THE SAVAGE GARDEN by MARK MILLS

THE SAVAGE GARDEN

BY MARK MILLS

THE BLURB:-

Behind a villa in the heart of Tuscany lies a Renaissance garden of enchanting beauty. Its grottos, pagan statues and classical inscriptions seem to have a secret life of their own- and a secret message, too, for those with eyes to read it.

Young scholar Adam Strickland is just such a person. Arriving in 1958, he finds the Docci family, their house and the unique garden as seductive as each other. But post-war Italy is still a strange, even dangerous, place and the Doccis have some dark skeletons hidden away in their past.

Before this mysterious and beautiful summer ends, Adam will uncover two stories of love, revenge and murder, separated by 400 years... but is another tragedy about to be added to the villa's cursed history?

THE REALITY:-

For me, it was good to read a book written by a male author, from the point of view of a man (for a change!) and great to see relationships and sex explored from the masculine perspective.

This was extremely well researched and was a lesson in itself- it made me want to look into mythology and the works of Dante myself. The character of Adam comes across as very learned, and the author certainly knows his subject.

The drawing at the beginning of the novel was a good touch and essential for making sense of the story; it could have been more detailed, though. The direct speech between Signora Docci and Maria was lovely, and added individuality to an already good read.

This was a classy take on a murder mystery, which was as much about life inside the villa and seeing the local sights as finding out what really went on 400 years ago, and more recently. This was like an adult version of the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories, which, as a child, I simply could not get enough of.  The concept of a hidden room (often featured in novels!) in the shape of a locked top floor naturally made you want to explore and find out what's secreted there.

The book reached a gentle climax, and you kind of knew what was coming, which was a shame.