Rootbound by Alice Vincent

LONGLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR IN THE INDEPENDENT, FINANCIAL TIMES, I and GARDENS ILLUSTRATED

When she suddenly finds herself uprooted, heartbroken, grieving and living out of a suitcase in her late twenties, Alice Vincent begins planting seeds. She nurtures pot plants and vines on windowsills and draining boards, filling her many temporary London homes with green. As the months pass, and with each unfurling petal and budding leaf, she begins to come back to life.

Mixing memoir, botanical history and biography, Rootbound examines how bringing a little bit of the outside in can help us find our feet in a world spinning far too fast.

'Rootbound is a poignant testimony to the joy that greenery will bring to your life, and it is a magical reminder that humans, like plants, can mend and grow in their own good time' - Independent

'A book about heartbreak, salvation, nature and balcony gardens . . . Alice Vincent mixes memoir with botanical history to explore how plants can heal us' - Huffington Post

'Heartbreak can be the best teacher . . . [A] hopeful memoir of self-discovery and horticulture . . . A beguiling bouquet whose vibrancy feels extra welcome as the first green shoots of spring start to show' - Mail on Sunday