Book review. Vita Sackville-Wests Sissinghurst: The Creation of a Garden

This book is quite simply outstanding. It is without doubt the seminal work on the creation of Sissinghurst.

Sarah Ravens writing is smooth and delightful, it flows and never jars, link this with the words of Vita and you instantly have a book that is impossible to put down.

The addition of the historic timeline is extremely useful and informative. The black and white photographs can only be described as utterly compelling and support the text superbly. They transport you to another world, a lost age. The photograph on page 49 of Vita’s bedroom just after she died leaves one strangely emotional, even sad. The family photos rarely or never seen before give an insight into family life and the progression of the garden. The black and white photograph on page 66 of Sissinghurst at dawn has to be the best one ever taken. After looking at these pictures you will never take a colour photograph again!

One is left reeling over the level of family archival material and memories that have contributed to the making of this book, making it head and shoulders above any other book written on Sissinghurst. One is also left slightly despondent that a subject they thought they knew implicitly has a few holes, due to the in-depth inside knowledge of the author. This really is the definitive book on Sissinghurst and I simply cannot recommend it enough.

Published by Virago Press

ISBN 978-1-84408-896-6