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Jo Robinson
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Echoes of Narcissus in the Gardens of Delight Kindle Edition

by Jo Robinson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 26 ratings
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Donna thought that there was something wrong with her. That she was suffering from a mental illness that had caused her husband to despise her, distance himself from her, and cheat on her. She blames herself for the desolate, miserable thing that is her marriage and her life. Then she comes across a book that will change everything for her, and reading it, she discovers that there’s nothing wrong with her mind at all, but that there is something very wrong with her husband instead.
Marco, she realises, is a malignant narcissist. A textbook case. He has a real and documented mental disorder, and that he’s been controlling, manipulating, and abusing her for decades. The sudden full knowledge of all that he’s purposely done to her enrages her. Not sure how to leave after thirty years of what she finally knows has been intentional mental and emotional abuse from him, and believing that she has nowhere to turn, and also being so physically isolated, she bides her time.
Then she meets and befriends a group of unusual people who share her passion for gardening, and so begins her journey to escape. She joins her new friends in their project to assist elderly people in old age homes care for their small gardens, as well as secretly supplying those suffering from painful and terminal illnesses with medicinal herb and plant remedies. As weeks go by, she delves into her memories, relearns what it is to be respected, liked, and loved again, and slowly she formulates a plan to safely leave her dangerous husband. But unbeknownst to Donna, Marco is in serious trouble, and has desperate plans of his own, and absolutely no regard for her safety.

** This is a work of fiction, but malignant narcissists really do exist, and it is a recognised mental illness. Unfortunately, many people never realise that they are involved with a narcissist, because their actions are so demonically bad as to be unimaginable and unbelievable, and so they spend their lives in misery, depression, fear, and isolation. If only by the accidental reading of a fictional story, I hope that this book will help even one person, unknowingly suffering narcissistic abuse, to realise that they don’t have to, and that it’s never too late to start over, be happy, be fulfilled, to love and care for yourself, and be truly loved and respected by others.

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  1. Print length
    230 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    December 21, 2014
  5. File size
    455 KB
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jo Robinson lives in South Africa with her horde of feathered and furred sidekicks. Her obsessive affection for the African continent, most people, and all creatures is what inspires her writing.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00RBRYMD6
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Weaverback Press (December 21, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 21, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 455 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 230 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 26 ratings

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Jo Robinson

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
26 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Mary Clark
5.0 out of 5 stars Gardens of Rebellion and Transformation
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2016
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Jo Robinson’s world of fantasy and harsh psychological realities holds the reader in thrall. The beauty of the writing is sustained throughout the story, and for me, made reading this book an absolute joy.

Robinson breaks the rules with long narrative scenes, but it works in this story of an interior life, struggling to break free. Donna, the main character, is trapped in a loveless and emotionally abusive marriage by a narcissistic husband. In her search for seeds for her garden, she meets Elvira, an extraordinary woman, who has an impressive garden of her own in town. Elvira visits Donna’s home and sees her fantastic garden. These gardens flow from the spirits of the women into land-shaping, and life-shaping, manifestations. They are touchstones, as the story evolves, for many lives. Elvira has a café in her garden, catering to people who are in transition from divorce, job loss, or death of a loved one. One of the ways they heal is by working with elderly people who live alone.

To discover how Donna is able to connect with Elvira and her friends, and gradually reveal to them what she has been creating for so long in the icehouse of her isolation, you must read this book. It is a testament to the resourcefulness and tenacity of the human spirit in its drive for freedom, and the greatest human act and experience of freedom, which is love.
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Marie Ann Bailey
4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating psychological study
Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2015
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Jo Robinson’s novel is a fascinating study of a psychological disorder, Malignant Narcissistic Personality Disorder, in the framework of a novel. Donna is the wife of Marco, a man used to getting his own way and being in total control. Marco has never physically harmed Donna, but he has emotionally abused and neglected her. Robinson neatly lays out the domestic abuse that is the foundation of Donna’s marriage to Marco as well as Donna’s growing strength and self-determination when she learns, by happenstance, about the madness behind her husband’s actions.

Having worked with victims of domestic abuse, I truly appreciated how well Robinson informs the reader of Donna’s situation without turning her novel into a self-help book. It really isn’t, even though it will no doubt be helpful to any reader who may be a victim to such a creature as Marco. The novel allows you to consider with Donna her options as she tries to free herself from her cruel husband. Along the way she is very fortunate to make friends with a group of charmingly eccentric characters who see through her efforts to hide her shame at being manipulated. And she learns that she has a talent, a skill that few have. A skill that could be her key to freedom.

I liked Donna so much that I wish Robinson had described her a bit more. The reader spends a lot of time in Donna’s head, which works to make her very sympathetic to the reader. But while she considers herself ugly, I suspected that Donna was in fact beautiful. I was frustrated at times to not have a better picture of her drawn for me by the author, but then I wondered if that were on purpose. Without a portrait of lines and color, I had to fill in with my own vision of Donna, and that could be any woman, especially any woman I had counseled in escaping an abusive relationship.

Some things also seemed a little too easy, too convenient for Donna, such as the good luck in finding friends in spite of her near-total isolation. Even her own adult daughter seemed slow to understand what was happening to Donna. And, yet, Robinson doesn’t give Donna too easy a time of it. Extricating herself from someone like Marco won’t be easy, and it could be life threatening to Donna, even her friends and daughter.

I do recommend this book both as an entertaining novel of mystery and as a psychological study that may chill you to the bone.
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Dannie
5.0 out of 5 stars Jo Robinson does it again!
Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2015
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Author Jo Robinson has once again written a novel that is a delightful read about a very serious subject. A mental illness that so few recognize.

The author has such a smooth, easy way of writing I was swept up in the life of Donna and relished her visits to her beautiful garden.

The story of Donna tells of a desperate woman, suffering at the hands of her manipulative husband, struggling to first recognize what is happening to her and then break free. She can only do this with the help of new found friends that won’t let her slip away from them.

I want to emphasize that even though this is a serious subject the story itself is a great piece of writing that will hold you until the end.

I highly recommend Echoes of Narcissus and the Garden of Delight to any reader looking for an uplifting read!
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Top reviews from other countries

Mys M
5.0 out of 5 stars Chillingly Real
Reviewed in Canada on April 7, 2015
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This is the third book I've read by South African author, Jo Robinson, and the third one I've enjoyed immensely. While this is an extremely gripping novel with entertainment value, Robinson clearly intends it to be a wake-up call for women who are trapped in an intimidating and debilitating relationship with a narcissistic husband, and face the long, terrifying road which leads out of it into a "normal", healthy life.
Donna is an adult with a grown, independent daughter, Shelley, and a husband who provides her with a grand country house, and an extravagant lifestyle. To acquaintances, it appears to be an idyllic life. Donna has everything anyone could want -- except a truly loving, appreciative husband. Marco has never physically struck her, but is a master at inflicting mental torture and hurtful humiliation in other ways. He obsessively controls her -- searches her handbag, scrolls through her phone history and messages, keeps her isolated from any possible friendships, blames her for everything that goes wrong, and takes credit for everything she does that turns out well. He cheats on her blatantly, with no attempts to conceal the fact. He has convinced her that she is crazy and worthless, and his friends (clients and employees, actually; they have no friends) all think she is a morose, ungrateful ball and chain. She has never told anyone about the things he has done and has defended him to others, covering up for his mistakes when she can, so one of her problems is that no-one would ever believe how she is treated.
But Donna, too, has an obsession -- her garden -- her private world where Marco never ventures. It is the one part of herself she has kept, and the one part of her that keeps her sane. After Marco mocks her for wanting a computer, which he says she would never be able to use, Donna is reminded by Shelley that there is her old laptop in the closet of her room, and so Donna begins using it, learning as she goes along, becoming more confident on it all the time. She is looking for heirloom tomato seeds for her garden when she comes across an ebook stored by Shelley about "psychotic behaviour, narcissist personality disorder in particular". Before long, she has found massive information on the net about the disease and reads the stories of others who were trapped in a similar situation to hers, and slowly, Donna begins to understand that she is not the one who is crazy. The only thing is, how can she get out of this destructive relationship?
This story reminded me a bit of a Julia Roberts movie I saw many years ago that I found both shocking and fearful, Sleeping with the Enemy, except that in that story, the character played by Roberts was also physically abused. In both situations, the victim had to have a plan in place, ready to go, in order to escape with no ties to their abuser. In Donna's case, a chance meeting at a function orchestrated by Marco, puts her in touch with Elvira, who, it seems, has a garden business with many kinds of heirloom tomatoes, and also happens to be a psychic. But the trauma and indecision continue to haunt Donna as she tries to get up the courage to confide in her new friend, and to actually plan her escape.
This book can easily be read in just a few hours because you won't want to put it down. There is quite a bit of humour in the final chapters as Donna begins to live her own life again and Marco's begins to unravel; Donna comes up with a home business idea that will help her support herself. There are resources listed at the end of the book that could be very useful if you recognize yourself in this story. Hopefully, not too many will do so. Those who do not, will enjoy the book much more than those who do. Either way, this is a wonderful story with a variety of richly drawn characters, and a chilling realism as Donna begins to recover her sense of self.
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Peter Timbrell
5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating story, brilliantly written.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 30, 2014
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I loved this emotional roller coaster. Whilst being a fictional story, the underlying fear that is felt by the protagonist, Donna, who is trapped in a narcissistic relationship, is very real. Within a page or two I found myself identifying people in my life who had recounted events from similar destructive relationships.

Jo Robinson is a very skilled writer, each of her characters are developed subtly, so as not to swamp the reader with superfluous detail, yet with a completeness that left me yearning to be part of their idiosyncratic group. A warmth permeates from her prose which is contrasted by the cold torment and deviously controlling nature projected on to her by her psychotic husband, Marco McGee.

Donna's garden became her refuge. Over the years of abuse verbally metered out to her by Marco, her vast collection of plants, both rare and common, became her "friends", a focus for the love she had to give, and a reason to keep going. Coincidentally Donna meets Elvira, who in turn coaxes her into her circle of friends which becomes a haven for her. Slowly Donna feels their genuine warmth, and with their encouragement and love she begins to re gain her confidence and gingerly begins to rediscover herself and to rebuild her life.

Even though this work is outside my usual genre, I devoured this book. Jo Robinson is a new author to me but I look forward to reading everything she has written and will write in the future. Wonderful, heart warming stuff. Thank you.
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Alienora Taylor
5.0 out of 5 stars A good, multi-layered read...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 5, 2015
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I loved reading this book. It was very realistic, and informative, about the hellish world of anyone who becomes a Narcissist's Supply - but it offered contrast and redemption too. I thought the use of the garden as both sanctuary and symbol of hope and fertility was brilliant - that, out of the aridity of any kind of relationship with an NPD could come growth and lusciousness.
The weaving in of the slightly alternative friendship group also worked very well - and their characters made a great foil to the wound-up and nasty nature of Donna's husband.
I would recommend this book to anyone currently in a relationship with a Narc - and to all those who enjoy a good, multi-layered read.
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blondieaka
5.0 out of 5 stars Not my favoured genre, but a well written, great surprise for me.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 23, 2016
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Not my favoured genre, but the synopsis intrigued me. A well written book about malignant narcissistic personality disorder. The author Jo Robinson wove a story around the common symptoms of this disorder very well. I am sure anyone who is in a relationship with a person who is narcissistic would definitely relate to Donna and most definitely see Marco in their relationship.It showed how trusting others and Donna's growing awareness of the reality helped her escape from this abusive relationship. Very well written and I am now looking forward to reading Jo Robinsons other novels which I am sure I will also enjoy as the genre is one of my favorites.
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Wilma Lettings
5.0 out of 5 stars Phenomenal
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 28, 2015
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Phenomenal and powerful, this story shows how women, or rather people, can be manipulated and ill-treated by their partners. In this case a condition, malignant narcissm, is threatening to ruin a woman's life.
This is much more common than people think and I applaud the author for bringing such an important issue to the reader's attention.
I found this very tough at times to read because it is so realistic. Her story is remarkable and how her life changes does not only educate the reader but also helps the victims of such bad relationships.
I can't recomment this strongly enough.
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