salomongirl77's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
basicbbookworm's review against another edition
2.0
2.5. It was fine. Cute story but nothing outstanding.
breeoxd's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Abbi Waxman has solidified her place in my heart. While not everyone would give this 5 stars, the humor, warmth and compassion here are total wins for me- to say nothing of her wit and excellent word craft. Anyone that can successfully bring whale penii? Into a book is a winner for me.
laurenlindley2664's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nicola_june's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
zreads4days's review
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
abigailmiller55's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
kendrareads's review against another edition
hopeful
medium-paced
4.0
Really enjoyed Nina Hill so I thought I would start at the beginning of Waxman's work. I recently heard her speak about all her characters that exist in the same universe so I'm excited to see that play out as I read her books. This was a great read. I really liked Lilian and the children and the story was enjoyable. I can see how it might be sad to someone who has experienced the loss of a spouse, so beware.
melissalynn117's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
beckylewis82's review against another edition
5.0
The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman - 5 Stars If you have been following me for awhile then you might know that The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman was one of my favorite books last year. Well now we can add this one as well! In this story we are following Lilian Girvan who was widowed about 4 years ago and has two young daughter age 5 and 7. She thinks that she is doing fine and has a plan to start dating again once the girls are out of college. Lilian works as an illustrator for a textbook company and is one day informed by her boss that she will be doing illustrations for a book on vegetables. Her boss also informs her that she signed her up for a gardening class to get to know the product better. What happens from there is a story about learning to move forward after a tragedy and that maybe what she had planned wasn't what she really wanted. Abbi has a way with words that brought me to tears from laughing and from sadness. I will say that I was not prepared for the amount of times that worms would come upon this book! In the beginning when Lilian is getting the details on this class her boss explains that she can't do it because of an experience she has when young with worms. Lilian did not under stand this but I DO!!!! I had a traumatic experience and to this day have slight phobia when it comes to those things (in my house they are referred to as the "W" word). Aside from this minor thing this book was everything. At times I related to Lilian so much as mother and the paragraphs about her shopping at Target were perfect. I can not recommend this one enough! (TW for death of a spouse, depression and grief)