Literary news andreviews with alocal flavour

Our gardens have difficult histories. As a historian of empire, writing a book re-telling the stories of America’s plants, I spend swathes of my day reckoning with them. Most of the plants we grow wer

Zoe West shares her favourite picks for the week

IN AN AGE OF COMPARISON CULTURE AND GLOSSY SOCIAL-MEDIA LIVES, IT’S HARD NOT TO QUESTION YOUR OWN PROGRESS. BUT THERE’S NO RIGHT PATH TO LIFE AS THESE WOMEN, WHO ARE TURNING CONVENTION ON ITS HEAD AND SHARING WISDOM AS THEY GO, DEMONSTRATE…

In an extract from her new book, The Atlas of Deadly Plants , author Jane Perrone takes us on a journey into the history and dangerous allure of popular plants such as lily of the valley

Isabella was in need of a husband – and her mother had one in her sights