Overview

In a tiny farm on the edge of the miserable village of East Grasby, Isabella Nagg is trying to get on with her tiny, miserable existence. Dividing her time between tolerating her feckless husband, caring for the farm’s strange animals, cooking up “scrunge,” and crooning over her treasured pot of basil, Isabella can’t help but think that there might be something more to life. When Mr. Nagg returns home with a spell book purloined from the local wizard, she thinks: what harm could a little magic do? This debut novel by beloved rare bookseller and memoirist Oliver Darkshire reimagines a heroine of Boccaccio’s Decameron in a delightfully deranged world of talking plants, walking corpses, sentient animals, and shape-shifting sorcerers. As Isabella and her grouchy, cat-like companion set off to save the village from an entrepreneurial villain running a goblin-fruit Ponzi scheme, Darkshire’s tale revels in the ancient books and arcane folklore of a new and original kind of enchantment. A delightful and entertaining story of self-discovery—as well as fungus, capitalism, and sorcery—Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil is a story for those who can’t help but find magic even in the oddest and most baffling circumstances.

Full Product Details

9781324130796

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Reviews

[A] bubbling cauldron overflowing with imagination and charm.--Chris Sugden, creator of Victoriocity A clever fantasy that abounds with medieval mystery and misadventures.-- ""BookPage"" A delightful read.--Vanessa Armstrong ""Reactor"" Funny, inventive, and deeply unsettling ... a gem that was perfectly cut to fit the Pratchett-shaped hole in my heart.--C.M. Waggoner, author of The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry Humorous and clever.-- ""Washington Post"" Witty and wry.--Caitlin Rozakis, author of Dreadful

""It will make you laugh and surprisingly tug on your heartstrings.… [L]eaves you with a feeling of hope and, dare I say it in these times, joy."" -- Vanessa Armstrong - Reactor ""Humorous and clever."" -- Becky Meloan - Washington Post ""[A] bubbling cauldron overflowing with imagination and charm."" -- Chris Sugden, creator of Victoriocity ""Witty and wry."" -- Caitlin Rozakis, author of Dreadful ""A clever fantasy that abounds with medieval mystery and misadventures."" -- BookPage

Author Information

Oliver Darkshire is the author of Once Upon a Tome, a best-selling memoir about being an antiquarian bookseller at Henry Sotheran Ltd, and the first Household Gramarye novel Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil. He lives in Manchester, England, with his husband and his neglectfully curated collection of books.

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