Short Synopsis
Cutting Back is an insightful debut memoir and story of personal growth that will appeal to gardeners and non-gardeners alike.

Full Synopsis
At thirty-five, Leslie Buck made an impulsive decision to put her personal life on hold to pursue her passion. Leaving behind a full life of friends, love, and professional security, she became the first American woman to learn pruning from one of the most storied landscaping companies in Kyoto. Cutting Back recounts Buck's bold journey and the revelations she has along the way. During her apprenticeship in Japan, she learns that the best Kyoto gardens look so natural they appear untouched by human hands, even though her crew spends hours meticulously cleaning every pebble in the streams. She is taught how to bring nature's essence into a garden scene, how to design with native plants, and how to subtly direct a visitor through a landscape. But she learns the most important lessons from her fellow gardeners: how to balance strength with grace, seriousness with humor, and technique with heart.

"Narrator Caroline McLaughlin captures Buck's experience with energy and an appealing voice. . . . Impressively, she rolls through Japanese names and concepts without hesitation." ---AudioFile

"An unusual and entertaining memoir" ---New York Times

"Buck has as good an eye for cultural dissonance as she does for pines that need pruning. . . . This is an absorbing read about the formative interplay of humans, cultures, and gardens." ---Publishers Weekly Starred Review

“The descriptions of the gardens the author tends while in Japan will transport readers; it is an armchair tourist’s treat to wander the temple gardens as she describes them.” ---Library Journal

“If you love losing yourself in natural settings, this memoir is definitely for you. . . . the life lessons Buck learns away from her pruning shears will appeal to any reader.” ---Bustle

"Japanese gardens have long been recognized as special, almost magical, places that inspire and nourish. Leslie Buck’s memoir gives them a human dimension.” ---Kendal H. Brown, author of Quiet Beauty

Publishers Weekly Review