The Plant Hunter by T.L Mogford

 

Harry Compton is as far from a plant hunter as one could imagine – a salesman plucked from the obscurity of the nursery growing fields to become 'the face that sold a thousand plants'.

But one small act of kindness sees him inherit a precious gift – a specimen of a fabled tree last heard of in The Travels of Marco Polo, and a map.

Seizing his chance for fame and fortune, Harry sets out to make his mark. But where there is wealth there is corruption, and soon Harry is fleeing England, rounding the Cape of Good Hope and sailing up the Yangtze alongside a young widow – both in pursuit of the plant that could transform both their lives forever.

T.L Mogford introduces us to Harry Compton, a salesman with a natural flare for plants and seedlings but he is anything but he is a far cry from a Plant hunter and yet when he unexpectedly finds himself inheriting a map that leads to an extremely rare tree he embarks on the lengthy and treacherous journey to find this rare Tree and gain fame and fortune but at what cost.

I am not green fingered and lack any knowledge on the topic and yet I found myself eager to embark on this journey with Harry, he had a charming character and I was routing for him to succeed in his discovery. This novel was certainly atmospheric with such in-depth descriptions bringing the surroundings to life, and the action made me feel as though I was on some kind of Indiana Jones quest!

The numerous dangerous situations that Harry faced really kept me on my toes and gave the novel an adrenalin rush each time things began to catch up with him. I do love learning from the books that I read and there were some historical factual elements to this novel and I have even found myself looking up more information on the Self Strengthening movement.

I did enjoy this book however I did feel as though my attention did begin to wonder around ¾ of the way through. The pace slowed and nothing seemed to be happening it felt as though we had stalled a little but I am pleased to say it did pick up again towards the end.

Overall this was an enjoyable and atmospheric read great for readers looking to lose themselves in an adventure of discovery.

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