Wilfrid Blunt (1901-1987) is probably best known today as a biographer of Linnaeus and as the author of the classic study "The Art of Botanical Illustration." But Blunt also had his lighter side. "Of Flowers & a Village" is a novel written in the form of chatty letters from a doting godfather to his goddaughter, Flora, an enthusiastic (if inexperienced) gardener who is recovering from an illness that has left her temporarily bedridden. Although we...