The Singing Gardener

"Why is life designed to break your heart"? A sumptuous love story by novelist Trish Doolan, The Singing Gardener is a story of unbounded passion. Doolan explores what happens when one persues their dreams and the eternal changes true love can bring. This highly cinematic feast for the senses takes readers on a journey through Tuscany, where the land is achingly gorgeous. The people of Tuscany rely on the land for life itself, and are enveloped in each other's business. In Tuscany God and Church still hold sway over the most personal parts of a woman's life. Trapped in a loveless marriage, Maria Ricci's only pleasure comes from her beautifully-tended garden that's famous throughout Chianti. Pressured to produce a child, and a son at that, by her boorish husband, Martino, and his overbearing mother, Maria has nowhere else to turn for solace. When Maria falls in love with her charismatic gardener, Stefano Portigiani, great turmoil falls upon her. Gifted with a voice that makes all the flowers swoon, Stefano has an uncanny, almost supernatural, ability to grow. Not only can Stefano heal Maria's wounded heart, but he also may save the countryside from drought as well. But will he save himself from a broken heart? A classic tale of forbidden love and the magic that occurs when we follow our hearts, The Singing Gardener will appeal to the millions of readers who love The Bridges of Madison County and Like Water for Chocolate.