The Grandest Garden

By Gina L. Carroll

American Fiction Awards Honoree in THREE catagories:

  • African American Fiction

  • Women’s Fiction

  • Best Cover Design: Adult Fiction

“The Grandest Garden is a beautiful and delicate knitting together of intertwined stories with various colors and patterns from different generations, religions, racial backgrounds, and lifestyles, creating a magnificent quilt that gently wraps itself around you, tenderly holding you in a magical and mystical world from the first sentence to the last.” 

Menah Pratt, Ph.D, nationally recognized and award-winning author of four books on race, gender, and diversity, and the much anticipated, Blackwildgirl: A Writer’s Journey To Take Back Her Superpower

What people are saying…

What *Bookstagram* is saying…

  • I was minding my own business of reading this book and unexpectedly ran into a love triangle- or was it a quadrangle? I love the grandmothers and their backstories. This was a really good book that I recommend if you enjoy flower gardens or gardening.

    @celestially_yours

  • One of the best books I've ever read! (5 Stars)

    @libraryatcarleighs

  • What an outstanding debut for Carroll and I can't wait to see what she gives us in the future!

    @stephaniemichellereads

  • The way that @ginastories weaves in a love for the natural world, growing plants and flowers and creating beauty from your hard work, is captivating...Loved this one!

    @jamereads

  • I enjoyed the rich characters, slow burn of the plot/storyline, family dynamics, and all the fun garden tidbits. This was a tale of growing into the family you were born into and also found family. There were some romance elements, but I would categorize this as contemporary fiction over true romance. I also enjoyed a few surprises along the way and thought it wrapped up beautifully.

    @whahitareads

  • 🌻Isn’t this cover gorgeous????🌻I love that the book is multigenerational and features gardening as a coming-of-age metaphor. It’s so delightful. ♥️

    @dealingwithbooks

  • The Grandest Garden is a beautifully crafted narrative that blooms with rich storytelling and vivid descriptions, drawing readers into a world where nature, family, and mystery seamlessly intertwine. Carroll skillfully navigates intergenerational relationships, offering a heartfelt exploration of family dynamics...For those who revel in the arts, the novel’s integration of art and photography, alongside its floral and botanical themes, will be a delightful treat. Carroll’s descriptions of gardens and nature are so vivid and evocative that even those with severe allergies, like myself, might find themselves longing to visit a greenhouse or attend a garden party.

    @doorkeyreader

  • The Grandest Garden kept me warm and pleasant company...More substantial than a typical beach read, The Grandest Garden follows young Bella as she sets off to start a photography career in NYC. 📷🏙️ As she struggles to find her footing, she reflects on her past, growing up with two strong Black women as grandmothers and their gardens, and all that gardens taught her about life. 🌿💕 She finds comfort in building her own rooftop garden and forming new friendships at an art gallery, but she is haunted by something that happened in her past. You'll wonder, what happened and how will she resolve her feelings? 🌸💔

    @readwitharescue

  • I loved the aspects of Bella being able to have the connections with both her grandmothers through gardening. Gardening was their safe space...a place to center themselves and reflect...I enjoyed learning more about gardening and how it can bring such profound clarity and peace for some.

    @bookiesandtea

  • I didn’t have the opportunity to know my grandparents, but the grandparent/grandchild relationship has always fascinated me...I’m already invested in Bella’s story and will soon be looking to discuss this book with anyone who’s willing to chat!

    @melissajbooks4days

  • When I read the synopsis of this book I knew I was really going to enjoy this story and I was right! I loved the dual timeline and getting to know Bella. As a new plant mom myself I also really enjoyed all of the gardening that Bella and her grandmothers do together. I had no idea there were so many community gardens in New York City! This story also made me think so much about my grandmother and loved the way that Carroll explored themes of hope, that bonds of family, and the power of healing. 4 ⭐️

    @readswithally

  • I loved getting to know Bella in both timelines, and I think this way of storytelling really enhanced the novel for me. I also enjoyed learning more about gardening while reading, as I’m trying to become somewhat of a gardener as an adult.✨

    @reader_mama

  • I went into this books fairly blind and I loved it. Particularly the dual timelines. I always enjoy learning why things get to a certain point with relationships in a family. I really drawn to Bella’s connection with her grandmother and the garden. Beautiful book!

    @tammyreads62

  • Carroll did a great job capturing the love and wisdom between Bella and her two grandmothers throughout different points in her life. So much of this book was wonderfully done. Ultimately, it felt to me like a love-letter to so many things : to grandparents and the special ways they shape us; to beauty and the many ways it presents itself; to the hidden individuals working hard to keep nature alive in a city like New York; to New York! And mostly, to self, passion, heritage and culture.

    @lindsey.the.librarian

  • The Grandest Garden was a lovely journey and a discovery of Gina L. Carroll’s world building. It is her debut novel, and I highly recommend you to check it out if you love reading stories with well-developed characters. There are a lot of things happening in this book, but what I mostly retain is the author ‘s love letter to art, African American artists in particular... I was deeply touched by her journey, littered with family dramas, mental health and unexpected romances...How Gina L. Carroll uses gardens as full characters in this story. I greatly enjoyed this novel. It is unique and beautiful. I fell in love with the cover, which is why I wanted to read it. And I am so happy I did!

    @ablueboxfullofbooks

  • I truly loved how the different POV's worked in tandem with each other as the present time period is written in third and the past written in first. The subject of dementias and the intricacies of caring for a loved one with said condition was done so tastefully. This is breathtaking, queer, and dazzling and was a surprising read for me in the best ways. A grand coming of age that pulls from surviving and perservering against all odds, I see this being a book that'll be studied in years to come because I am much better for it.

    @jennyfioreads

Order The Book!