This is a delightful snack of a book. I think all gardeners, no matter the size of the garden or the experience of that gardener, will recognize something of themselves in this book. The blind optimism of gardening is depicted in such a charming way that I found myself chuckling every other page or so, nodding in agreement with every gardener's foible that was described.

Každý, kdo někdy aspoň rýpnul do hlíny, musí tuhle knihu ocenit :)

You don’t have to have a green thumb to enjoy this book, but it definitely inspires you to get your hands dirty. The language transports you into the past to learn about a hobby that has truly changed little. It is cheeky and wise and oddly nostalgic. The illustrations and sense of humor remind me of my granddaddy.

“A garden is never finished. In that sense, it is like the human world and all human undertakings.”

While not as good as some of Capek’s fiction, The Gardener’s Year is a delightful read. The book is short but each chapter focuses on what home gardeners do during each month of the year.

As someone who enjoys gardening and knows people who really, really love gardening, I could see myself and others in his satirical, hyperbolic writing. Capek was a gardener himself and knew the mild insanity and obsessiveness of that particular breed of person.

This is an utterly charming book about what it's like to be a gardener, all the little pleasures, annoyances, frustrations, quirks, habits and obsessions that don't make any sense to non-gardeners, but that any gardener will read and nod in recognition at, regardless of experience or lack of it. It's also nice to know that the cult of gardening is the same the world over; whether you're English like me, or Czech like writer Karel Capek or his illustrator brother Josef, we all have the same anxieties and dreams; 'it ought to rain, the garden needs it' 'I have no space at all in my garden for new plants but I must have this one; I will find room somehow'. It is comforting to know that the mentality of a gardener has not really changed since Capek wrote this book in 1929 either. This book is warm, witty and comforting; I read it during a very distressing time in my life and it was a salve to a grieving heart. And there are words of pure poetry in here, worthy of an epitaph: 'I tell you, there is no death; not even sleep. We only pass from one season to another. We must be patient with life, for it is eternal.'

I also recommend that you read about the life of Karel Capek and his brother Josef, because they are quite fascinating people; Josef invented the word 'robot' which was then introduced to literature by his brother Karel, and they wanted by the Nazis for being outspoken against fascism. Karel died of pneumonia before the Nazis could get to him but his brother didn't manage to evade them. Their story is both tragic and uplifting; for they packed a lot into their lives.

Adorable little read that captures many feelings I can confidently say are familiar.

Una bella presa in giro, amorevole e leggiadra, dell'attività di giardiniere, delle sue convenzioni, abitudini e ripetizioni.