Margot Berwin

In your own backyard, start out by placing a terracotta pot in direct sunlight. Grab seeds for magical realism, women's fiction and erotic romance (!), bury into the rich soil, water and cultivate . . . what sprouts will be Margot Berwin's Hothouse Flower, an incredibly strange but engrossing read that killed a six-hour plane ride for me in no time.

Lila is a damaged, crazed and especially vulnerable woman. As she tries to change and move on, she feels a kinship with the plants she purchases show more from David Exley -- an unusual man who doesn't seem interested in our heroine until he discovers her connection to the Nine Plants of Desire. Desire is a funny word in this book, because it's everywhere . . . love and raw sensuality run through the novel like a current, drawing readers into a supple world where plants inspire amour and urges won't be denied. I'll be frank: I didn't expect so much sex in this book, but sex was there to be had. All over the place. Like, a lot.

Ahem.

But there was plenty more to this story, too. The novel takes an incredibly weird turn halfway through as we journey to the Yucatan Peninsula with Lila and Armand, and it's there that we learn more about the Nine Plants and their properties. The descriptions were absolutely intoxicating: dreams the plants can help you discover; fears you can overcome; love you can inspire, all with a cutting from a fern. It's too fantastical to be believed, though, right?

Right?

Lila doesn't think so -- and, confronted with hard proof, she knows Armand's crazy stories about the plants must be true. othouse Flower is richly atmospheric and interesting, but it also left me deeply unsettled -- especially after a certain drug- and dog-related scene toward the latter part of the novel (awful). It felt sort of like an acid trip: all Technicolor scenes, strange occurrences, magical plants and sexy sex time in the rain forest. What started out as a simple post-divorce story in New York City morphed in a wholly unexpected way . . . and I'm not sure I dug it.

But I did tear through this like the hounds of hell were on my trail, and that's saying something. I consumed the entire book on my plane ride home from London -- hours in which I could have been getting some precious and much-needed sleep. Once I'd started, I couldn't set it down.

Say what you will about it, but I doubt you'll ever read another book like Hothouse Flower -- like Armand's flowers, the premise and product are one-of-a-kind. And that makes it worth a read for me. show less

Originally Reviewed At: Mother/Gamer/Writer
Rating: 4 out of 5 Controllers
Review Source: Author/Blog Tour
Reviewer: AimeeKay

I’m torn. I loved the writing in Scent of Darkness; however I hated the main character.

Berwin’s writing was amazing. Her descriptions of the world, the people, their thoughts and emotions all were absolutely stunning. The way she put her words together was moving and kept me turning the page to read more.

However, I really disliked Eva. She was selfish and she just show more annoyed me. Maybe if the story hadn’t been told from her point of view and I didn’t have to listen to her thoughts I would have enjoyed the book more. She just seems to let things happen to her. She complains about the things that happen to her and she says she can’t stop them from happening. But she never seems to make a real effort to change anything; she just lets herself get dragged along.

I also didn’t seem to be able to connect with any of the other characters. They were all beautifully described, but the only one that seemed to be more than just a pretty shell was Michael. The problem with Michael is he was even more self absorbed than Eva. The only difference is he is supposed to be since he was the bad guy.

The writing was so beautiful though. I think if I had been able to connect with Eva I would have given the book the Royalty award along with 5 controllers. However all the beautiful writing couldn’t save that part, so I’m giving it 4 out of 5 controllers. I would recommend picking it up for the summer; maybe another reader can connect with Eva better than I could. show less

Lila Nova has just gotten divorced from her husband and moved into a sterile and boxy New York apartment. One day as she is perusing the outdoor market, she comes across a plant stall run by the outdoorsy and rugged David Exley. When Exley convinces Lila to purchase an expensive tropical plant, she quickly becomes enamored both of her new bird of paradise and the handsome man who brought it into her life. Though things with Exley don't go as planned, Lila soon discovers a strange and show more charismatic man named Armand who runs a laundromat overrun by tropical plants and discovers the potent myth of the nine plants of desire. When Exley uses Lila to gain access to Armand and the nine plants, Lila is left responsible to replace the powerful and magical nine. Soon she is traveling to the jungles of the Yucatan with Armand, steeped in danger both from the people who protect the plants and the jungle and wildlife surrounding it. It is in this exotic locale that Lila not only finds the secrets she is searching for, but also finds a chance at a once in a lifetime love. In this clever and visceral novel, Berwin brings to life the magic and myth of the nine plants of desire and the powerful struggle that Lila must face to regain them all and bring them home.

About a year ago I made the great discovery of an independent bookstore in the downtown area of my city. When I went in to check it out, I discovered this book, just released in hardcover, on one of the front tables. The gentleman behind the counter told me it was a wonderful book and I quickly took it to a comfy chair and began checking it out. Though I didn't leave with it that day, I added it to my ever-growing wish list and told myself that it would definitely be a purchase sometime soon. So, when I saw that TLC was doing a book tour of this title, I quickly asked Trish if I could join in. I was really excited to get the chance to read this book, and despite some mild setbacks, I found that it truly didn't disappoint.

When the story first opens, Lila is wandering around the confines of her life and it is obvious that she is searching for something. Though she has a great job and interesting friends, there seems to be a hunger in her to connect more fully with the world around her. It is about this time that she discovers Exley and his plants and really begins to get embroiled in the events that will change her life. I felt I could really sympathize with Lila. For one, she was a smart cookie who felt an inexpressible longing to break out of her boundaries. Though at times she could be a little myopic, she seemed to have good intentions and was ever struggling to make more of herself and to encounter new situations. I felt a little anxious for her as she realized that Exley had used and duped her, and also felt that although her new friendship with Armand was a positive thing, there was something a little fishy about him. Armand saw a very different side of Lila and it wasn't exactly flattering. At first I was confused about his perceptions of her, but later on in the book, Lila seemed to shed the nice girl attitude and become a more fully realized and complex character who was at times manipulative and conniving. This was harder to get used to because I felt like I was sure I knew Lila and this new attitude didn't really fit with my experiences of her. Once Lila had begun to morph though, the wild ride of her adventure was set to begin.

As Armand and Lila head off into the Yucatan, the story starts to flower, so to speak. Lila's task is to locate the nine plants of desire. Once the plants are collected, the magic combination promises to bring untold rewards to the owners of the plants. I really began to sit up and pay attention once these adventures began. For the most part, the rain forest and jungles that Lila explored became a character in itself. It was full of life, both the quiet and peaceful kind and the violent and destructive kind. Reading about the oppressive heat and insects made me feel like I was right there alongside Lila, cutting my way through the vegetation and slapping the bugs away. Though I enjoyed the adventurous trek through the jungle, other parts of Lila's quest were a little harder to handle. There is a small part of this book that deals with the unfortunate fates of the dogs that are used in harvesting one of the nine plants. Coming across this section and its bizarreness and violence actually made me very angry and made me want to abandon the book. I didn't feel like there was a reason for this plot device other than to provoke and inflame the reader, and as it stood, this one piece of the the book did end up tempering my enjoyment of the whole.

There was a lot of raw sexuality and carnality in this book, which although I didn't expect, actually heightened my enjoyment of it. I thought it was very cleverly done and not at all inappropriate or gratuitous, when it could easily have been both. As it was, it gave the narrative a sexy and provocative vibe and did a lot to demonstrate the chemistry and passion between two of the main characters. This didn't feel like any cheesy old romance; instead it felt more like a natural progression of the attraction that the last half of the book focused on. It was a great culmination of all that had come before and these aspects felt very organic and well written. Additionally, the sexuality of the book was not confined to the humans in the plot. In what I can only describe as an amazing feat of creativity, the personalities and aspects of certain plants also spoke of desire, attraction and sexuality. This specific function and behavior of some of the plants was intensely interesting and thought-provoking to read about and did a lot to take the story to the next level.

There was also a lot of action and adventure in this story and these sections kept me involved and wondering just where this story was heading. I will say this for Berwin's writing, it is not in the least predictable and it has an originality that often pleased and awed me. Most of the action was set in the jungle/rain forest sections, making these sections doubly interesting and pleasing for me to read. I often found the action riveting and it captured my interest not only for its quirkiness but for its ability to transform my prior expectations and its power to get me to suspend my sense of disbelief. It was a great book to get lost in and an entertaining read all around, and as Lila hunted her way through the Yucatan, the plants and animals that came out of the woodwork to challenge her brought a feeling of exoticism and novelty to the book.

While I was less than happy with once aspect of the plot, the majority of the book managed to enthrall and excite me. I think this is a book that straddles many genres, including romance, adventure and women's fiction, and I am happy to say this made a great summer read. I think many different types of readers would enjoy this book, and for those who are looking for a story that excites and will keep you guessing, this would make a wonderful read. Perfect in its inventiveness and its action, Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire is a entertainingly stellar read. show less

This is a really original, high-concept book about the "nine flowers of desire," which are supposed to satisfy the nine human desires - for immortality, love, sex, etc. In a New York laundromat, the protagonist stumbles upon them by accident - only to lead to their theft. To recover the plants, she goes on a journey in the Yucatan peninsula. The author has a simple yet profound writing style, and the descriptions of exotic plants and Mexico are fascinating.