Betty’s (Little Basement) Garden by Laurel Dewey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Look, I like sci-fi and fantasy. This book was too real. On the other hand, it was fiction enough to keep my attention. There was a story and character development, plots within plots, and romance. And they all tied up well at the end of the book.
Meanwhile, something that I find irritating and almost earned it four stars was the information dumping. On second thought, I would have read none of that information anywhere else. And I might need it to guide my real life one of these days. Yes, I would read the book again. There is much to learn here and not just about cannabis.
I loved how the Betty grew stronger as the book progressed. I see a lot of fems that have been told to be quiet, be pretty, and remain in the kitchen– barefooted. Betty loves to cook so that part was no problem. She, also, learned to speak her mind, even when it was not what her peers wanted to hear.
As many of my friends know, I have fibromyalgia and it has me nearly bed-bound. The pain is horrendous and exhausting. I have gone through all that pharma wants to throw at me but nothing works and the side-effects are very dangerous. I must admit to wondering how cannabis might work for me. I am one of the few people who was a teen in the sixties that didn’t try drugs. So I have no way of knowing if it would work for me or not. But as I start to explore pain management with my doctor I am going to ask. My state is setting up dispensaries soon. That is why I ended up buying the Kindle version of the book,(it had been free from the author-for review). I may need it later to refresh my memory of what I may need.
I wish the book had a glossary or footnotes so one could look up the very research that had gone into the book. It seems extensive.
I believe in holistic healing. Herbs, teas, etc. help me a lot without side effects. Cannabis is just one more of Mother Earth’s healing plants. Let’s learn what we can and respect it for its properties.
Thank you Laurel Dewey for letting me read your wonderful novel.
Darswords 