The Fair Botanists: Could one rare plant hold the key to a thousand riches?

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She meets the enigmatic Belle Brodie, a vivacious young woman with a passion for the lucrative, dark art of perfume creation. Both Belle and Elizabeth are able to make big changes in their lives, and I loved that the ending of the story depicted their fresh starts. There were hints that things were going to happen further into the book, but my patience ran out about halfway through.

They've both faced adversity in their lives, yet they are able to use their circumstances to the best of their ability, and to overcome the difficult situations they've found themselves in. It’s not an uncommon story though looking at that case, it seems more like a ‘rhohypnol’ episode than the grand plan that Belle undertakes. One of the interested parties is courtesan Belle Brodie, an independent and unashamedly spirited woman out to make her own fortune and putting her interest in botany to use making potions for a London apothecary.In The Fair Botanists , Sheridan has expertly woven multiple strands of machinations, a hea A grave Irishman from Donegal, he considers himself lucky to be employed by the Garden rather than on a building site, but his uncle is head gardener at a big house near Stranraer and managed to secure him the position. We meet Elizabeth, newly widowed and sent to live with her late husband’s aunt; the excellently named Clementina.

One of the things I’m interested in just now is the differences between Edinburgh and Glasgow and where those differences came from. Her interest in botany and especially illustration, brings her into contact with those working at the new botanical gardens.I never thought I would get so excited about a flower, but this is a serious and fascinating time and it completely enchanted me! Conversations are broken up by irrelevant, multi-paragraph sections detailing a character’s past that have little to no bearing on the conversation at hand, and are dropped into the story with all the grace of a falling anvil. For many people scent is absolutely evocative – a whiff can take them back immediately to a certain time or place.

Sara Sheridan works in a wide range of media and genres but mostly historical and especially the stories of women. A truly dazzling, unique read peopled with wonderfully painted female characters that leaves you lost in a hazy dream world. It felt very rushed, and it felt like there was suddenly way too much history woven into the story for the word count. The heroines are no-nonsense and although they want independent lives for themselves, they understand they must do so within what is possible at that time and place. I’m grateful I had the chance to fling away to Edinburgh back then, in 1822, at a time of cultural brilliancy and great change.This really added to the feel of the story and made me feel much more immersed and absorbed while reading.