Book Review: The Paper Garden by Molly Peacock

This book is about the flourishing of an artist who started the art oeuvre she is known for -- at age 72 -- and continued this work for nearly a decade.  She lived in the 1700s, was born into a fairly well-to-do family, was raised/trained in propriety and the social graces (for a potential court position), had a friend in Handel (yes, the composer) and in a Duchess, and would eventually befriend a King and Queen in her elder years.  

The writing is well done.  That said, the author includes personal reflections at the end of each chapter about how the botanical image chosen to start each chapter and/or the narrative -- triggers certain recall of her life experiences that she believes are similar or relate in some way.  That part of each chapter could have been eliminated, in my estimation, without affecting the overall biographical portrait of her subject.

That said, of the 14 chapters in this book -- I loved #1, #12, #13 and #14.  You may notice that this means there was a large portion of the book that was more bland.  What I can say is that the last three chapters were more than worth the effort to read those in-between.  

As for Chapters #2-#11, they provide more information about the family members, friends, relationships, royal court life, and the interests, events and life challenges of Mrs. Mary Granville Pendarves Delany, that ended up shaping her into the later-life artist she became --  and the volume of botanical collage work she produced (985 collages).

I have no idea where I learned about this book, but I'm glad I read it.  It provides a glimpse into what it was like to live in England at a time when King George III and Parliament were taking actions that led up to our Revolutionary War.  

It is also a testament to hand-written letters and how people used them to communicate information but also their interior feelings, thoughts, dreams, plans, etc.  Family members too -- had a deep respect for such correspondence and in the Granville family, Mary's letters were passed down from generation to generation knowing their importance.  This is how Mary's letters to her sister and dear friend, Anne, came into the possession of Lady Llanover (Mary's descendant via Anne's line).  

It was Lady Llanover who edited Mary's letters that were later published for the public to read.  She was also the family member who donated Mary's art work to the British Museum in 1895 for posterity and where it still resides.