Mister Owita's Guide to Gardening (Wall) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
In this lovely memoir, a surprising friendship blossoms between a horticulturist with a harrowing secret and the author, a cancer survivor with a bad attitude and a sad yard. A perfect spring awakening.
Good Housekeeping


(Starred review.) [A] moving memoir.... [Carol] Wall enlists a neighbor’s gardener, a man from Kenya, to help her maintain her garden. What begins as a purely professional relationship...blossoms into an intimate friendship.... This tender narrative gently probes the complicated terrain of American race relations, dealing with serious illness and facing the death of loved ones.
Publishers Weekly


Wall, a white woman with grown children who had survived illness and was now contemplating her next move, noticed a black man working hard in a neighbor's yard. Giles Owita, who had come from Kenya and bagged groceries to make ends meet, was soon cleaning Wall's yard, too. They became friends, bonding over secrets they've both hidden, and the result is this much-touted memoir.
Library Journal


I couldn’t put this book down. I found myself liking the principal characters from the opening pages, and my affection for them never wavered. If you enjoy inspirational memoirs or gardening books (or both), this moving account of a life-changing friendship is for you.
Kelly Blewett - BookPage


Serendipitous life lessons from an unexpected source.... Owita not only performed an aesthetic miracle on Wall's property, but he also educated, enlivened and transformed her life and surroundings in graceful, heartwarming and rewarding ways. A pleasure to read. Wall's bittersweet story of human kindness has universal appeal.
Kirkus Reviews