The Botanist's Castle by Hesketh Tolson

Book Review of The Botanist's Castle by Hesketh Tolson

The Botanist’s Castle is the story of a boy, William whose long-cherished dream of entering the enchanted castle of The Botanist came true. Not everyone of us can be a botanist. I mean, you might have a few botanists among your friends. Everyone has. But a REAL botanist is a rare specimen of man. He’s much more than a scientist. He is not merely a lover of plants. William’s father explains,

A REAL Botanist is not just a scientist, but also a magician of all that is green and living, a worker of wonders and a pioneer of plantations! A REAL Botanist’s blood runs green and sticky with sap. A REAL Botanist can understand the plants around him as if his feet are rooted in the earth itself.

So now you know what it truly takes to be a botanist. When William’s father tells him the fantastic stories of The Botanist’s Castle, William feels a gentle longing to visit the place. His father is an expert in herbs. They have a small garden themselves. The business isn’t always good. Their house is ordinary, their foods are plain. But their life is filled with joy. Because they can be with what they love the most – plants. William has inherited his father’s love for greenery and as he hears his father’s wonderful stories, he secretly wishes to be a part of The Botanist’s Castle, somehow.

When winter comes, and his father’s business hits an all time low, the opportunity presents itself. William’s father had applied for the post of Herbalist and he was accepted. So the father and the son winds up their business, packs their bags and hires a wagon to The Botanist’s Castle.  On reaching there they get a bad news. The very old botanist who has been like a father figure of the castle had passed away. There they meet the assistant botanist, Mr. Appleby, who is also a friend of William’s father. Soon after this, candidates arrive for the post of Chief Botanist. Mr. Appleby takes them on a tour of the castle, as per the written instruction of the late Botanist. William and his father join them.

And the adventure begins.

About the adventure I will not mention anything here, because that will completely spoil the fun. I’ll just give you a glimpse of what you may expect – a lot of dark places, mythical figures, spirits, dryads carnivorous plants that seduces you with a song and a lot of magic. The old Botanist was wise, no doubt, because when he mentioned the tour in his will, he knew that the suitable candidate will be found. Indeed, the tour reveals a lot about the persons who came for the job. It may appear during the tour that the castle itself chooses who is and what is suitable for it. The castle, as described here reminds me of a video game Prince of Persia – Sand of Time. The description is so vivid that you’re actually able to see it before you. The tour is more like that in Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, where the best and the worst of the candidates came out by themselves. I don’t know if this book is inspired by Roald Dahl’s timeless classic, but there are lots of similarities.

I spotted some editing problems in two places: in one place the word ‘was’ was italicised along with ‘the Botanist’s Castle’ and in another instance the word ‘sarcasm’ was misspelled. I hope these two minor errors will be corrected in the next edition. Also, it is my personal opinion that the author somehow seems to be excessively protective of Williams. He is the hero of the story. Having said that, the challenges he encounters through his journey, are surprisingly minimal. The book is a short novella that can be finished in an hour or so – something that the children prefer. Let me describe my overall experience in the words of the author Hesketh Tolson himself,

It was magnificent.

It was stupendous.

It was magical.

You don’t read the book. You just read the first few lines and the magic comes out of The Botanist’s Castle and grabs you and makes you glide through the book and it feels like you’re walking in a beautiful forest in your dreams. I believe the author is greatly inspired by the works of Roal Dahl. The way Botanist's Castle by Hesketh Tolson, ends with a poetic justice, reminds me of another book called Charlie's Chocolate Factory.

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