Sara Sheridan: The Fair Botanists

Born in Edinburgh and educated at Trinity College, Dublin, Sara is a writer and activist who is interested particularly in female history. Her 5-part play “On Portobello Prom” can be heard on BBC Sounds. She is most famous for her series of historical books, especially those examining the place of women. Most recently The Fair Botanists was chosen as Waterstone’s Scottish Book of the Year. This enchanting novel, set during the Scottish Enlightenment, focuses on the establishment of the Royal Botanic Garden at its present site in Inverleith. We read about real historical figures alongside two very different fictional women, who form a friendship based around their interest in plants, although they both carry secrets. The book starts with the transportation of fully-grown trees from the old Botanic Garden to their new home and draws the reader into this wonderful world. In Sara’s own words her writing “comes down, I realise, to imagination. Not some fantastic story, but directed to our day-to day. We must admit our shame and put manners on it. We must admit our flaws and replenish them better. We must break so we can remake. This is to live as a true participant in the world.”