing. Can it all unravel in a few short months?
Michael Benedict, overprivileged but undermotivated, seems to have it all: a beautiful wife, two lovely daughters, a law practice that provides a comfortable life for his family, and a natural golf swing. Can it all unravel in a few short months?
As he did in his debut, Dear Zoe, Philip Beard has created a pitch-perfect narrator who ruefully and winningly pulls the reader into the confusing world that is his life. When his wife announces she’s pregnant, at age forty, with a “surprise” baby, Michael’s underwhelming response disturbs the fault lines of both his marriage and his psyche. He tries to find solace in his obsessions: his golf game, his newfound luck in the stock market, and, since his wife has cut him off, some kind of sex that isn’t exactly extramarital.
Like Tom Perrotta and Nick Hornby, Philip Beard writes insightfully, movingly, and with the lightest touch about the messiness of life. Anyone who wakes up some mornings feeling life is still a work in progress will find this the perfect summer read.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published May 4, 2006
49 people want to read
About the author
Philip Beard
7 books37 followersPhilip Beard is a recovering attorney and award-winning author of Dear Zoe, which was a Book Sense Pick, a Borders Original Voices selection, and was named by the American Library Association's "Booklist" as one of its Ten Best First Novels of the year. It has enjoyed a second life being taught in high school classrooms across the country and is currently being developed as a feature film. His latest novel, Swing, centered around an unlikely friendship between a 10 year-old boy and a legless Korean War veteran, recently received the 2016 IPPY Gold Medal for Contemporary Fiction.
Praise for Swing:
"Philip Beard's SWING is a novel to be savored"
- Sara Gruen, New York Times Bestselling author of Water for Elephants
“…at once heartbreaking, uplifting and emotionally resonant. In a word, it’s beautiful."
-Pittsburgh Magazine
"SWING is richly rewarding...a tight, poignant coming of age novel...[that] will stay with you long after you put this book down." –Sports Illustrated
“It wouldn’t be fair or accurate to call SWING a sports book. It’s too rare for that.”
–The Sporting News
“Every character—the absent father, the troubled sister, the mysterious wonder that is John Kostka—feels alive due to Beard‘s skillfully simple prose and dialogue. With SWING, Beard has hit it out of the park.”
–Foreword Reviews
“...just about perfect.”
-The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Praise for Dear Zoe,
“Like The Lovely Bones, it is a piercing look at how a family recovers from a devastating loss. Everything about this moving, powerful debut rings true.”
– Booklist (starred review)
“Dear Zoe is an almost flawless novel of self-discovery and redemption. It is the sort of book that a generation can call ‘theirs,’ a book that captures the trials of adolescence and the aching numbness of America in the aftermath of 9/11.”
– The Press of Atlantic City
“The whole novel rings with truth. By the end of it, we’re meditating on the ideas of loss and redemption, the ways in which personal tragedies get absorbed into larger ones, but never
obliterated, never forgotten.”
– The Buffalo News
Praise for Swing:
"Philip Beard's SWING is a novel to be savored"
- Sara Gruen, New York Times Bestselling author of Water for Elephants
“…at once heartbreaking, uplifting and emotionally resonant. In a word, it’s beautiful."
-Pittsburgh Magazine
"SWING is richly rewarding...a tight, poignant coming of age novel...[that] will stay with you long after you put this book down." –Sports Illustrated
“It wouldn’t be fair or accurate to call SWING a sports book. It’s too rare for that.”
–The Sporting News
“Every character—the absent father, the troubled sister, the mysterious wonder that is John Kostka—feels alive due to Beard‘s skillfully simple prose and dialogue. With SWING, Beard has hit it out of the park.”
–Foreword Reviews
“...just about perfect.”
-The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Praise for Dear Zoe,
“Like The Lovely Bones, it is a piercing look at how a family recovers from a devastating loss. Everything about this moving, powerful debut rings true.”
– Booklist (starred review)
“Dear Zoe is an almost flawless novel of self-discovery and redemption. It is the sort of book that a generation can call ‘theirs,’ a book that captures the trials of adolescence and the aching numbness of America in the aftermath of 9/11.”
– The Press of Atlantic City
“The whole novel rings with truth. By the end of it, we’re meditating on the ideas of loss and redemption, the ways in which personal tragedies get absorbed into larger ones, but never
obliterated, never forgotten.”
– The Buffalo News
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 18, 2017
You gotta ask, how can a book about a man obsessed by golf be the least bit interesting to someone who neither knows nor cares a whit about golf? Philip Beard accomplishes it with a story of Michael Benedict, obsessive golf person. Michael has the perfect life, a beautiful wife and two lovely daughters, a law practice (albeit one that bores him) and an amazing amount of natural talent on the golf course.
When his wife informs him of the impending birth of their third, Michael's response is less than optimum, always a bad idea when responding to a pregnant woman. So, Michael's in trouble, he's nervous about the pregnancy for good reason but instead of expressing that to his wife (like she's going to let him anyway?), he immerses himself in a strange clandestine sex escape that he's not exactly comfortable with but becomes obsessed by.
A really interesting book, my description truly doesn't do it justice, fascinating on all levels.
When his wife informs him of the impending birth of their third, Michael's response is less than optimum, always a bad idea when responding to a pregnant woman. So, Michael's in trouble, he's nervous about the pregnancy for good reason but instead of expressing that to his wife (like she's going to let him anyway?), he immerses himself in a strange clandestine sex escape that he's not exactly comfortable with but becomes obsessed by.
A really interesting book, my description truly doesn't do it justice, fascinating on all levels.
May 29, 2015
Lost in the Garden is a fictional biography written by Michael Benedict, self-proclaimed under achiever. Born into a wealthy family, he goes to law school then works the least possible billable hours to maintain his place in a law firm.
He is married with two daughters, both of whom he adores. Michael and his wife lost a third child and neither of them seem to be coping with the loss, but have settled into a comfortable routine as a family. The girls are in school, leaving more free time for Michael and his wife Kelly to rekindle the romance of their younger days.
Unfortunately, Michael decided he wants to become a pro golfer. Kelly scoffs at the idea because he just isn’t that great of a golfer despite spending most, if not all of his free time at the expensive country club he has grown up in. When Kelly tells him she is pregnant – an absolute surprise to both of them – the couple drifts further apart instead of becoming closer.
I wanted to slap Michael, tell him to put on his big boy boxers and stop whining. Beard is a master of making his characters, both lovable and downright annoying, come alive on the page. It takes a brave or crazy writer to make his main character unlikable. Most could not pull it off. That is not the case with Lost in the Garden. The fact that Michael made awful choices then rationalized them really worked in this book. Maybe men would be able to identify more with him as he hits his mid-life crisis, but women will still like this book. I loved it.
The subplots with his minor characters are just as compelling as the main story, sometimes taking it over for a chapter. The smooth transition back and forth between story lines makes Beard a master storyteller. He gets into the heads of all of his characters, no matter how big or small of a part they play overall. No one is glossed over, which ads a layer of depth not often found in a book that is so readable. I often thought about parts after I’d read them with “ah ha!” moments connecting why one character or the other acted the way they did.
Beard is one of my favorite new authors. He has written three stand alone novels, Dear Zoe is his first, Lost in the Garden is his second and Swing is his latest. They are all different subjects and characters, but all of them are deeply complicated, yet read like the latest best seller. I defy you to put one of his books aside without it calling you back to see what is going to happen next. I am honestly shocked that everyone who reads doesn’t have at least one of his books on their shelf. The only reason I don’t right now is I’ve loaned my copies out to friends, who then have loaned them out to friends….if you love a book or an author, share them!
In case you can’t decide which one to read first, here are the links to my reviews of his other novels:
https://writeknit.wordpress.com/2015/...
https://writeknit.wordpress.com/2015/...
He is married with two daughters, both of whom he adores. Michael and his wife lost a third child and neither of them seem to be coping with the loss, but have settled into a comfortable routine as a family. The girls are in school, leaving more free time for Michael and his wife Kelly to rekindle the romance of their younger days.
Unfortunately, Michael decided he wants to become a pro golfer. Kelly scoffs at the idea because he just isn’t that great of a golfer despite spending most, if not all of his free time at the expensive country club he has grown up in. When Kelly tells him she is pregnant – an absolute surprise to both of them – the couple drifts further apart instead of becoming closer.
I wanted to slap Michael, tell him to put on his big boy boxers and stop whining. Beard is a master of making his characters, both lovable and downright annoying, come alive on the page. It takes a brave or crazy writer to make his main character unlikable. Most could not pull it off. That is not the case with Lost in the Garden. The fact that Michael made awful choices then rationalized them really worked in this book. Maybe men would be able to identify more with him as he hits his mid-life crisis, but women will still like this book. I loved it.
The subplots with his minor characters are just as compelling as the main story, sometimes taking it over for a chapter. The smooth transition back and forth between story lines makes Beard a master storyteller. He gets into the heads of all of his characters, no matter how big or small of a part they play overall. No one is glossed over, which ads a layer of depth not often found in a book that is so readable. I often thought about parts after I’d read them with “ah ha!” moments connecting why one character or the other acted the way they did.
Beard is one of my favorite new authors. He has written three stand alone novels, Dear Zoe is his first, Lost in the Garden is his second and Swing is his latest. They are all different subjects and characters, but all of them are deeply complicated, yet read like the latest best seller. I defy you to put one of his books aside without it calling you back to see what is going to happen next. I am honestly shocked that everyone who reads doesn’t have at least one of his books on their shelf. The only reason I don’t right now is I’ve loaned my copies out to friends, who then have loaned them out to friends….if you love a book or an author, share them!
In case you can’t decide which one to read first, here are the links to my reviews of his other novels:
https://writeknit.wordpress.com/2015/...
https://writeknit.wordpress.com/2015/...
June 16, 2011
This book is nothing if not whole-hearted entertainment that makes you laugh, cry, cringe, and contemplate life itself. I found this book on sale for a single dollar and grabbed it out of sheer boredom and curiosity peaked by the playfully random cover photo. There is a huge involvement of golf in this book (I am not a fan of golf) and I still enjoyed the story. The author is snarky and blunt; two qualities I admire in good literature. I look back on the pieces I've read when a friend asks me to recommend books and this one is always in the first few I list. Fate was with me when I happened upon this wonderful little morsel of entertainment.
August 7, 2009
I only got a 1/4 of the way through this book. The author really really likes golf, it seems. The main character is telling his story on a golf course, playing through the holes.
The reason I didn't really like this book was that...well..the golf thing and it was really slow going. It's not that long of a book so this was not a good sign. Plus, the swear words and raunchiness were enough to put this book down anyways. Some books are good despite these things, but this was not one of them.
The reason I didn't really like this book was that...well..the golf thing and it was really slow going. It's not that long of a book so this was not a good sign. Plus, the swear words and raunchiness were enough to put this book down anyways. Some books are good despite these things, but this was not one of them.
September 27, 2015
Lost in the Garden is hilarious, sentimental, racy yet realistic. It is set up as a parallel between 18 holes of golf (the game of the protagonist’s lifetime) and his relationship with his wife. The protagonist is at once self-centered yet self-deprecating and there are several laugh-out-loud scenes. The only flaw I would say would be that the character of Michael’s wife seems a bit too good to be true for my taste, but that may be my own insecurities speaking!
June 7, 2009
Entertaining read about a middle-aged over-priviledged guy who is obsessed with golf and strippers and sex, and so of course, he manages to screw up his stable happy life and marriage pretty good. It held my interest. I'd definitely read another by the author.
August 26, 2012
Just okay. Michael Benedict lives in Pittsburgh. Has 2 girls. Wife miscarried the 3rd. Now pregnant with another girl. She made him move out. He's a golfer. Goes to "call girls". Definitely written from a guys point of view!
March 1, 2009
Man crisis!!!
September 18, 2009
Slow read. The golf thing was very boring. The mans mid-life crisis was only mildly distracting and entertaining but only very briefly.
Read
March 24, 2010Yow, I wasn't liking this anyway (way too much golf) and the goodreads reviews pushed me over the edge. Ditching it!
November 13, 2010
More of a book for men. I learned a little bit about golf and a lot about how they interpret relationships and sex.
May 14, 2012
Was a very interesting book. Wasn't what I was expecting. I loved it when the author was talking about me reading the book. I picked this up at Dollar Tree. Sorry to the Philip Beard about that.
Read
January 2, 2013Another good book by Phillip Beard. Definitely different than "Dear Zoe", but good, just the same. This had a lot more humor in it, which was a nice side to see of Beard.
July 18, 2015
SUCH A DISAPPOINTMENT after his amazing first novel. Autobiographical or not, you could see the story coming from a mile away and it was a boring over told version of the same old story. Blah!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews