Product Description

A haunting tale of murder, love and innocence lost set in post-war Tuscany from the award winning author of 'The Whaleboat House'. 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?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11252 in Books
• Published on: 2007-07-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

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

The Times
`Mills writes beautifully... an unusual, captivating novel that is
a cut above the norm'

Daily Mirror
`Unputdownable... hugely atmospheric'

Customer Reviews

More scented than savage
At first glance, it seems that Mark Mills has created a world for readers seeking an escape from twenty-first century issues. However, his lush Italian landscape soon becomes littered with fragmented lies and (not very well-hidden) secrets.

I enjoyed the descriptive elements and the journey of the naive narrator. Also, the art history thread is woven throughout without being either obtuse or patronising. I was, though, hoping for a complex plot or subtlety of character and I began to turn the pages in anticipation of the novel gaining a momentum which I don't believe it achieved.

It's a pleasant, albeit unchallenging read, and I wouldn't recommend against buying this book, as it is always interesting to see and compare contemporary fiction, to better understand the passions and concerns of writers and new writing .

Excellent thriller, again
Loved it. The Savage Garden maintains, even exceeds, the very high standards set by Mills' first novel The Whaleboat House (what a relief that it didn't turn out to be a one-off). As before, The Savage Garden is well written, taking its time whilst being truly gripping - which is presumably why such novels are called "literary thrillers" by the publishing trade. Whatever, this latest book confirms Mark Mills is definitely an author to follow.

Crime in a Tuscan Garden
Nowadays, a reader could be forgiven for thinking no-one in history ever did anything with a simple motive. No-one merely painted a picture to adorn a church, no-one founded a religious order because of their faith. And now, it seems, no-one designed a memorial garden purely to immortalise his lamented wife. The Savage Garden follows a Cambridge student as he unpicks the layers of meaning in a Tuscan garden, unearthing crimes that span generations. The book starts slowly, but it picks up the pace and races to the end. Pack it in your suitcase and head for Italy.