Renard Press

Book blurb

First published in 1921 as part of her ground-breaking short-story collection Monday or Tuesday, Kew Gardens follows the thoughts of a set of characters walking past a flower bed in the royal botanic garden on a hot July day.

Interweaving the thoughts of the characters with depictions of the natural world surrounding them, the narrative flows from mind to mind, from the tranquil flower bed to the bustling city outside.

Written in Woolf’s trademark style, brimming with keen observation and rich language, Kew Gardens is both a paean to the natural world and an empathetic exploration of human experience.

My thoughts

The light fell either upon the smooth, grey back of a pebble or the shell of a snail with its brown, circular veins, or, falling into a raindrop, it expanded with such intensity of red, blue and yellow the thin walls of water that one expected them to burst and disappear… Then the breeze stirred rather more briskly overhead and the colour was flashed into the air above, into the eyes of the men and women who walk in Kew Gardens in July.

From Kew Garden by Virginia Woolf

This is some of the most keenly observed and beautiful short pieces of writing it places you, the reader, right there beside a flower bed in Kew Gardens quietly watching as people move past. You see the light intensifying the colour, the breeze carrying it away instantly through the air to be captured in the eyes of those strolling by. You see how the passers-by delight in one thing or another. Solitary walkers, couples, children, friends what do they see, what are they thinking, saying and are they moved by the sight or simply passing through?

Such a short piece but it really brings to life that moment in time, nature, those worries and concerns that are living inside the people walking by of war, mental health and memories of the past, of class, of love or just simply where they might find refreshment. Fleeting moments of joy, of sadness, grief, love and loss.

I loved it.

Book: Purchased

There is an excellent biography of Woolf in this particular edition of Kew Gardens which is another great reason to get a copy from Renard Press (see link below).

Reading Independent Publishers Month (6)

Reading Independent Publishers Month is hosted by Karen at KaggsysBookishRamblings this is its sixth year.

This is my first contribution to the wonderful 2026  #ReadIndies event hosted by Kaggsysbookishramblings

Renard Press

Renard Press Ltd is an award-winning independent publisher, launched in June 2020.

Covering both classic and contemporary titles, Renard publishes fiction and non-fiction, theatre and poetry; the emphasis is on good writing, properly edited, and our books can be found in convenient modern formats – in a world increasingly lived online – as well as in beautifully designed and well-produced editions.

In November 2023 Renard founded the Indie Press Network, a radical collaboration between small presses.

In 2025 Renard began Read It Forward – Books for Bookbanks scheme. Not everyone has access to books, and sometimes playing it forward can make all the difference.

We’re proud to be partnering with Bookbanks, a charity that brings books to foodbanks. They work closely with food banks, using books and trained book professionals to create spaces for conversation, inspiration, literacy and community.

Renard Press

I am always impressed by the work of this independent publisher. Renard Press is a publisher who is passionate about publishing, getting books to people in an affordable way yet still delivering quality, caring for the environment, a publisher who embodies inclusivity.

You can support this indie publisher by purchasing Kew Gardens by Virginia Woolf at the very affordable price of £5.00 or any other book they publish or through a subscription.

Information

Published: Renard Press | Kew Gardens first published in Monday or Tuesday in 1921 | This edition first published by Renard Press Ltd in 2020 | 48pp | ISBN: 9781913724122 | £5.00

Buy: Renard Press Ltd |Your local bookshop | Your local library

Author

VIRGINIA WOOLF (1882–1941) was a Modernist writer, widely considered to be one of the most important of the twentieth century. She and her husband Leonard bought a hand-printing press in 1917, and they set up Hogarth Press in their house in Richmond, which published much of Virginia’s work, as well as those of friends and fellow luminaries. She was a member of the Bloomsbury Set – an artistic, philosophic and literary group which included John Maynard Keynes, E.M. Forster and Lytton Strachey. Today she is best remembered for her novels – in particular To the Lighthouse and Mrs Dalloway – and her essay A Room of One’s Own.