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

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I visited myself a few years ago, and before visiting I had not known that there was a dormant volcano in Edinburgh that people regularly climb. We hear from Evie Clarke, and how her relationship with brilliant photographer Mark North began, from Mark’s sister Cleo, who seems oblivious to the injuries Evie keeps getting, from Sgt Stephanie King, who is investigating the death. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories. Providence is compelling, and Kepnes provides a sometimes piercing insight into the small, strange, sad details that make up a life, though without quite achieving the deep, dark pleasures of You.

The Guardian ‘They ransack our village for sport’: one - The Guardian

As soon as I picked up The Fair Botanist and started to read, I was transported back in time to 1822 and an Edinburgh on the cusp of change. The subject matter is, therefore, rather niche; how many people would seek out a novel which centres, for the most part, on the blooming of a rare plant in 1822 Edinburgh?

At times it felt like the author was introducing another strong independent woman at the expense of moving the actual story forward or fleshing out the central characters and this frustrated me. Invented characters like Elizabeth and her young German admirer Johann, an envoy of the king, jostle, dance and dine with real-life figures including Sir Walter Scott – who played a historic role in staging the events of the king’s visit – and William McNab, the dedicated chief gardener in charge of the moving of the Botanics. The friendship that develops between Belle and Elizabeth is really lovely to see – despite its challenges at times! However I cannot fault the atmosphere, originality of the setting or Sara Sheridan’s bustling portrait of Edinburgh as a city of possibility. She meets the enigmatic Belle Brodie, a vivacious young woman with a passion for the lucrative, dark art of perfume creation.

best recent thrillers – review roundup - The Guardian The best recent thrillers – review roundup - The Guardian

The perfect thing for a late October evening,” invites the Stranger, and we settle in for a deliciously gothic murder mystery. She has to keep the secret of her unhappy marriage from her husband’s relatives, though more and more is revealed about her life before. Whether that’s true or not, The Fair Botanists, the latest in Sara Sheridan’s seriously impressive line-up of work, is exactly that sort of novel.

An occasional journalist, Sara has reported for BBC Radio 4's From Our Own Correspondent and on ‘being a lady’ for Women’s Hour. Every so often, the self-styled head of security from Yitzhar drives in his huge car into my fields to tell me that they “belong to his people”. Sheridan has penned more than 20 books including cosy crime noir set in 1950s Britain (her popular Mirabelle Bevan Mystery series) and historical novels based on the real-life stories of late Georgian and early Victorian explorers. The Stranger, it turns out, is a chilling short story by the fictional RM Holland, an intriguingly creepy figure whose biography is being written by Clare Cassidy, a secondary school teacher who earns extra cash running a creative writing course for adults.

The Fair Botanists by Sara Sheridan – review – From First The Fair Botanists by Sara Sheridan – review – From First

I’m not aware of how much experience Ms Sheridan has with writing in the present tense, but over time one learns that certain recountings of past events need to be written in past tense to maintain the flow of the story. You can’t understand where you are or make good decisions about where you’re going if you can’t see where you’ve come from.And Lady Charlotte Scott (having trouble with her husband, Sir Walter who is obsessed with the king coming to town. I always find them much richer when they are integrated and play out together, rather than being read separately and eventually coming together towards the end. Doha Asous with one of her olive trees cut down by Israeli settlers in the West Bank just outside her village of Burin. 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. Often in historical fiction, people go immediately to the names you will recognise and largely they are male.

The Fair Botanists by Sara Sheridan | Hachette UK The Fair Botanists by Sara Sheridan | Hachette UK

Inserting over a thousand women’s stories into our real life environment (both rural and urban) was an absolute honour – even if the monuments were mostly imaginary. The main plot is centred around King George IV's potential visit to Edinburgh, while the Botanical Garden is being established. A truly dazzling, unique read peopled with wonderfully painted female characters that leaves you lost in a hazy dream world. Each character is richly drawn and full of life, and though Belle was undoubtedly my favourite, Mhairi also stands out as a strong, colourful woman.Gregory Peck (left) appears with Brock Peters in a scene from the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird In the court room .