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The Garden of Small Beginnings

Paperback / ISBN-13: 9780751564860

Price: £9.99

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‘A feel-good, hate-to-put-it-down, kind of book!’ ChickLit Central

Life is about to blossom for Lili . . .

In the three years since her husband died in a car accident, Lili has just about managed to resume her day-to-day life as a single mother and successful illustrator. She can now get her two girls to school, show up to work and watch TV like a pro. But there’s still the small problem of the aching loss she feels inside.

When she’s commissioned to illustrate a series of horticultural books, and signs up to a weekly gardening class, finally her life starts to bloom again.

The class provides Lili with a new network of unexpected friends – friends with their own heartaches and problems – and, maybe, another chance at love . . .

‘Like a conversation with the funniest person you know – just lovely’ Katie Fforde

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Fans of Jojo Moyes, Lucy Diamond and Wilde Like Me will fall in love with this gloriously funny and uplifting novel about friendship, love and grabbing life by the roots.

‘A cosy, life-affirming read’ Cathy Hopkins

Witty, uplifting and unashamedly honest‘ Heidi Swain

‘Funny and uplifting’ Good Housekeeping

‘Filled with characters you’ll love and wish you lived next door to in real lifeBustle

‘Waxman’s voice is witty, emotional and often profound’ InStyle

‘A quirky, funny, and deeply thoughtful book’ hellogiggles

‘Abbi Waxman is both irreverent and thoughtful’ Emily Giffin, author of First Comes Love

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Reviews

The Garden of Small Beginnings is a quirky, funny, and deeply thoughtful book. . . . We're already dying to know if there will be a sequel
HelloGiggles
This is my favorite kind of book: hilarious, sad, joyful. Beautifully-written. Fun. I dare you not to enjoy it
Julia Claibourne Johnson
A cosy, life-affirming read
Cathy Hopkins, author of The Kicking the Bucket List
Waxman's voice is witty, emotional and often profound
InStyle.com
Lilian Girvan, the central character of The Garden of Small Beginnings, is an illustrator, a mother, a sister, a budding gardener, and a widow, and her perspective on how she's doing with each role doesn't always match up with what readers can see around her. But that trait makes her a more interesting and realistic protagonist, and along with the book's humour and eccentric supporting cast made it a great read
BookRiot
Brilliant. Simply brilliant. The Garden of Small Beginnings is funny, poignant, and startling in its emotional intensity and in its ability to make the reader laugh and cry on the same page . . . I loved this book!
Karen White
This novel is filled with characters you'll love and wish you lived next door to in real life
Bustle
Funny and poignant. Guaranteed to make you laugh and cry. May make you want to play in dirt and grow a new life of your own
Wendy Wax
What a treat!! Abbi Waxman is one of the wittiest voices in the world today. The Garden of Small Beginnings is a beautiful book full of humour, heart, and deep insight. An intimate and hilarious journey about a young mom moving on from grief. Reading it gave me the feeling I was talking to a really funny, open mom-friend sharing secrets about life, love, loss, and gardening! Abbi Waxman's quick wit and heart shine brightly throughout this debut novel. I just loved it!
Molly Shannon
Waxman has mastered the fine art of dialogue . . . this debut begs for an encore
Kirkus Reviews
It's impossible not to fall in love with Lilian, a young widow who is still trying to come to terms with the death of her husband four years later. . . . If you are thinking to yourself 'forget it, I'm not reading a gardening book'- don't worry . . . THIS IS NOT A GARDENING BOOK! It IS, however, a feel-good, hate-to-put-it- down, kind-of-book!
ChickLit Central
A young widow is just about holding her life together when she's persuaded to enrol on a gardening course. Down among the weeds and worms she find purpose and friendship . . . a funny and uplifting debut novel
Good Housekeeping
Abbi Waxman artfully tackles grief with humour in her debut novel
Signature Reads
Kudos to debut author Waxman for creating an endearing and realistic cast of main and supporting characters (including the children). Her narrative and dialogue are drenched with spring showers of witty and irreverent humour, which provides much respite from the underlying grief theme
Library Journal
Waxman has given us a grow bag full of emotion - witty, uplifting and unashamedly honest
Heidi Swain, Sunday Times bestselling author of Summer at Skylark Farm
Like a conversation with the funniest person you know - just lovely
Katie Fforde, number one bestselling author of A Country Escape