Weekends with the Sunshine Gardening Society by Spohie Green

When Cynthia returns to Noosa in 1987 after being overseas for 14 years she is in need of solace after her second marriage failure. She regrets not returning before her mother died, five months earlier and is now staying with her father, Wilfred, and coming to terms with the fact that her daughter, Odette, is pregnant at 19 years old, the same age Cynthia herself fell pregnant. Lorraine, an old friend of Cynthia’s, has never left the district. Now married to Mike, who has a busy garden maintenance business, they have two boys, Terry and Simon; Cora, Mike’s disapproving mother, lives with them. The story shifts to newly widowed Elizabeth, a condition she is having difficulty coming to terms with. Her husband Jon, died after a long illness leaving her with her young son Charlie and a large garden, Jon’s pride and joy. When volunteer gardeners turn up, sent by the reverend at her church, Elizabeth can’t deny that the garden needs attention. So develops a relationship where the healing power of losing oneself in gardening tasks results in her gaining strength from the support and friendship of other women in the Sunshine Gardening Society. Cynthia persuades Lorraine to participate in the group and they are joined by another newcomer to the district, 54-year-old Kathy, whose humiliating failed relationship with Jemima has shaken her self-confidence. The group grows and thrives as they discover more about its history and links to the past while working through their own situations in a supportive environment. This story certainly fits the description of heartfelt, but I found the constant analyzing of every thought and interaction tiresome. The list of women’s woes was so stereotypical; they don’t understand their own mothers, their to-do list never ends, their skills are unappreciated, they judge and torment themselves with self-judgement and have to look after each other because men don’t understand. The ending was abrupt and arbitrary. That said, the cover was bright and sunshiny like the book and I particularly liked the small sketches of Australian native plants done by the author in the chapter headings. Readers of women’s fiction and Sophie Green's other books will love this one.

Themes: Women's friendship, Gardening, Relationships.

Sue Speck