I have a shorter book review for you all today (you all know how much my reviews ramble on…)
At the end of this past October Kaye Publicity kindly sent me By Any Other Name by, Simon Morley. This is a nonfiction book about the cultural history of the rose. I was pretty excited about this book because the rose is my favorite flower. When I was four years old, my mother and I went and picked out a rose bush to plant at the side of the house. This humble little rose bush didn’t really thrive in that spot, but I loved it nonetheless.
I will say, that I struggle with reading non-fiction, despite the fact that I studied history and had to read massive amounts of non-fiction historical works. When I try to read non-fiction for leisure, my brain wanders and I really struggle focusing, regardless of much I enjoy the topic. I was really excited when the audiobook was released, because this is my preferred medium for consuming non-fiction - it’s more like listening to a documentary for me and I can focus A LOT better.
By Any Other Name was such an enjoyable reading experience; the amount of research and detail that Morley packed into this 247 page book is impressive. He dives into the the biology and genealogy of roses - I had no idea of the immense diversity of the rose; the different types, colors, scents (or scentless), roses with thorns, roses without thorns, and how roses have evolved over thousands of years to what we are accustomed to today. Morley also extensively goes into the significance that roses have had on various religious, literature, fashion, art, cosmetics, perfumery, music, the commercialization of the rose, and even the importance it’s played on how roses are often used to symbolize female sexuality.
This is literally a book about a plant. Who knew a book about a plant could be so fascinating, especially for someone like me who is the farthest thing away from being a horticulturist. No kidding, I’ve killed succulents and for the life of me I cannot keep a basil plant alive. To me, the love language of a plant is “water! It needs water!” and I often end up watering my plants to death, out of love.
If you love plants, this would be such a fun read for you. Even if you don’t really care about plants, but you’re interested in how common symbols like the rose have become mainstream, this is an interesting study. What I appreciated most about By Any Other Name is that it made me more aware of the rose/flower imagery I come across in the fictional texts that I read. For those who want to fine tune their analytical skills when it comes to reading fiction, books like these are a huge asset to have in your library! I was listening to the audiobook of this during the time I started Swann’s Way by, Marcel Proust and By Any Other Name ended up being an unexpected companion read to Swann's Way. Swann’s Way is filled with flower and plant imagery and of course the rose makes several appearances. Morley does shout out Proust in his book.
This was such a pleasant read and I enjoyed the audiobook as well. Listening to the audiobook by Jennifer M. Dixon is like snuggling up next to your grandmother while she reads you a cozy bedtime story.
Highly recommend!
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