Landscape of a Marriage: Central Park Was Only the Beginning

I have just finished reading "Landscape of a Marriage". I found this historical novel to be thoroughly engaging. Having been raised in Brooklyn, NY, it was quite fascinating to learn about the architect of Central Park in Manhattan, and Prospect Park in Brooklyn, two of my favorite haunts.I especially admired the author's portrayal of the lives of Fred Olmstead and his wife Mary, and reading about the ever-changing relationship they shared through their mutual joys and sorrows. From 1858-1921, the reader gleams much of the challenges of the times, as one moves from chapter to chapter, that are short and well organized. It was an intriguing saga of a marriage as well. I truly recommend this wonderful story.

Ms. Olmsted’s love and reverence of Mary, John, Fred senior and their extended family and friends, was so touching. As a native New EnglanderI found her descriptions of Fred’s dedication to green spaces so inspiring.I have spent many hours of quiet and beauty immersed in Boston’s parks, Niagara Falls, Yosemite and Central Park. I cherish these hours of quiet reflection and awe.

I love historical fiction and this book was a pleasure to read. The short chapters made it easy to pick up when I had just a few minutes to spend reading. I felt that some chapters ended abruptly and left me wondering how a particular episode ended or continued. I also think that the editing could have been a bit better, but overall, it was a good read and I will recommend it to my friends who like historical fiction!

In her historical novel Landscape of a Marriage: Central Park Was Only the Beginning, author Gail Ward Olmsted has created a truly delightful narrator in the character of Mary Olmsted as well as a family chronicle packed with fascinating historical detail.Mary's story begins in 1858 when, recently widowed and the mother of three, she accepts a somewhat obligatory proposal of marriage from her late husband's brother. Rather than clinging to her grief, Mary is determined to move forward and make what starts out as a marriage of convenience into a loving partnership. She accomplishes this with patience, understanding, and a judicious (and always proper) use of feminine wiles.The extraordinary career of architectural landscaper Frederick Law Olmsted makes an intriguing backdrop to a story of family life, its blessings and tragedies. Olmsted was responsible for the design of many of America's most important public parks as well as the scenic preservation of national treasures such as Niagara Falls. He is a man driven by ambition who becomes, thanks to Mary's warm and loving influence, a devoted husband and father. The author does a magnificent job of showing the various sides of his complex character as well as painting succinct portraits of all the Olmsted children. The picture of their family life emerges through a series of short vignettes that move seamlessly through the years, sharing the family's major life events through Mary's eyes.Mary is a traditional woman of her time, putting her husband and children above all else, but her creative spark and organizational abilities are destined to make her a valuable asset to her husband's growing enterprise. Despite her contributions remaining largely unsung, Mary reaps great satisfaction from the unexpected blossoming of her business acumen. Still, her endearing patience and humility remain intact, though occasionally peppered by a refreshing insistence on having her way.Author Olmsted shows how a story grounded in a family's everyday life can be a riveting and addicting read. Once I got started, I didn't want to put the book down. The portrayal of the era is superb, and the characters won a very special place in my heart. I also enjoyed learning how many of our nation's parks and institutional landscape settings were developed. I recommend this book highly to fans of biographical historical fiction and to anyone who simply enjoys a story full of joy and tears and real-life drama told in a beautifully crafted narrative. Five stars!

I very much enjoyed G.W. Olmsted's Landscape of a Marriage. The story centers around the marriage and career of Fredrick Law Olmsted, told through t voice of his wife Mary Perkins Olmsted. As a journalist and later a renowned landscape architect, Olmsted and his family traveled from New York to Washington, D.C., to California and back again. A landscape doesn't necessarily give a detailed view of a whole area, just a picture of whatever the scene is in front of the eye, and that is exactly what this book does. The author does not go into details educating the reader about the times in which the Olmsteds lived, but shows snapshots of where they were. The details given were referred to by Mary Olmsted as if the reader actually lived in her time, and understood what it meant to, e.g. travel to California by way of Panama or the cheaper but longer route through Venezuela, or the function of the USSC in Washington during the Civil War. The details were in the relationship between Mary and her husband Fred, and how they coped with the daily challenges of war, economic deprivation, loss of children, and mental illness, as well as the joys of raising a family in an adventurous time, in a loving committed marriage, making the most of every opportunity that life offered them. The author does insert characters and dialogue in order to "flesh out" the characters and events of their life together, and the fiction and nonfiction elements are blended seamlessly. I highly recommend this book.

I love reading an engaging family saga. This story takes readers by the hand and walks us through a generation of factual, important historical moments in history while reminding us of the cultural norms of the time, all woven through a beautiful, fictional love story. Landscape of a Marriage by Gail Ward Olmstead hooked me from the start with characters I wanted to get to know.