The First Gardener

Jeremiah Williams has been tending the gardens of the Tennessee governor’s mansion for over twenty-five years. And like most first families who have come and gone, this one has stolen his heart.

Mackenzie and her husband, Governor Gray London, have struggled for ten years to have a child and are now enjoying a sweet season of life—anticipating the coming reelection and sending their precious daughter, Maddie, off to kindergarten—when a tragedy tears their world apart. As the entire state mourns, Mackenzie falls into a grief that threatens to swallow her whole.

Though his heart is also broken, Jeremiah realizes that his gift of gardening is about far more than pulling weeds and planting flowers. It’s about tending hearts as well. As he uses the tools that have been placed in his hands, he gently begins to cultivate the hard soil of Mackenzie’s heart, hoping to help her realize what it took him years to discover.

A Southern tale of loss, love, and living, The First Gardner reminds us that all of life is a gift, but our heart is the most valuable gift of all.

My thoughts...

Denise Hildreth is one of my favorite authors, I loved Flies on the Butter and after reading The First Gardener it's one of my favorite books. A sad story of the loss of a child and how God used an old gardener and flowers to heal a broken heart.

Tennessee Governor Gray Landon and his wife, Mackenzie, have a daughter after years of trying to get pregnant. The child is killed in a car accident and Mackenzie sinks deep into a depression, her will to live is gone.

Jeremiah is the gardener and he grows the most beautiful flowers, he's also an instrument God uses to heal broken hearts. Finding out at the end of the book where his home is took my by surprise and made me sad for him.

This is a beautiful story with wonderful characters, Hildreth has captured the depths of Mackenzie's hopelessness, the pain and grief this family suffers. If you're a crier, have your box of tissue ready. This is a 5 out 5 stars book!