A House with a Garden is the story of a middle aged, middle class, lifelong housewife, who is unexpectedly widowed. Inexperienced in both home design and horticulture she creates, over the years, a colorful, fruitful garden. It represents in its evolution a cautious claiming of space by a woman for whom autonomy came uninvited, late in life.
The house with a garden is in Kothrud, a suburb of Pune, the second largest city in Maharashtra State, India. Kothrud grew exponentially in the 1980's from a small farming hamlet to a dense urban center.
As with the author's previous book House with a Door, this story about the meaning of house and garden for a specific woman of a specific class reveals a universal truth - that a secure claim to house and home can empower all women. It offers valuable insight for those seeking to better the lives of women around the world.