I really enjoyed this novel and it was generally an overall hit at this month’s Book Club. There were some people who really loved this book, myself included, and some who it just wasn’t for but that’s okay! I think a lot of this comes down to what you go into it expecting. I’ve always loved books and words and stories and writing, from as soon as I could read by myself. I worked as a features writer and editor, getting very good at editing other people’s words, all the while ignoring the quiet voice telling me that what I really wanted to do was write my own stories. I finally summoned up the courage to begin, and am so pleased I did – it feels like the thing I am supposed to be doing. In the first timeline, in present day (2017) Sydney, horticulturalist Anna Jenkins is mourning the recent death of her beloved grandmother, "Gus", together with other personal demons that become apparent as the story unfolds. She's commencing the work of renovating Gus's dilapidated Paddington terrace, which she's inherited. While removing old bookcases, the workmen discover an old diary and a mysterious engraved box in wall cavities. Anna, with the input of her mother and sister, sets about solving the mystery of the items' provenance and the identity of the artist responsible for the beautiful botanical artworks she finds inside the box. Il titolo originale dell’opera, The Botanic’s daughter, è senz’altro più calzante rispetto alla traduzione italiana; sì perché, la prima protagonista in ordine di tempo, Elizabeth, è la figlia di un botanico, di un ricercatore appassionato di piante, di uno scienziato avventuriero in un’epoca in cui, senza aerei per attraversare il globo terrestre, si utilizzava la nave. Un viaggio pericoloso, malsano, che lasciava scie di incauti viaggiatori morti a bordo durante le lunghe rotte atlantiche.

In Victorian England, headstrong adventuress Elizabeth takes up her late father's quest for a rare, miraculous plant. She faces a perilous sea voyage, unforeseen dangers and treachery that threatens her entire family. Excited as to where the story was taking me, and that what I was writing was a departure from my previous books, and in some ways more of a challenge.Neither really. I think I probably see myself as someone who writes books that feature strong female protagonists who have to make difficult decisions, often when it comes to who they love, but in relation to other things as well. I do also like the notion that items from the past can resonate through the years and still have power today and am looking forward to exploring that further in future books.

Two different journeys in two separate centuries. We accompany Elizabeth as she travels from Cornwall to Valparaiso, while she looks for this wondrous plant, and as she finds a new life. We accompany Anna as she travels to London and then to Cornwall in search of answers. Who was responsible for the watercolours, and how did they end up in her grandmother’s home? And, as we accompany these two women on their separate journeys, we see some of the best and worst of human nature on display. It’s hard to say what books have influenced me, as I don’t want to try and write exactly like another writer, but in terms of resonance, books from my childhood such as Elizabeth Gouge’s Green Dolphin Country, Rumer Godden’s The Greengage Summer and Riders by Jilly Cooper are probably still up there.

I liked it. The story was good and it was interesting. I loved the way plants figured into the story, and the sketching done by Elizabeth. I loved Anna's discovery during remodeling. The story was fairly predictable - it was easy to figure out who the author was, who the child was, etc. The narrator had a pleasant, soothing voice and I frequently found myself enjoying her voice but not listening to what she had to say. The book alternated between Elizabeth in the 1800s and Anna in present day. The narrator didn't change her voice to announce the chapter titles, so I rarely caught when it transitioned. We'd be in the 1800s and suddenly it would say she drove a car or something and I'd realize, belatedly, that we'd switched to Anna. There were a lot of pointless characters which also made it hard to keep up with, so I usually didn't bother with trying to figure out who they were, other than the main characters. It also ended on an odd note, and I had to rewind to see what I'd missed, to discover I hadn't missed anything. Overall, it was a good story, just not anything to write home about. I'd recommend this to be read in print instead of listened to. The story is told from two different perspectives, Anna and Elizabeth. Did you prefer one over the other? Or have a timeline/story narrative that your preferred writing?

As you've probably guessed, there's a connection between Elizabeth, the journal and Anna's grandmother's house. Dear Kayte Nunn, what it's "matté"? Because the correct spelling is mate. No double t's and no tilde. And plus chilean people don't drink as much mate as we argentinians do (and I asked a chilean friend about this and she confirmed it). Another thing that was a huge mistake, was "a cup of matté". It's just mate, not a "cup of matté", that doesn't exist. And sweet empanadas? Again, I asked my friend about this and she said they do not eat sweet empanadas, they eat empanadas just filled with meat. Really, Kayte, you should've done a better research before writing this book about a different culture.The Botanist’s Daughter is structured in the form of dual time frame narrative, weaving into and out of chapters situated in 1800’s Cornwall and Chile, along with Sydney in the year 2017. There is a rich sense of place that pervades The Botanist’s Daughter. I particularly enjoyed the Chile based scenes, as this is a locale I have not read about before. The transitions of time and place were handled with poise. I found that I was equally enamoured by the past and the present day storylines. Time slip narratives are often hard to pull off, but Kayte Nunn doesn’t shy away from the challenge of a dual narrative approach. What culminates is an engaging story, rooted firmly in both the past and the present, with illuminating connections.

Anyways my point is I loved this book (4 / 5 ★) and would recommend it to others! The only problem we found with it though was that the story is fairly complete and wrapped up and exactly what it is meant to be, while this isn’t a bad thing, it didn’t leave much room for discussion on the book itself. In this way we didn’t find it the best book for a book club but we filled in our extra time by discussing all the books we are currently loving!! I can’t wait for inspiration or I’d never get anywhere! I write while my daughters are at school, but also sometimes at the weekend if I haven’t achieved the word count I set myself during the week. I take my laptop to their after-school activities if I have to wait there, and find a place to write, often in the car.It is always interesting to see where an idea for a book first germinates. In The Botanist’s Daughter’s case, the author has a personal interest in botany and it truly does reflect through the passionate storytelling of Kayte Nunn. An afternoon spent in a favourite locale, Sydney’s botanical gardens and the connection the author made to a sundial, spurned on this story idea. A visit followed to Kew Gardens and The Botanist’s Daughter was born. It is a magnificent tale at that! The Botanist’s Daughter signals quite the turning point for the author of this fascinating historical fiction, crossed with dual narrative tale. It is Kayte Nunn’s first venture into the world of historical fiction. It gives me great pleasure to see Kayte Nunn, an author I have been a fan of since her debut novel, take flight and soar with a new genre. The Botanist’s Daughter is a victory piece for Nunn and it has secured a spot in my most treasured reads of 2018. It is not based on real events, though I did read stories of plant hunters and to what ends some of them would go in their search for rare plants. How much research did you need to do in preparation for writing this book especially in regards to botanical art and travel in the 1800’s? There were a lot of red herrings in the book and different ways the story could have unraveled. Did you always have the ending planned or did it surprise you as well?