Tales from the Irish Garden: The Missing Pieces is Sally Cronin’s latest book of garden tales. It was such a delight that I decided to enjoy the first two. Here are all three!

Tales From the Garden

Tales from the Garden reveals the secrets that are hidden beneath hedges and trees. You will discover what really happens at night as you sleep unaware in your bed. Stone statues and those hidden worlds within the earth are about to share their stories. The guardians who have kept the sanctuary safe for over fifty years will allow you to peek behind the scenes of this magical place. They will take you on a journey through time and expand your horizons as they transport you to the land of fairies, butterflies and lost souls who have found a home here.

Fairy Stories for children of all ages from five to ninety-five that will change the way you look at your garden forever.

My Thoughts: Imagine a garden filled with plants and flowers, along with decorative stone creatures. And perhaps a fairy queen named Filigree, a Stoned Band (Thrifty, Nifty, Shifty, Hefty, Ditzy, Wiffy, Sniffy, and Buck), trouble in paradise but also fairy dust. This delightful story is accompanied by winsome photos from real gardens, and the story of Dutchess Mollie who loved gardens, lived to the age of 94, and who was rarely seen without pearls.

Tales from the Irish Garden

The queen of Magia and her court have fled their sun filled Spanish homeland and the palace beneath the magnolia tree.

Arriving on the backs of geese and swans, they seek sanctuary in the magic garden of The Storyteller who welcomes them to the Emerald Island, a place where rain is almost a daily feature.

Grateful for their safe haven and the generosity of their host, the queen and her courtiers embrace their new surroundings with delight.

As the seasons change throughout the year, they come into contact with many of the human and animal inhabitants of the garden and the surrounding forest, all of whom have a story to tell.

This is a magical fairy story infused with fantasy and romance, as well as opportunities for mischief in the company of goblins, witches and Lerpersians.

My thoughts: Queen Filigree and her court (including Princesses Narcissus and Persephone) must leave their warm Kingdom of Magia under a magnolia tree and move (via Swan Express and Canada Geese) to beautiful but cold and rainy Emerald Isle. But they are greeted by the Old Storyteller and a place of sanctuary under an ancient magnolia tree.

This magical tale follows the Queen and all (Prince Ronan, the rural pigeons, a couple turned into foxes, the Dapperman, Lerpersians, Basil the badger, Doctor Doesugood, and more fascinating characters) through the seasons. I especially enjoyed the piglet races and the story of how the mice left crumbs for a very poor family. Just delightful.

Tales from the Irish Garden: The Missing Pieces

In the Irish Garden there is fantasy, magic, friendship and love to be found in this green and welcoming haven. For some of those who find their way to the garden there is a renewal and an awakening of the spirit and special gifts lost through tragedy. For others it is the end of a long and arduous journey to find their soulmate.

The Irish garden has been a sanctuary for centuries for those escaping persecution, invaders and grief. Its guardian is the storyteller, a man who has lived for hundreds of years and who is part of a network of guardians around the world, offering a safe haven to those worthy of their protection.

It is not only humans who travel from afar to this garden, but animals which are hurt or lost. One creature in particular has travelled across time following the elusive melody remembered from its time in an ancient civilisation, a cat who has reached its ninth life.

There is fantasy, magic, friendship and love to be found in this green and welcoming haven. For some of those who find their way to the garden there is a renewal and an awakening of the spirit and special gifts lost through tragedy. For others it is the end of a long and arduous journey to find their soulmate.

You are welcome to join the storyteller, Finn, Lilah, Ramon, Michael, Bebechat and Flaco in the garden to enjoy their company, discover their stories and be amused at some of the antics they get up to as they finally find a peaceful home to call their own.

My thoughts: Sally Cronin has spun a wonderfully healing tale that starts with a Storyteller with a sanctuary, a bereft gardener, and an injured crow. Next, a traumatized healer who’s escaped persecution is secluded there to recover. A cat with a very fascinating lineage of its own joins the little group. This soothing story is suffused with kindness and renewal, fragrances from the garden and humble kitchens.

They are joined by a young orphan, who doesn’t speak for a long time. Then a blind guitarist who has lost both parents, but blesses the gathering with his music once he begins to heal. A very skinny dog becomes a companion in this unique sanctuary which was encouraged by the old Storyteller (who also displays some magical abilities). This Irish Garden is captivating.

Sally Cronin

Sally Cronin is the author of nineteen books including her memoir Size Always Matters in 2024. This was an updated version of her first book, Size Matters published in 2001 which followed her weight loss of 150lbs and the programme she designed to regain her health. A programme she shared with her clients over her 27 year career as a nutritional therapist and on her blog. This has been followed by another eighteen books both fiction and non-fiction including multi-genre collections of short stories and poetry.

Her latest book is part of a three book series set in a garden in Spain and then in Ireland. Tales from the Irish Garden: The Missing Pieces brings together creatures and people in need of a sanctuary, where they can spend their lives in peace.

As an author she understands how important it is to have support in marketing books and offers a number of FREE promotional opportunities on her blog Smorgasbord Blog Magazine and across her social media. [So many of us indie authors have been so encouraged by this Goddess of Generosity!]

After leading a nomadic existence exploring the world, she now lives with her husband on the coast of Southern Ireland enjoying the seasonal fluctuations in the temperature of the rain.

Please check out all Sally’s amazing books on Amazon.com or Amazon.uk.