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

Product Information

Putting aside the fact that we didn’t need to know what Mhairi had for breakfast (or the manner in which her breakfast is served – this description goes on for a while), she is also currently not breaking her fast. That happened in the past, and thus should be past tense – a simple change from ‘has’ to ‘had’ would go a long way in making this passage feel less awkward to read. Maybe this is just my own preference, or maybe it’s an editing error, but this and other tense-awkward passages happen multiple times throughout the story.

The characters in The Fair Botanists are brilliant, especially the characters of Belle and Elizabeth. I came across this in my local library. I was intrigued that the subject matter, although historical fiction, was set in 1822 and encompassed botany, mystery, women [as central characters] and real characters from history, especially those local to the Edinburgh area.I have always been interested in perfume. Creatives often approach the world with different ways of interacting and for me perfume is one of those. If you read my novels, quite often that sense of smell is there. It is something that is genuinely of my voice." Summer, 1822 and Edinburgh is abuzz with rumours that the King himself George IV could be making a visit which everyone cannot stop talking about, despite the fact his majesty has a tendency to have changes of heart at the flip of a coin but that won’t stop the people from getting excited!

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. Of the main protagonists, Belle Brodie was my favourite character. Independent minded and ambitious, she is prepared to pursue a life of pleasure without concern for social conventions. Using the knowledge she possesses that others would not want made public, she determinedly pursues her aim of developing a scent that she hopes many will pay a fortune to possess. With the trio swiftly encased at one table, Sheridan waxed lyrical about women's history in Edinburgh – "the female artists, scientists, salonnieres, writers, philosophers and sex workers whose legacy has been consistently underplayed" – at the tail end of the Enlightenment. The Fair Botanists transports the reader to 19th century Edinburgh, a city divided into rich and poor areas, and undergoing rapid development with new housing springing up on land formerly given over to farming.

Browse articles by Author

There are many other characters, both real and fictional, who play parts in this story centering around the Royal Botanical Gardens Edinburgh (RBGE) and the environs of Georgian Edinburgh. The detail Sara Sheridan the author provides of this period through her description of people, places and life in a capital city of wealth and poverty is superb. This lends itself to making the story of Belle and Elizabeth believable, fun, enjoyable and a little risque (in its 18th century setting). Unfortunately it doesn't produce many seeds, yet everyone seems to want a piece of the plant for their own. This really added to the feel of the story and made me feel much more immersed and absorbed while reading.

When the two meet, the tapestry of secrets and deceit starts to unravel for them both when it becomes apparent that neither can run from who they really are, and what they truly desire.I would start every chapter hoping (praying) that this chapter would be different, something would happen to grab my interest and pull me in, but this never happened, I would be bored again after one sentence.

They are both very different, but great feminist characters. 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. Ta. But naw.” Mhairi has broken her fast with a bowl of porridge, a dollop of cream and two glasses of milk.’ The two female leads in the novel, Belle and Elizabeth – I wish I knew both in real life! Belle Brodie, is a courtesan. She just does her own thing and seeks pleasure where she can despite what society might dictate. Elizabeth has just suffered a bereavement and so is seeking new adventures. /having worked at Kew Gardens, she is keen to work in the new Edinburgh gardens.I was hooked by the mystery and the secrets, engaged by the historical references and the social issues hinted at, charmed by the flowers and the perfumes, entertained by the lively style, titillated by the romantic liaisons. Sheridan published Where Are The Women? in 2019, bringing together more than 1,200 stories of Scottish women from history whose achievements had been overlooked or forgotten. Some of that research carried into The Fair Botanists. The Fair Botanists is a bewitching and immersive story for fans of The Miniaturist, The Doll Factory and The Signature of All Things. What a setting and cast of characters! This seductive and sensual novel comes from a writer at the height of her powers. Captured my senses, and my heart