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.
Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil is a whimsical and heartwarming cozy fantasy and the debut novel of Oliver Darkshire. The book is inspired by Giovanni Boccaccio‘s The Decameron, and in this reimagining, protagonist Isabella Nagg is an unhappy farm wife living a dreary existence on a mandrake farm with her inept husband, Henric. The story begins as Henric steals a magic book from the local wizard. Isabella soon learns of the book and attempts to return it, only to discover that the wizard has mysteriously disappeared, and his uncooperative talking cat has been left behind. To Isabella’s dismay, the sentient cat follows Isabella back to the farm. Isabella then begins using the spellbook to delve into the world of magic and inadvertently animates her cherished pot of basil and a philosophical donkey, leading to a series of chaotic and hilarious events!
Darkshire’s writing is full of dry wit and richly descriptive prose. The narrative also includes footnotes and excerpts from the spellbook that add intrigue, humor, and world-building to the story. At the same time, this is a short novel, and the abundance of footnotes, which are mostly not connected to each other, become a bit distracting and affect the flow of the reading experience.
Isabella is a hilariously charming protagonist. Through the course of the story, her character development is quite pronounced as she transforms from an unhappy housewife to a proactive figure in her community. Her dialogue with the sentient cat, donkey, and her beloved pot of basil are some of the most entertaining and memorable parts of the story. Her strained marriage with husband Henric is very authentic and relatable and adds more emotional depth.
The story has pretty good pacing, but the plot direction is not what readers will expect after an intriguing “magical mishaps” beginning. The story then becomes unpredictable and a bit chaotic as Isabella finds herself at an HOA meeting interacting with members of the community and then at a goblin market dealing with a “goblin fruit” fraud scheme. With all the changes in plot direction, more and more characters are introduced—most of whom are intriguing but not well developed. While readers may have been expecting more of a magical journey, the story is more character-driven, with Isabella’s character arc and her engaging dialogue with the sentient animals, goblins, and townsfolk taking center stage!
Overall, Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil is a highly original cozy fantasy full of memorable, quirky characters and magical mishaps. Fans of fantasy authors like Terry Pratchett and T. Kingfisher and those who are looking for their next whimsical fantasy novel that can be read in one sitting should consider this book!
Narrator Performance
The author, Oliver Darkshire, narrates the audiobook with good pacing and distinct character voices. Unfortunately, there’s not much vocal or emotional range to the performance, which doesn’t make for the most engaging listening experience. The story could come much more alive with an accomplished audiobook narrator or voice actor, but seeing as this is a debut novel, it’s understandably not always feasible to do so. If considering reading this book, it might be more enjoyable to read a physical copy.
Narrator Performance
The author, Oliver Darkshire, narrates the audiobook with good pacing and distinct character voices. Unfortunately, there’s not much vocal or emotional range to the performance, which doesn’t make for the most engaging listening experience. The story could come much more alive with an accomplished audiobook narrator or voice actor, but seeing as this is a debut novel, it’s understandably not always feasible to do so. If considering reading this book, it might be more enjoyable to read a physical copy.
The author, Oliver Darkshire, narrates the audiobook with good pacing and distinct character voices. Unfortunately, there’s not much vocal or emotional range to the performance, which doesn’t make for the most engaging listening experience. The story could come much more alive with an accomplished audiobook narrator or voice actor, but seeing as this is a debut novel, it’s understandably not always feasible to do so. If considering reading this book, it might be more enjoyable to read a physical copy.
