Orchid Territory

By Mary Motes

Book Overview

Brimming with intrigue, comedy and romance, "Orchid Territory " is a wacky expose of the business of orchids in S. Florida. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0967434327
• ISBN13: 9780967434322
• Release Date: March 2006
• Publisher: Redland Press
• Length: 311 Pages
• Weight: 1.02 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.8" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

fun South Florida summer reading

Mary Motes has penned a sharp,witty and utterly entertaining tale that offers the reader an insider's perspective, although fictional, of the zany and comedic world that is South Florida and the orchid empire that "blooms" there.

Orchid Territory : "Best in Show" for non-orchidists

Mary Motes wins first place! You don't have to know anything about orchids to get a giggle out of this one. BEST IN SHOW did it for dog shows, ORCHID TERRITORY does it for orchid shows. Not to mention a great lesson on how to give THE TALK on something you know nothing about and other adventures.

Orchid Territory is HOT

As an avid reader and a nearly novice orchid grower, I must recommend this book. I loved, learned and laughed all the way through it! Very BBCAmerica, very smart and very much worthwhile. Indulge yourself this summer with this steamy romantic mystry!

Charming, funny, enjoyable

This author knows the ins and outs of the orchid business. Orchid Territory is her warm, laugh-out-loud take on what it takes for humans to grow and sell these elegant tropicals, an amusing tale well told.

Mary Motes is a terrific writer!

So much of what I get to read today consists of computer journals, tech digests & real estate and financing news, I thought it would be a nice break to grab a fine cigar, sit out on my orchid-filled pool/patio on a nice balmy South Florida weekend with my feet up and read Mary Motes' new book. Somewhere along the line, Mary developed a humorous writing style very different from what I'm used to reading. In "Orchid Territory", she weaves a tale ("totally fictional", Mary will tell you) which centers around a well established orchid grower named Charlotte, who Mary claims is based upon actress Judy Dench playing Queen Elizabeth I, and her nephew Mark who's visiting from England for a few months to take a break, get some Florida sunshine and help out his aging, wheelchair-bound aunt through the upcoming orchid show season. Mark will later discover that Aunt Charlotte has set him up - she's put out the word that her nephew is a renowned orchid expert from Kew coming to the States to impart some of his wisdom to our local orchid people who have names like "Bert" (hmmmm...); Ken; Cooper; Larry; the fascinating but "evil" "Regina" (owner of Orchid Magic and president of the Miami Orchid Club); a sun-kissed beauty named Rachel who's a biochemist, owner of BIOS Orchids and a definite "love interest" for Mark; and Jen, Rachel's friend and room mate. The author has repeatedly insisted that all the characters are fictional. I got the feeling, though, that if you read carefully and disregard the gender of the characters, you might believe you recognize some of them. Mary did actually confirm under intense pressure that I had figured out one of the main characters who was very closely based on someone I knew. Of course I cannot reveal anything for fear that I might be eaten by one of her giant dogs next time I visit the Farmlife Road compound-- you know, the ones who act as if they're asleep under a bench or will just follow you around fully aware that they know much more about orchids than you do. Mary Motes is a terrific writer. The ending is a surprise. And "Orchid Territory" is a book you'll want to read slowly to savor all the fine details about the characters and the tales of the Miami growers, orchid club meetings and the big shows. I highly recommend it.