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The Butterfly Garden
Escrito por Dot Hutchison
Narrado por Lauren Ezzo y Mel Foster
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Near an isolated mansion lies a beautiful garden.
In this garden grow luscious flowers, shady trees…and a collection of precious "butterflies"-young women who have been kidnapped and intricately tattooed to resemble their namesakes. Overseeing it all is the Gardener, a brutal, twisted man obsessed with capturing and preserving his lovely specimens.
When the garden is discovered, a survivor is brought in for questioning. FBI agents Victor Hanoverian and Brandon Eddison are tasked with piecing together one of the most stomach-churning cases of their careers. But the girl, known only as Maya, proves to be a puzzle herself.
As her story twists and turns, slowly shedding light on life in the Butterfly Garden, Maya reveals old grudges, new saviors, and horrific tales of a man who'd go to any length to hold beauty captive. But the more she shares, the more the agents have to wonder what she's still hiding.…
Acciones del libro
Comenzar a escucharInformación sobre el libro
The Butterfly Garden
Escrito por Dot Hutchison
Narrado por Lauren Ezzo y Mel Foster
Descripción
Near an isolated mansion lies a beautiful garden.
In this garden grow luscious flowers, shady trees…and a collection of precious "butterflies"-young women who have been kidnapped and intricately tattooed to resemble their namesakes. Overseeing it all is the Gardener, a brutal, twisted man obsessed with capturing and preserving his lovely specimens.
When the garden is discovered, a survivor is brought in for questioning. FBI agents Victor Hanoverian and Brandon Eddison are tasked with piecing together one of the most stomach-churning cases of their careers. But the girl, known only as Maya, proves to be a puzzle herself.
As her story twists and turns, slowly shedding light on life in the Butterfly Garden, Maya reveals old grudges, new saviors, and horrific tales of a man who'd go to any length to hold beauty captive. But the more she shares, the more the agents have to wonder what she's still hiding.…
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I really enjoyed this book, but I honestly do not know if I would recommend it. The book is graphic and disturbing, so you should be aware of that before delving into it. The novel was well written and I could easily see it going to the movie screen in the future. The story-line is honestly fascinating. The details that Hutchinson chose to include and exclude about each of the characters is well-chosen. I found myself making a future for some of the characters, which is always a good sign. I really connected with both the "good guys" and the "bad guys" in the novel. I love mysteries and this was definitely a mystery until the very end.
It was a nice change of pace that it jumped around in the timeline but there actually wasn't any mystery to solve, nor a thrill aspect. Also the twist at the end was not very shocking and actually didn't make much sense. It was an easy summer read, though. Also, I'm glad there was a throw-away line (inserted by the book editor?) about how much money the Gardener must be spending because I thought it several times and wondered how none of this millionaire's accountants or financiers noticed all this money draining away...
YA version of Silence of Lambs, but not as good. High school students that are into twisted thrillers will enjoy this mystery. Maya is a unique main character with a strong voice. The "gardener" is a typical sociopath that kidnaps teenage girls and puts them into his butterfly garden. There's a lot of violence and the f-word is used on almost every page.
Good read, kept you trying to figure out just what was going on.
Pretty good
This is hands down one of my favorite books. It truly is an I can't put it down book. It aws so engrossing and well written. I just cant even put into words how amazing this book is, it is a MUST read.
I enjoyed reading this book, which featured a very unusual background and an intriguing plot. However, I felt that there were several plot holes, which was a little frustrating. Overall, the characters were very likable and I did find myself unwilling and unable to put it down. I'm going to start reading the second book now, and I am looking forward to it. The story was very well put together and very well written. The 3 stars is only because there were so many holes in the plot; I felt that it could have been researched and developed a little further.
I really wanted to give this book 4 or 5 stars - it gripped me from the start. The ending however...
Unbelievable, totally out of character, and as another reviewer mentioned: just ridiculous.
I feel this book deserved a better ending, and it makes me sad to see such a compelling read end in such a mess.
Unbelievable, totally out of character, and as another reviewer mentioned: just ridiculous.
I feel this book deserved a better ending, and it makes me sad to see such a compelling read end in such a mess.
I enjoyed reading this book, which featured a very unusual background and an intriguing plot. However, I felt that there were several plot holes, which was a little frustrating. Overall, the characters were very likable and I did find myself unwilling and unable to put it down. I'm going to start reading the second book now, and I am looking forward to it. The story was very well put together and very well written. The 3 stars is only because there were so many holes in the plot; I felt that it could have been researched and developed a little further.
This book has an interesting premise - young women kept against their will and treated as beautiful butterflies in a garden. Okay, the story is pretty improbably, but I can go along with it. However, it was too gruesome, too violent for me, especially when a prepubescent child became involved. The butterflies have already found release when the story starts, and it bounces back between that time and the time when they were locked in the garden. One of the investigators, Edison (I assume the spelling because I was listening, not reading) acted unbelievable unprofessionally, and was quite nasty to a victim.The ending seemed muddled to me. The writing was uneven.I listened to an unabridged Audible version, and it was narrated with two voices. The male voice was very slow and the female voice was fast, and that made it harder to listen to.This could have been a very good book, but the gratuitous violence made it less enjoyable for me.
The Butterfly Garden is a psychological thriller that makes you keep reading late into the night. The story starts with two FBI men interviewing a victim though there is some doubt that she possibly participated in the atrocities of the Butterfly Garden. Victor and Eddison play the good cop, bad cop routine in an effort to elicit Maya's story which she tells in a series of flashbacks over two days.Maya also gives them a lot of detail about her life before the Garden.While it is sometimes difficult to keep track of the girls - there are a great number of them in the Garden as well as in an apartment share from earlier in Maya's life - each story is poignant, horrific, and well-told.The Butterfly Garden is a giant greenhouse filled with lovely plants on an estate somewhere in Maryland. The Gardener is an older man who abducts the girls, tattoos elaborate butterfly wings on their backs, then rapes them repeatedly. His older son is more violent and tortures the girls as well. The Gardener is totally delusional, believing that he is saving these girls, his butterflies, but also believes that a butterflies life is short. Once a girl dies, he embalms her body in resin and displays it as part of his collection.The concept here is enthralling and while there are a number of inconsistencies (why couldn't twenty or so girls overcome one old man to get out), I could gloss over them as I read, hoping they would be resolved eventually. I was hovering between a 4-5 star for this book until the last few pages.The ending just ruined this book. It was not believable to me and such a huge disappointment. The inconsistencies were never explained either. Still, the author tells a good story; I just wish she had a better twist at the end.
Have you ever truly enjoyed a book but felt almost guilty for liking it? That is precisely how I felt the entire time I was reading The Butterfly Garden. It is so good, but good grief that's some dark and disturbing subject matter, and yes there are a few plot holes, but those were overshadowed by my complete and utter inability to put it down.The book begins with two FBI agents interviewing Maya, a young woman who has just been rescued, along with several other girls, from captivity. Typical thriller stuff, until the ball drops and your insides start doing calisthenics. You see, Maya and the other young women were kept in a secluded greenhouse by a man simply known as the Gardener. The Gardener is obsessed with beauty and butterflies (you get a little back story later in the book), and he marks each girl with a large butterfly tattoo spanning the width and length of their backs. I won't go further into the story for fear of giving too much away, but suffice to say it is not sunshine and rainbows. I'm not sure how I feel about the character development and the credibility of some of the main characters' actions simply from a psychological standpoint. There is definitely some Stockholm Syndrome present, weird family dynamics, and denial that would make Freud stand up out of his grave (and I say that as a behaviorist). I would expect more anger and less calm acceptance of their fate among the girls. Anyway, one could write a 50 page paper on the psychological aspects of the story and how they are realistic or not, but, alas, I don't really want to think about it that hard (see above re: disturbing). I enjoyed the structure of the book. It flips back and forth between 3rd person (interview with Maya) and Maya's first person account of the Garden. I actually would have liked to have spent more time with the FBI agents, but that would have taken away from the crux of the story. I will say that the "secret" touted in the book blurb was a bit of a letdown. It almost seemed like an afterthought. Overall, an enjoyable and suspenseful read. I would recommend it to those who enjoy a good psychological thriller. Just be aware that the content is disturbing and thus not for everyone.Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I'm ashamed to admit that I received an ARC of Dot Hutchison's The Butterfly Garden last year but didn't get around to reading it until it was selected as one of the May/June 2017 group reads by the Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group on Goodreads. I made the mistake of starting it on Sunday night: a mistake because I was so immediately engrossed that I didn't want to put it down, but I had to get up for work on Monday morning. The Butterfly Garden is one of the best thrillers I have read recently.Is this book perfect? No. Does it require some suspension of disbelief? Yes. Was I happy with the twist at the end? Not particularly. So why 5 stars? Because The Butterfly Garden masterfully accomplished what it set out to do: it thrilled me, to the extent that I wasn't even aware of the flaws in its logic until I read some of the less generous reviews on Goodreads.If you're looking for a how-to manual for successfully abducting, imprisoning, and murdering young women for 30 years without discovery, this book may not be for you. However, if you want a fast-paced and disturbing escape from the everyday, you need look no further than The Butterfly Garden. As for me, I'm heading off to join FBI Agents Victor Hanoverian, Brandon Eddison, and Mercedes Ramirez on their next case, Roses of May, due out next week.This review was based on a free ARC provided by the publisher.
This is not a book for the faint hearted. It can be graphic in times and its themes are adult in nature. Its power lies in its unfolding, and we glean information from both the police interview and the victims recollection. A gradual drip of information, that builds until its final pages and the final reveal.As disturbing as it was at times (pretty more most of it if I'm honest), I enjoyed this book and would heartily recommend it. I stayed up later than I should have on successive nights as I couldn't put it down once I got into it. I would say that's what makes a good book. And I will now forever be a bit crept out by butterflies.
Great quick read.Page turner with goid plot and characters- not sure I totally liked the ending though, at least a part of it.Certainly recommend this book.
The Butterfly Garden is one of the most disturbing books I've ever read. It was also fascinating in that I don't really want to know, but I have to find out way. I would have given it five stars, but the ending disappointed me.
As horrifying and hard to take as it is beautifully written, this work won't be for everyone. And yet, it is subtle, careful, and respectful of trauma as it moves through an intricate tale of neglect, abuse, and terror, along with tangled lines of friendship, fear, and even love. Hutchison's styling is masterful in the way she weaves the present with the past, interviews with events, and trauma with humor. I'm tempted to classify this as horror more so than suspense, but this tale of a girl who overcomes a strange childhood only to be kidnapped by a strange man, and kept with other such butterflies as herself, is so surreal---and yet, frightfully believable in terrifying ways---that it defies description when it comes to genre.This isn't an easy book to read, but it is powerful and strange and frightening... and beautifully written. From here on out, I'll read anything Dot Hutchison writes.If you can take it, I recommend it.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, it sounded very intriguing, like a completely new perspective of the typical mystery. I was very pleasantly surprised and creeped out by the whole thing, which is high praise as I feel I'm a little jaded sometimes when I read these types of books. This one starts at the end sort of and is told by the point of view of a surviving victim. She's being interviewed by the police because they aren't sure if she's a victim yet, or if she was helping the perpetrator or what the deal is with her. Plus, the other victims are in the hospital asking for her so they know she's sort of a big deal in all of this and need to find out the who, how, what & why of it all. I don't want to give away more, then there'd be no reason for you to read it. I do encourage everyone to read it though, it's very good, well thought out and like I said, a very interesting perspective. Plus, I was a little creeped out by it, which is always the goal with a good mystery.
It started so fantastic, but the ending was a complete let-down...seriously?! I decided to wait a few days before writing this review to calm down a bit from my disappointment and not risk writing something offensive in the heat of the moment...The book was a weird mixture of utter beauty and shocking horror. A man who calls himself the Gardener holds over twenty girls captive, marking each with a butterfly tattoo on their backs and 'collecting' them in a huge conservatory. Here he visits them to satisfy his desires, even considering himself in a very twisted way as their benefactor. But whenever a girl reaches her 21st birthday he kills and preserves her in a glass cabinet like in a real butterfly collection. Most of the girls learn to arrange themselves with their situation, and others don't stay for long...The story is told from the POV of Maya, as the Gardener named her, after most of the girls are finally rescued. Some passages read like the girls live in a secluded artificial kind of paradise, especially within the beautiful setting of the glass conservatory, complete with a small waterfall and stream. But the next moment, the reader is taken back into reality - the girls are held captive, repeatedly raped and eventually killed. It was fascinating how within such an unbelievable and cruel situation there where still glimpses of hope and spontaneous happiness to be found. However, each such moment was easily revealed as illusion by the next horrific and inhuman treatment.I was glad that Maya did not completely fall for the Gardener's younger son, but efficiently manipulated him into helping the girls escape. However, once the release was set into motion, the story was getting more and more unbelievable. At the end the reader learns that a former roommate of Maya was the only 'Butterfly' who ever managed to escape, and that Maya may even have provoked her capture on purpose. For me, that was the turning point where everything went downhill, and fast. The whole story ended with such a ridiculous and constructed solution, I was wondering if I was still reading the same book. How could such a fantastic story end in such a way? I guess a lot of readers may disagree, but the book left me completely disappointed.As the main part was a real pageturner easily worth five stars, but the short ending passage was barely worth anything imho, I decided to diplomatically rate the book three stars. However, if the description of the book catches your eye, I strongly recommend to nevertheless give it a try, as I did enjoy reading most of it.(I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review)
The Gardener has a beautiful garden filled with pretty flowers, shady trees and a collection of butterflies. But these are no ordinary butterflies, these are young women who have been kidnapped, renamed and tattooed with very detailed wings to resemble the different types of butterflies. And like butterflies they have a short lifespan. But the Gardener will preserve them and have them on display so he can always admire their beauty. After many decades the garden is finally discovered and a survivor named Maya is brought in for questioning by the FBI. This is her story.
This is a very interesting concept for a book. What a world for those girls to live in. I loved how the stories flowed together - Maya is brought in by the FBI who are asking her questions and we go back as Maya is telling them about her past and her time in the garden - it was very well done. I wasn't crazy about the unnecessary twist at the end but it didn't deter me from giving it five stars.
This is a very interesting concept for a book. What a world for those girls to live in. I loved how the stories flowed together - Maya is brought in by the FBI who are asking her questions and we go back as Maya is telling them about her past and her time in the garden - it was very well done. I wasn't crazy about the unnecessary twist at the end but it didn't deter me from giving it five stars.
This was a dark book. Not sure it's for everyone. But I couldn't stop listening to it. I needed to find out more about the butterflies and if they got out. I loved the ending
The book was great, however, I have no idea what happened in the last three chapters because the audio cut off!!
This is one of my favourite books. Gripping and awful and everything in between.
It's a disturbing read. Of course it is. But it was also compelling and a pretty quick read, especially since I didn't want to put it down. The storyline is a little over the top -- in terms of how long the Gardener had been kidnapping women and what became of them -- but suspending disbelief in a lot of genres is necessary when the story grabs your attention, and this certainly did. I've just learned there are 4 books in the series now. I'll move on to #2 now.
Wow. This novel was dark, creepy, and wonderfully creative. I really like that such a horrific story was told without extremely graphic details. I'm glad I discovered the author and will look forward to more.
Overall the book was great; however, the ending....sucked..
Absolutely amazing I have no words for this amazing piece of literature
I cannot recommend this novel. Unless you're a fan of cliches and well-worn tropes, you will not enjoy this one. I had to stop playing this pretty quickly. I find it mind-blowing that it was recommended after I read Tana French's The Witch Elm, since French's novel was a real masterpiece.
Please just give this book at shot! It’s so gripping and there were honestly some parts that made me hellaciously uncomfortable. Great read though.
The over all concept was interesting. However, it's drags on a little too long. Making the reader feel its leading towards some epic ending with a possibly good twist. Only the end actually was boring and the twist was far-fetched.