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The Savage Garden [Paperback]

Mark Mills
3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (138 customer reviews)
RRP: �7.99
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Book Description

2 July 2007

The No.1 bestselling novel and Richard & Judy Summer Read: a haunting tale of murder, love and lost innocence for fans of Carlos Ruiz Zafon and Jed Rubenfeld

Behind a villa in the heart of Tuscany lies a Renaissance garden of enchanting beauty. Its grottoes, pagan statues and classical inscriptions seem to have a secret life of their own – and a secret message, too, for those with eyes to read it.

Young scholar Adam Strickland is just such a person. Arriving in 1958, he finds the Docci family, their house and the unique garden as seductive as each other. But post-War Italy is still a strange, even dangerous place, and the Doccis have some dark skeletons hidden away which Adam finds himself compelled to investigate.

Before this mysterious and beautiful summer ends, Adam will uncover two stories of love, revenge and murder, separated by 400 years… but is another tragedy about to be added to the villa's cursed past?


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Product details

  • Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Harper; 1st Paperback Edition edition (2 July 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 000716193X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0007161935
  • Product Dimensions: 12.9 x 19.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (138 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 25,539 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mark Mills graduated from Cambridge University in 1986. He has lived in both Italy and France, and has written for the screen. His first novel, 'The Whaleboat House', won the 2004 Crime Writer's Association for Best Novel by a debut author. His second, 'The Savage Garden', was a Richard and Judy Summer Read and No 1 bestseller. He lives in Oxford with his wife and two children.

Product Description

Review

Acclaim for ‘The Savage Garden’:

‘An intriguing puzzle, elegantly written… a pleasure to read… the atmosphere of an Italian summer and of the mysterious garden are beautifully captured’ Sunday Telegraph

‘Mills writes beautifully; leading us gently and atmospherically through the Tuscan renaissance garden… an unusual, captivating novel that is a cut above the norm’ The Times

‘Unputdownable… hugely atmospheric’ Daily Mirror

‘Entertaining… Mills weaves together two murder mysteries in his elegantly contrived plot’ Times Literary Supplement

‘Mills has done his research… there are potent mysteries, a beautiful heroine and a charismatic old lady who knows a lot more than she’s saying, which is enough to keep the reader, like Adam, rearranging the puzzle pieces until they all slot into place’ London Lite

‘A fine sense of period and place, a well-managed narrative, crisp prose and fascinating information… Mills is one to watch’ Spectator

‘Mills juggles the mysteries of three periods, switching between centuries with a conjuror’s skill… the book is beautifully written, giving life to the figures in their Tuscan landscape’ Literary Review

‘A mesmerizing piece of writing… Mills is a skillful writer and combines all the disparate strands into a striking tapestry’ Independent

‘An intriguing historical thriller which confirms him as a first-class and unusual crime writer’ Daily Mail

‘A beautifully penned, high-brow crime thriller’ City AM

'To be savoured… Mills weaves together an intriguing mixture of love, loss and divided loyalties' Guardian

‘Very well-written with memorable characters’ Birmingham Post

‘A keen sense of loss and longing suffuses “The Savage Garden”… a romantic and gracefully executed literary puzzle. Mills creates an enchanting vision of wooded glades and grottoes, temples and reflecting pools… a tantalizing mystery’
New York Times

Praise for ‘The Whaleboat House’:

‘A master of the art of murderous storytelling.’ Sunday Times

‘This is an intriguing, atmospheric, literary crime novel. The uneasy juxtaposition of two communities is brilliantly evoked by Mark Mills.’ Daily Mail

‘Subtle and stylish…Mills is clever, unravelling the story from several angles.' Observer

‘The requisite qualities of a film script – atmospheric details, lucidity and a simple, spare style.' Sunday Telegraph

‘A very rich book – rich in detail and history and local color; rich in characters and conflict and mystery; and, most importantly, rich in wonderful writing.’ John Grisham

‘Complex and compelling…Mark Mills reveals himself to be a master storyteller.' Val McDermid

‘A striking and assured first thriller…worldly and impeccably researched.’ William Boyd

Book Description

The Seeds of Sin Were Planted Long Ago…


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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
187 of 194 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A thoughtful and literary crime novel 16 July 2007
By MisterHobgoblin TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE VOICE
Format:Paperback
I discovered Mark Mills by accident - he spoke alongside Emer McCourt at Edinburgh Book Festival a couple of years back. His debut, Amagansett (renamed Whaleboat House) was a period murder mystery set in Long Island just after WWII. It was stylish, well written and dealt with the social issues as the local population were being displaced by wealthy NYC types.

Mark Mills has now followed this up with a novel set in Tuscany in the 1950s. A young English student is tasked with uncovering the mysteries of a 400 year old memorial garden at a castle owned by a friend of his Cambridge tutor. As the mystery is uncovered - details matching with various classical texts - our student hero Adam discovers that the present day family have their own secrets. He starts to unravel those secrets, discovering what really happened when the castle was occupied by the Germans in the war.

The writing is well researched and very intelligent. Mills creates an air of menace that gets stronger as the novel progresses. But his forte is in creating believable characters with shades of light and dark. As the finger of suspicion is pointed, the suspects don't panic and wave guns around, they don't seek confrontation. Arguments are avoided, issues skirted. This lack of action then adds to the suspense and intrigue.

Moreover, the scene setting works well. Mills is a master of painting a scene with vivid, clear language. In this case, the mountains, the castle and the villages create a very claustrophobic atmosphere - the perfect environment for feuds to simmer and vengeance to be taken. And within each confined space, yet more confined spaces are created. Tuscany - the village - the castle - the garden - the grotto... The pacing, too, works very well.
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82 of 85 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Never has gardening been so dangerous 3 Aug 2007
By Brida TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE VOICE
Format:Paperback
This is the first novel by Mills that I have read. I admit, I came to it via the Richard & Judy summer read bookclub. Having been disappointed with previous selections for this year, I have to say I wasn't holding out much hope at the beginning of me enjoying this. Happily, I was found to be wrong.

The book is about Adam, a university student who is encouraged to travel to Italy to the Villa Docci, home of the Docci family, by his lecturer. Adam is told that there is an interesting 400 year old memorial garden there, which could be a good subject for his thesis. As he sets out, he does not realise just how enchanting this garden shall be. Made up from hidden groves, grottos, statues depicting Greek gods and goddesses, this garden is more than first appearances would suggest. Rather than being a mere memorial garden, it holds a secret hidden in the imagery and symbolism it contains.
As Adam emerses himself more into the secrets of the garden, he also begins to suspect that the living members of the Docci family also have their secrets to hide, secrets that seem to echo history.

Mills does a fantastic job at creating mystery throughout this book. At first, I was unsure that the premise of the book would be enough to carry it. However, the way that Mills explains the symbolism of the garden, you completely get carried away with the unfolding mystery. I loved how the garden was linked to a piece of literature - as a lover of English throughout my whole life, Adam's pouring over literary texts to unlock secrets of the past was an absolute delight.

The characters are also superbly written. Having finished the book, I could see the progression that took place in Adam, for example.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Twists and Turns 1 Sep 2007
By Joanne D'Arcy TOP 1000 REVIEWER VINE VOICE
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I started this book with some trepidation, thrillers, murders and mysteries are not my norm when it comes to books. I have since changed my mind! The murders have already been committed, by the time we see Adam make his journey to Italy and we are taken on a journey as he uncovers what happened in these murders and also how they are being hidden from those left around them. In fact the clues are all around and I learnt just as much about Dante's Inferno, (though confess to having to go and find some additional information about it) as Adam did and how this knowledge helps him solve clues but also create more along the way.

There are some quite 'wordy' passages, and this book requires an element of concentration to keep with the plot, but once it has you hooked then you are in the garden with Adam and those he meets along the journey to solving the mystery. It is billed in some places as somewhat of a thriller, it isn't it is a mystery though and if you are happy with a fairly loose mystery and no overly descriptive passages about how the murders were committed then you will enjoy it.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I was very impressed by the author's first book 'The Whaleboat House', and ordered this one. But it's almost as if it's another - lesser - writer, or 'The Savage Garden' was really the first novel, put away in a drawer years ago, then dusted off...
If I hadn't liked the author's other book I would have given up after about 50 pages - it's very pedestrian, and you don't really get a sense of place : he's writing about one of the most beautiful parts of the world, but the descriptive passages feel like they could have been copied from guidebooks.
I find this strange because 'The Whaleboat House' is set in America's Long Island in 1947, and Mills puts you there effortlessly - the Atlantic coast setting, the period, the tensions of a place on the cusp of changing from a hardscrabble fishing community to its colonisation by rich New Yorkers, looking for a summer retreat. The characterisation is very subtle and believable, and it wasn't until after I'd finished that I found out that the author wasn't American - it's pitch-perfect.
So I was disappointed by 'The Savage Garden' - I didn't really believe in any of the characters or the love story, the 'crime' plot is paper-thin, the 'garden' plot is better, but doesn't take up much space, and the 'twist' is so-so.
It would have been better to have made the 'garden' story the main thrust and expanded it greatly, with the protagonist seeking out clues, looking in archives, teasing out the full story from centuries ago etc.
However, if you liked this, you should like 'The Whaleboat House' even more - and if you didn't like this, you'll be pleasantly surprised by 'The Whaleboat House'.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
I don't think I've read a Richard&Judy; choice before, and on the basis of this book I won't be in a hurry to read another one. Read more
Published 2 months ago by dandelion
3.0 out of 5 stars A bit too arty for me
I made this purchase around 3 years ago and read the first 50 pages but could not get into it. I revisited it recently and gave it another go. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Steveatki
4.0 out of 5 stars a good read
This is a well written multilayered tale of Murder mystery and love.
It keeps you wondering right until the end.
Published 5 months ago by PanneJ
3.0 out of 5 stars Didn't really do it for me.
The first 150 pages were interesting and enjoyable but after that it went downhill with a messy and contrived ending which seemed to go on forever. Read more
Published 6 months ago by C. F. Nolan
4.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable....
This story is about a 16th century Italian garden that is being researched by a PhD student Adam. Running through the book are parallel mysteries. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Wynne Kelly
4.0 out of 5 stars A complex, multi-layered crime novel with a difference
Helen for [...]

Having read Mark Mills' The Information Officer for Book Club and having heard that this was better I thought I'd give it a try, and I have found it... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Big Book Little Book
2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
The novel starts with Adam, a university student who has been offered the opportunity to go to Tuscany and study the enchanting Renaissance garden of Villa Docci, full of mystery... Read more
Published 17 months ago by natboosh
2.0 out of 5 stars Short story stretched?
Murder mystery set in late 1950s Italy but also unravelling events 400 years previously. Reads like a short story stretched unnecessarily, with tedious chunks of dialogue and... Read more
Published 17 months ago by JoTownhead
2.0 out of 5 stars Good plot: poor writing
I had this lined up to read on my holidays earlier this month. I usually choose books that have more than the usual appeal for the hols and often put aside items throughout the... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Franko
4.0 out of 5 stars The Savage Garden
This book began with great promise - lots of suspense. What could be more tantalizing than a top floor of a large villa being closed off to all (shades of Jane Eyre), and an... Read more
Published 21 months ago by EL EMMO
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