I really enjoyed reading this story - I read it from cover to cover in one sitting. I don't think I changed positions more than once! Fleischman did an excellent job of weaving together the lives of characters, all diverse in culture and walks of life. This story illustrates human interaction in the smallest of moments: walking down the street, looking out the window, and even driving down the road.I definitely had some favorite stories, like the old man in a wheelchair with his caregiver who was just so excited to have dirt on his fingers. And the man who planted Lateesha's tomatoes, waiting for the smallest acknowledgment from a window. And, of course, the young girl who started it all. Driven by a need for acceptance or recognition from her dead father, Kim started a good deed that bloomed into a community. I was also taken with Sam, the man who tries to patch up the world, one person at a time. I was surprised to learn that the word "paradise" comes from a Persian word meaning "walled park". How incredibly appropriate! In his wisdom, Sam realizes that the garden is turning into a miniature Cleveland: fences and barbed wire dividing cultures and people. This is an insightful look at human nature itself. Given a wide space, people carve out places for themselves, creating boundaries and territories. It's just what we do. (We also have a habit of staring out windows at our neighbors. In this story, Anna first suspects Kim of hiding drugs in the space behind the refrigerator until she finds the truth. In my neighborhood, I have a love/hate relationship with neighbors who stare out their windows all day. The speed limit here is 15 mph. Enough said.)
Paul Fleischman's writing is very thoughtful. It is obvious that he took time writing and editing, considering the thoughts and feelings of each character. I was sad that each character was only focused on for one chapter, but then I got really excited if a familiar person showed up in someone else's story. I found myself noting several passages to keep in my notebook. Here are some of them:
"Over the narrow, bumpy path we went, his nose and eyes working. Some remembered scent was pulling him. He was a salmon traveling upstream through his past." p 47
"Gardening boring? Never! It had suspense, tragedy, startling developments - a soap opera growing out of the ground." p 49
"Here you have a million crabs living in a million crevices." p 58
"You can't see Canada across Lake Erie, but you know it's there. It's the same with spring." p 68
3 comments:
I had similiar emotions about the fact that we only learned about each character in one chapter of the story. Considering the brevity of each personal account, I was amazed by how well each character was developed. Because of this, I was more personally invested with each character and I wanted to learn more about their lives and experiences. I was also excited when these characters popped up in different places throughout the book. Fleischmann found a way to tie these characters' lives together and I was impressed by how he was able to interconnect their experiences.
I agree with the point from the previous post about how I was also surprised about the character development that Fleischman was able to spin in just a few short pages. I walked away from each chapter feeling like I had read several and visited much longer with each individual. I also enjoyed seeing the garden bring the people together. Witnessing something that is good, nurturing, and helpful bring people together and encourage them to discard of their biases was powerful to witness.
I am about to start reading "Seedfolks". Your commentary is encouraging as I am getting very weary of sad stories of loss. Thanks for an upbeat commentary!
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