I am so envious! I would have so enjoyed walking away from my life in the city and moved to the country. Alas, life had other plans for me. I know the trials and tribulations of caring for a tiny city lot garden. It brought me both joy and despair, so I can relate. Kudos to Niall and Christine for sharing their journey. It's a lovely tale and I enjoyed the reading of it! Gardeners everywhere will likely love this book ; it would make a great gift!

When I read this couple’s first book, O Come Ye Back to Ireland, I fell in love. With the couple, with their story and the way in which their story was told. I went on to read the other memoirs about their life in Ireland. These included The Pipes Are Calling and Summer’s in the Meadow. Every one of these was beautifully written and I felt that I knew Christine and Niall.

I was beyond excited to see that this couple had written another book together. (They have each written other titles separately.) It felt like I was being given a wonderful opportunity to connect with old friends after many years.

I adored this book. Its structure allows each author to have a voice. The hardest thing was to realize that, just like all of us, Niall, Christine and their children have gotten older with the passing years. They are no longer the young Irish-American and Irish duo who decided to leave the bustle of the city for their family’s homeland. I was eager to learn how the years have passed for both them, those around them, their farm, their garden and their world.

I highly recommend this title. For the full joyful experience, consider going back to the beginning with them.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Niall Williams, born in Dublin, and Christine Breen, born in New York and educated in Boston and Dublin, decided to leave New York City for her ancestral home in Kiltumper in rural Ireland when they were in their twenties. Niall calls it, “a purely romantic impulse, equal parts foolish and rapturous, and it turned out to be the defining moment of our lives.” In Kiltumper: A Year in an Irish Garden, written together, is set thirty-five years later after they have raised a family and grown accustomed to the rhythms of their writing and gardening habits. I read an advance reading copy of the book furnished by Net Galley. It will be released August 31 and can be preordered.

The book carries a monthly diary of their garden and their lives in the year 2019 with both of them writing and gardening. The feel has Niall writing away from early morning while Chris makes her way to the garden. Her contribution comes as a reaction to what he has written – sometimes agreeing and adding information, sometimes giving different opinion, and sometimes putting a spin on something he has omitted that is important to her. Their light-hearted repartee shows differences on little things but togetherness on the love of the garden and nature, an abhorrence of the wind turbines that are going up on the next farm, concern about their writing projects that are needed to keep their simple lifestyle afloat, and a common concern over daily injections for Chris’s cancer and what that outcome will be. His work is in regular type with hers in italics, but their distinctive voices could probably be recognized without that clue. One almost gets the feel of sitting with them around their fire, as they tell what is happening in today’s garden or protest the damage being done by those who are bringing in the wind turbines. A short chapter at the end gives a picture of how their world changed in the pandemic of 2020.

This is a book for gardeners, for writers, for nature lovers, for those awaiting results from medical procedures, and for anyone who loves to read sentences well put together.

This is a delightful read for those who love gardens. As always, I really prefer to see photos of gardens when people are writing about them, but this is a captivating book for any garden lover.

In Kiltumper is a wonderfully written ode to gardening passion and life, and an engaging personal biography of an Irish garden by Niall Williams and Christine Breen. Due out in late Aug 2021 from Bloomsbury, it's 304 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.

It's presented in chronological chapters, starting in January, and contains snippets and conversations from the owner/residents about how they came to move to Ireland from New York 35 years ago to make a life in the countryside writing and gardening and how they have impacted the place they live and how it's also shaped them, profoundly. It contains a number of rough line drawn illustrations which go very well with the casual, intimate details of the year and what their gardening life has entailed.

There's an almost lyrical quality to the writing, told in both the authors' voices in contrapuntal prose. The voices are delineated by typeset - italics interspersed with plain text and ruminating on subjects as diverse as climate change and windmill turbines to Christine Breen's encounters with cancer and subsequent treatments and recovery (including a truly harrowing account of her extreme allergic reaction to chemotherapy - *brr*).

Apart from the cover, which is lush and beautiful, the book doesn't contain any photographs, just beautifully written prose and the simple line drawings. I found it a perfect companion for a week's slow reading enjoyment. This would be a good choice for library acquisition, for gardeners, and lovers of horticulture, as well as making a lovely gift.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Beautiful!
Reading books like this one brings me a deep appreciation for gardens and their incredible history and culture around the world. This one in Ireland is magical, and I loved reading about it, as well as looking at the gorgeous pictures. I feel that reading books about gardens like this bring a sense of peace and joy in such a difficult world. If you love gardens or even nature, then pick this beautiful book up!

A thousand years ago, back in the late 1980's, I was in my first Irish roots-finding phase and picked up a copy of "O Come Ye Back to Ireland: Our First Year in County Clare". It was the story of a couple moving to Ireland to live in the house of their ancestors. It was a charming and eye-opening look at an exquisite dream meeting up with the shock of reality.

Fast forward to this year. I saw the listing for "In Kiltumper - A Year in an Irish Garden" by the same couple, Niall Williams and Christine Breen, thirty-five years later. I was unaware that both had been writing this whole time, and now we find them at a crossroads. This struck me as similar to my experience with Facebook... finding friends I had not been in touch with for decades while the whole gulf of young adulthood had been flashing by.

The land Christine and Niall have been living in is being threatened. Giant wind turbines are being installed just about on top of them. Trees and ancient roadside stone walls have to be pulverized to accommodate the transport of these turbos. In a land rarely touched by any man-made noise pollution, the fans will be droning day and night. These so-called "wind farms" will hover as mechanical intrusions to a virgin landscape. Add in the very real climate damage done by global warming and you see the concern these two have about the future for a place where time had previously had little effect.

Please do not be put off if you fear something approximating a technical gardening manual--my gardening experience is limited to one dubious tomato plant in Boy Scouts. I had fully intended to scan over any details about flowers or vegetables, the way I sometimes (with a tinge of guilt) scan over poetry passages in a novel. I was pulled in, though-- how could I not be? A raging storm is about to make landfall and they are outside meticulously tying plants to bamboo supports. Niall says Chris "...is like a mother whose children are out there in a dark hazardous elsewhere." These people care so much about the struggle to maintain and improve the garden and land they dwell on while wondering if this paradise has any future at all.

"In Kiltumper" rates 5 stars for a year's rich experience working the Irish countryside. I also just re-ordered the original "O Come Ye Back to Ireland"-- it is time to revisit old friends.

I thank the authors, Bloomsbury Publishing, and NetGalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. Posting today on NetGalley and GoodReads.

"In Kiltumper - A Year in an Irish Garden" publishes on August 31, 2021 and I will be posting this review on Amazon, Barnes & Nobel, Book Bub, and Twitter on that day. #InKiltumper #NetGalley

How do I start?... Well, I have always dreamed of going to Ireland...family history, Irish blood. Don't know if I'll ever get there in person but In Kiltumper let me spend a year there by reading.
Niall Williams and Christine Breen have written quite a few books and I have read most of them, but I think, and I will dare to say it...this is one of my favorites. You can feel the love for their home and native land that just lives in the words they share with us. What a gift they have and how lucky as readers are we to receive it.

As someone who loves gardening and Ireland let me just say I enjoyed this book immensely. Ill be buying quite a few copies to gift to family and friendship that are both lovers of hardening and Ireland. Just delightful.

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I very much enjoyed this book. Such a gentle escape from the business of everyday life. The authors have each written parts about their days in Kiltumper in their garden and home. As someone who loves to garden, I found it fascinating as well as information.

Niall Williams and Christine Breen have gone to great lengths to describe their lives in Ireland. They are originally from the US and have been Irish residents for 37 years. Both are in their 60's and their loving marriage is highlighted as well as the obvious respect they have for each other.

The impetus for this sharing is the coming of wind turbines to the area. The landscape is going to change dramatically. At the very least, many of the old stone walls will be removed. Niall and Chris are both worried about the negative effects these will have on their lives.

We read much about the beautiful plants in their garden: trees, flowers and produce. Niall also shares some musings on memory, the lessons learned from gardening, and remoteness.

As a Catholic, I was especially touched by the outdoor mass celebrated by Father Tim. Niall was touched as well.

I was introduced to Wendell Berry, who writes "superbly and urgently about nature".

The descriptive writing of Williams is a treasure. I can picture myself being with the couple in the west of Ireland.

I see more Niall Williams (AND Wendell Berry) in my reading future.

5 stars

A beautifully intimate story of a thirty five year love affair with County Clare, Ireland.
Niall Williams, and Christine Breen travel to Christine’s ancestral home in the rural town of Kiltumper. There, they begin a life in total contrast to the one left behind in New York City. They dedicate their lives to the sights, sounds, and magnificence of the land.
Niall and Christine are blessed to have one another and their appreciation for all that surrounds them is simply intoxicating. Their days are filled with the gifts of the earth, the gardens, the lush colors, the scents, the light and the comforts of the home they created together. Even in Christine’s illness, life in Kiltumper envelopes her with warmth and unending support.
This is a refreshing, reflective read. It is a treasure. The prose are so descriptive that I was instantly transported to the magic that is Kiltumper.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Bloomsbury Publishing and of course Niall Williams and Christine Breen for sharing this gorgeous journal with me.

In Kiltumper by Niall Williams and Christine Breen is a wonderful book that has so many components. It is: nature, reflections and memoir, gardening, and also part inspiration.

This is the first book that I have had the privilege of reading from this author duo, and now I am most certainly a fan. I have already been exploring their previous books, as I am so enamored by this book.

This book takes the reader in this couple’s home, lives, grounds, garden, and at times inner being, as a full calendar year goes by. We can see, smell, envision, feel, and almost experience the colors, sensations, work, textures, and sounds that surround them in their garden and home.

The ability to transcribe all of these concepts into prose is just stunning. They take us inside not only their grounds and daily lives, but also their most vulnerable segments of their world. It was fascinating, reflective, personal, and touching. I really felt as if I was there, and I have known them for a lifetime. The transitions from one subject to the next, from one season to another, were smooth and effortless. The balance of memoir and nature was perfect.

I truly loved this book and I hope we will be able to continue to follow along with them on their journey.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Bloomsbury Publishing for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.

Another lovely book from Niall& Christine I have been following them from the time they were a young couple deciding to move to Ireland.Each book watching them raise a family establish their lives has been wonderful.This is an exceptionally meaningful addition.Now the young couple has lived life their children have moved back to the states Christine recovering from a serious illness.Still the warmth their love their wonderful garden continues to draw me in.Another warm wonderful read with real life problems seeping in.Highly recommend this life story.#netgalley#inkiltumper

“A person who is growing a garden, if he is growing it organically, is improving a piece of the world.” - Wendell Berry

Written by Niall Williams and Christeen Breen who have shared their life in a lovely rural spot in County Clare for thirty-five years, this is the story of their love of the land, the garden, and a life that allows for space and time to breathe, appreciating their surroundings, as well as the bounty that gardening can bring.

’All gardens are asking for attention all the time, and the return for that attention is to gift you an essential now, the present moment, where you are face to face with the nature of things. Lest that sound too grand, or abstract, what I mean is the very opposite. There is nothing abstract about the heavy clay growing heavier in the blown rain of Kiltumper, and nothing too grand in “Niall, we need to de-caterpillar the kale now.”
'But there is a kind of happiness.’ - quote from NY Times 2019 interview with Niall Williams Is Anyone Happy Anymore?

This is the second of the memoirs written by this husband and wife team that I’ve read, the first being O Come Ye Back to Ireland, which I read some four years ago. Reading any of his books never fails to transport me back to Ireland, but even more so these books in which they share their lives there, living in the place where Christine’s grandfather was born, along with his grandfather, as well. When they moved there, it was somewhat on a whim, eager to live a life on their terms. I doubt they’ve regretted it overall. It is where their children were raised, where they wrote their books, with Chris painting or drawing at times, or in the garden at others, often with Niall, sometimes on her own. A spot on this earth that brings them both joy, It is a garden which feels like home to them, a different form of expressing themselves, and sharing beauty with others.

It is a relatively quiet life, living in rhythm with the seasons, the reverence they have for this place, this land and for this life they’ve been given, as well as the life they’ve managed to fashion for themselves. A life that hasn’t always been easy, but it has been filled with love. Love for each other, their family, the land they live on and for the generations that came before them, as well as those that will follow.

There’s that sense of wondering what will follow in the future - will their lives, all of our lives, change? Between global environmental challenges and having lived sixty-some years, thirty-five of which have been on this land, in this home - what changes are in the future, and which will be good changes vs. bad? Christine’s health has been a challenge for some time, and it is never far from their minds to begin with, but add to that environmental changes, and life challenges, they always are having to weigh the pros and cons. But then there is the garden, which like most gardens has been an evolution over these thirty-five years, always, always a work-in-progress. It is a part of them, their hearts, souls and bodies are what have tended it, and given the garden life. The garden, in turn, has fed their hearts and souls and bodies, as well, sharing it’s life with them.

The New York Times article ’Is Anyone Happy Anymore?’ ‘We’ve lost our ability to take comfort in small things.’ - Dec. 21, 2019
Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/21/op...


Pub Date: 17 Aug 2021

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Bloomsbury USA / Bloomsbury Publishing

Reading this book is a lovely and moving experience.
Rather than giant plots - there are two giant people: Niall Williams, and Christine Breen.
Rather than earth shattering suspenseful twists and turns, there is earth plowing, tilling, fertilizing, seeding, sowing, watering, and love-laboring in the garden.

Unpretentious- and magnificent .....Niall and Chris tell us intimately about their lives.
A couple that are extremely close....have a blessed marriage, home, a quiet lifestyle together - away from city noise. They write. They garden. They cherish the magnitude of this.

The way their gardening is described- literally and figuratively - month by month- describing gardening needs, expectations, changes, colors, scents, and growth - we experience how beautifully they dance together — through the seasons and years — each spring, summer, fall, and winter.

I deeply relate to Niall and Chris ....
I cherish my own wonderful plantsman husband of 42 years, our magnificent garden, (Paul takes the lead with our worms and tilling the soil, more than me), books, reading, (I take this lead), and our side-by-side living our quiet lives.
Our garden … and saline pools … are loves of our lives.

Niall and Chris’s book is especially a gift to garden lovers - and couples who cherish theirs like a child.

The prose is alluring
and exquisite.....
....Niall, Chris, marriage, gardening, writing, reading, are the important aspects - the intimate aspects of their lives are gracefully written.
Their prose kept me attached to this lovely couple and nature.
At times I stopped reading to absorb their combined beauty, lucidity, and passion.

I’ve been a fan of Niall Williams novels for years. I’m now a fan of his wife, Christine Breen, too.
It was an honor to read “In Kiltumper”.....
I take away ‘much more’ than a year experience living their Irish Garden.....
I take away overwhelming - amounts of love, faith, and appreciation.

A few excerpts:

“I am aware that some of my sense of urgency to write about Kiltumper this year stems from the decision of the planners to designate this a place suitable for wind exploitation. Besides all the other objections we have to this, besides knowing that no planner stood in our garden, or on the hill of Upper Tumper, in fact did know actual regarding before making this decision, there is simply a feeling of hurt on behalf of a place we love”.

“The garden at Kiltumper could not exist anywhere else. If, as we have sometimes thought in the past year, we may have to leave here when the turbines come in on us, if we can hear them turning in the garden, in the house when the window is open, we know we cannot bring the garden with us, nor could we replicate it anywhere else, which makes the thought of that loss all the more potent. Because in some real and essential way, the garden is our life here”.


“Today we go to Chris’s oncology appointment in Galway”
These have been a feature on the landscape of the past four years since she collapsed in London and had a large tumor removed from her bowel.
Fighting is the word they use for cancer, and time and time again, you realize how apt that is. Nor does the fight quite end, and there is a kind of ongoing spiritual and psychological impact in that.
Nonetheless, the cancer patients treatment is measured in oncology appointments, and the further you get from the surgery and the chemotherapy the further apart the appointments become, so you have a sense of moving away and gradually, if you are very lucky, and two new terrain. This is how it has seemed to me. Through all of it, intense and against extraordinary odds, Chris has battled —the adverb that has occurred to me is the old one — valiantly.
And whatever help I and our children have been and being by her side, near or far, the real support troops were certainly in the garden in
Kiltumper”.

“Evenings you could pause at the front door and see the whole of the garden in a standing stillness with scatters of color like brushstrokes, or dancers, birds darting against the late night, and everything held as in composition over thirty years in the making. And under the spell of that, you forget how frail and vulnerable the whole thing is”.

July in the garden was “too sensual to be comprehended”.
Niall was in the quiet rapture of his ‘sensual’ thought, when Chris walked into the conservatory where he was writing. She had that flushed face of summer work.
“The weeds are growing too fast”, she said.
Then Chris says to Niall,
“I hope you’re not just writing that it’s wonderful, are you?”
“But it is”.
“She smiles her extraordinary smile. You! she says. And we’re both near enough to laughing. Something of our whole life together is in this, my dreaming and her truthfulness. The necessary components of all gardens? (And a good marriage perhaps?) My mind will come back to this later, I know; in my notebook I jot down something, but midsummer is too busy now for anything other than notes on the fly. There will be plenty of dark and wet days ahead for rumination and philosophy”.

From spinach, to poppies, ( more than you can count), perennials to slugs, earth worms, and insects….
peonies, delphiniums, a purple baptisia, miniature daisies, purple irises, a tower of pink, purple, and purple-red sweet peas, geraniums, (there are so many they could have their own chapter), scabious, purple lupin, roses, Dahlias,
Bamboo canes and green twine….. etc. etc….
gardening is healing. Gardening is love.


Thank you Netgalley, Bloomsbury, Niall, and Chris.