Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire

It's not everyday that I pick up a novel that makes me want to stay up all night reading. Margot Berwin combines the right amount of sex, romance, adventure and pure wonder into this delicious story of a woman who is about to have her entire life turned upside down, all thanks to a bunch of exotic and rare plants. Reading Lila's story made me want to go to the Mexican Jungle myself in search of the nine rare and powerful plants of desire. Despite some heartbreak, peril and downright terror, Lila emerges from the jungle a new woman, but boy what she had to go through to get there is wilder than any ride at Magic Mountain. This wonderful debut novel is fast-paced and filled with intriguing facts about plants and the people who worship them. It's an infectious story, one that is sure to keep you reading into the wee hours, wanting desperately to know if our lusty, gutsy heroine comes out on top, or buried under a tangle of vines and leaves and roots in her attempt to find the nine magical plants of desire.

At first I thought I selected this book because of my wife (but not *for* my wife) because of her love of horticulture and her penchant for romance. I later learned that I was wrong on two counts: First, it's not a "book", it's a story. Second, I didn't choose the story, the story chose me. A book is a physical assembly of pages, a linear march from page one to the end. But a story doesn't end when you get to the last page of the book. A story sneaks out of the pages and follows you around. A story takes you for a walk. A story is there whether you know it or not. It's waiting for you when you start your car and it and startles you in the mirror while you're shaving. A story like this makes you look around the room to see if anyone else heard that sound. Worst of all, this story drives you mad as you find yourself cleaning up the leaves and feathers that just fell from the pages. I don't know how Margot Berwin did it. My first clue should have been the mention of her inspirations from Hermann Hesse and Carlos Castaneda. Those were strange days back in college when I read the entire Teachings of Don Juan series and then Steppenwolf and Siddhartha. I never expected to repeat that experience as an adult, but somehow it snuck up on me. Those stories challenged my views of perception and suggested that we each have the power to define the boundaries of "reality" in our lives. So did Berwin rip off Castaneda & Hesse? It's hard to charge someone of ripping off an author whose anthropology studies at UCLA turned into obvious tales of fiction inspired by Don Juan's "little smoke". Berwin's story has a much different flavor. And as far as ripping off Hesse, I doubt it's possible to imitate his unhinged style; you either write like that or you don't. Berwin's style came at me from every different direction. Her writing has a physical texture to it that surrounds you. Her words become smells and feelings and tastes, like a rich cup of exotic tea. This is a challenge for me, because I'm a Bud Light kind of guy. What's the story about? It almost doesn't matter. Actually, it wouldn't surprise me if your copy holds a different story than mine, because she challenges the reader to adjust his perception to the extent that you can't be sure what's there and what's not. Her story surrounds the myth of the nine tropical plant species that, when collected under the proper circumstances, are said to reward their owner with enhanced qualities of knowledge, love, sex, and so on. Rather than working around the limits of existing myths (vampires, Aztec gold, or whatever), Berwin was bold enough to fabricate her own myth (I didn't know we could do that). She cheated, and it's fantastic. Her characters present us with amazing powers: the power to reinterpret our surroundings to the point that the garbage truck parked out front doesn't smell bad at all (her analogy, not mine) and the power be called in by something as seemingly benign as a potte

Plot Summary: Lila Nova has an empty new apartment in NYC following her divorce, and she needs a spot of color to brighten the place. She buys her first tropical plant, a bird of paradise, from handsome `plant man' David Exley, and soon after she meets another strange plant guru named Armand, who runs a laundromat that's overrun like a jungle. These men both want the mythical nine plants of desire, which are supposed to give the possessor anything he or she wants. When Lila betrays Armand's secret, she must travel to the Yucatán to make amends and seek out the plants for herself. I confess, I was enchanted by this magical story of plant fanatics. It has an excellent blend of plant lore, adventure, romance, and self discovery. I've always loved green stuff myself, but here the plants are almost sentient beings, and therein lies the magic of the story. I think it's fitting that it begins in New York City, one of the most paved over places on the planet, where plants are trucked in for nature-starved city dwellers. The second half takes place in the Yucatán jungles, where there's so much plant life that it must compete for a postage stamp-sized patch of sunshine. The juxtaposition is like a kick to the head, for both the reader and our heroine, Lila Nova. Lila is like a reluctant Luke Skywalker, and Armand is her oracular Obi-Wan. When Lila is able to successfully `root' a fire fern cutting, she's initiated into Armand's weird little world, but she soon betrays his confidence. Lila wants to wipe her conscience clean, but the payment Armand wants is far more involved than writing a check. He wants Lila to travel with him to Mexico to find the nine plants of desire, and Lila only hears the words "Mexican Riviera," which makes her think of beaches, drinks, and dancing in her red heels. Her actual journey is nothing like the safely sanitized foreign trips most Americans take nowadays, and it's a treat to be Lila's armchair companion for her adventure. Lila's love life is a mess, and that's not even counting her divorce. Her lusty horn dog ways get her in trouble more than once, and Armand's personal observations about her personality are painfully blunt; greed and lust are Lila's biggest sins, and she must put her own life on the line to correct her mistakes. The ending was more ambiguous than I like, but it's clear that Lila will make the right decisions from here on out. This is the perfect summer beach book; take it on a trip and you'll have no regrets.

I really enjoyed this book and for me it was a fast read. It took me a day to read it. It started off a little slow but once the conflict took place the story propelled itself naturally into such a whirlwind of a ride. Here you have story about a 30 something divorcee, Lila, living in New York who is trying to deal with the emotional after effects of divorce - new life, new apartment: clean slate. In the process of redesigning her life she goes to the market place to buy greenery for her new apartment. She finds the proprietor of the plant stand intriguing and earthy in a hunky kind of way, and buys her first tropical plant, not knowing the tremendous effect that this purchase will make in her life. She then encounters a mysterious laundromat with secrets which opens her up into a world of myth, plant magic, mystery, love, and adventure... Intrigued with the mysterious plant stand proprietor and laundromat owner and new affinity with tropical plants she gets caught up in deception and thrown into a quest for retribution because of lust and greed. This quest sets her off to Mexico in search of the 9 plants of desire where she encounters plant lore, shaminism, learns about survival, meets an exotic modern-day tarzan who is more intoxicating than chocolate, and ends up a changed woman by the end of the story. I won't ruin the rest of the story by giving away too much, so pick up the book and read it. If you are looking for a character who demonstrates personal growth, who tackles the fine lines of love, attraction, guilt, retribution, and becoming one with nature, then this story is for you. There are a lot of personal insights about human nature sprinkled throughout without lecturing. You learn about taking risks and truly living life outside your comfort zone. And the metaphorical language between human nature and plant life is enlightening. The descriptions are vivid without ever becoming overbearing. You could actually picture yourself in the various settings within the story (i.e. the New York Green Market place, Mexican Jungle/Rainforest). However, many of the key characters seem a bit eclectic and too surreal with their "bigger than life" looks and personalities, but that was probably one of its major charms. THe characters were not boring. This story makes a fascinating read for anyone who is looking to escape, who wants to take a virtual but very "raw" adventure into a foreign land, experience lust (with subtlety yet erotic), go on a treasure hunt of sorts, and at the end be left breathless and renewed. A highly recommended artistic read!!

First, let me just state that I do not read "chick lit". This was a first for me, and I read it in one day while I was at work. I managed to sneak it under my desk. Not that there is anything wrong with "chick lit", but it isn't my usual style. I thought the plot sounded interesting: A woman finds an obsession with plants that helps her discover a new-found happiness in life? Ok, I am game! Obviously, I enjoyed reading this book immensely. If you are looking for a hot romance novel, look elsewhere. The main character had a life that she loved, until her husband tells her that he is leaving. She has no life, nothing to look forward to, no friends, etc. She moves into a boring, white and wood studio for a fresh start. One day, she meets a man selling tropical plants and he pushes her to buy a Bird of Paradise. At first, the plant means everything to her. She says "Plant first. Then people." She isn't very confident in herself. As time moves along, she finds herself rather plant obsessed in a good way, and its bringing her a new look on life. I loved how the book was set up: each chapter is the name of a tropical plant, and there is a quote describing it. Within the chapter, the plant it is named for plays an important role. The structure of the novel was simple, as was the writing and style, but it made the book entirely readable. The main character was totally someone I could relate to, despite not having a similar experience in my own life. I found that while I was reading, my interest in plants and gardening grew, and I was totally engaged throughout. There isn't a gripping plot, with tons of twists and turns, but you watch the main character grow, first roots, then some semblance of a normal, happy and healthy life. It was very rewarding to read. Even if you're like me, and don't normally read "chick lit" I recommend giving this book a try. It was pretty fulfilling, and I managed to have a wonderful outlook on life after reading it.