Russell chronicles the history of gardens along the Riviera, exquisite landscapes designed and cultivated by artists, writers, and noteworthy eccentrics. Biographical commentary profiles prominent luminaries such as Edith Wharton, Gerald and Sara Murphy, Somerset Maugham, and Alice de Rothschild, offering a window into the culture and customs of times past. And although many of these gardens no longer exist, Russell's prose breathes life into the once passionate connections tying these individuals enamored of the Riviera to horticultural endeavors that achieved a form of heaven on earth. Other compelling examples of landscape art demonstrate the creative process of contemporary gardeners, in a book replete with photographs of striking architectural details, intimate glimpses of plant texture and form, and images of grander vistas that can only begin to register the sublime beauty of the area. -- booklist -- amazon.com
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