There were occasions where I was reading a sentence and felt that I was lacking context – but that would then come later on and eventually filled in the gaps. One of the things I’m interested in just now is the differences between Edinburgh and Glasgow and where those differences came from. Historical characters are name-dropped or flat-out appear as players in the story; specific dates and addresses are given; the minutiae of 1820’s Edinburgh are clearly understood. There are some cracking painters – a friend has just written a book about Christina Robertson and I’m excited for that story. There is excitement in the city as large trees and plants of various sorts are gradually moved to their new home.

It’s about an early female photographer – a fictional one but she is based on a real-life character.It is then that she meets the vivacious and mysterious Belle Brodie, a woman with a passion for botany and the lucrative, dark art of perfume creation. The Fair Botanists is Sara Sheridan’s combined tribute to the legacy of women’s history and Edinburgh and takes readers back to the tail end of the Enlightenment in the city. The pace was slow but deliciously told, the characters were really interesting and believable, I particularly enjoyed the Edinburgh setting which I could visualise so clearly. When newly widowed Elizabeth arrives in Edinburgh to live with her late husband's aunt Clementina, she's determined to put her unhappy past in London behind her.

The early 19C was a time of many changes in Edinburgh, including the move of richer residents from the medieval Old Town to Craig's expanding New Town.She has sat on the committee for the Society of Authors in Scotland (where she lives) and on the board of '26' the campaign for the importance of words. I've only heard it once, about 20 years ago, when the speaker was being very disparaging (insulting, in fact) about something I had done. I loved watching these characters blossom, as the flowering or a rare plant has repercussions for them all. Despite being the great grand-daughter of a duke, her circumstances meant that her life was far from that of nobility and, particularly as a woman, her life choices were limited.

I found the friendship between Elizabeth and Belle a little forced possibly because it happens rather hastily and Elizabeth is far more muted and indistinct than go-getting Belle. Sara has been named one of the Saltire Society's 365 most influential Scottish women, past and present. I never thought I would get so excited about a flower, but this is a serious and fascinating time and it completely enchanted me!Having sketched for the head gardener at Kew when she was in London, kindly Elizabeth is pleased to make the acquaintance of head gardener, William McNab, who seems keen for her to resume her botanical art, and find a friend in eccentric Clementina. Set in 19th century Edinburgh when the New Town is being built, the city is preparing for a Royal visit from King George IV, and botanists are getting excited about the imminent flowering of the Agave Americana. Again, I know that's not necessarily true to the era, so maybe I'm being unfair - but I find the more I like a book the more I am enjoying the characters, the more harshly I judge them. Es muy reconfortante encontrar una novela histórica con mujeres fuertes y que no roza el panfletismo barato. The main female characters may be fictional, but they represent the many real women living in that city towards the end of the Scottish Enlightenment era.