The Gardens of Ailana by Edward Fahey is a fictional novel with spiritual motifs. The book starts with an introduction to Ailana, the Healer as well as the place called The Gardens of Ailana where her spirit resides. We then meet Paulette, a volunteer with a terrible past, at Green Man’s Glen, a healing and meditation retreat. As Paulette works through conquering her demons, she meets other people like Harvey, Marsha, and Charlie among others, who are also struggling to overcome their scarred pasts and are on a similar quest. We see their silent struggles as well as the healing that takes place as all find peace in the Gardens of Ailana. Ultimately, this book weaves together a beautiful story of healing and the ways of a healer, against the backdrop of metaphysical elements, mysticism, spirituality, karma, the themes of consciousness and what lies beyond, and more.

The Gardens of Ailana by Edward Fahey is a deeply spiritual novel that almost reads like a soothing self-help or meditation book. I think that every person who reads it can get something out of it in their own life. I found the book to be very uplifting in which every word deserves to be savored and reflected upon. The Gardens of Ailana touches on some dark themes like childhood abuse and trauma, and all people, and especially ones that have undergone some type of physical or mental abuse will find some of the therapeutic touch and healing that they need from this book. All in all, a wonderful book on the power of healing that I would recommend to everyone.

Birth. Life. Death. Pain. Healing. Enlightenment. We are each on a journey and each of us, in time, comes to a personal crossroads where the elemental forces of life, pain, healing, death, and enlightenment converge. We arrive at this place in our own time and each in our own way, and what we do with the opportunities for spiritual growth which we are given along the way has a great deal to do with how, where, and when we arrive at enlightenment. Countless books have been written about the stages of the human experience and possible strategies for making the most of our earthly journey, but few have as much of real value to offer as The Gardens of Ailana by Edward Fahey, which is a kind of “Everyman” for an enlightened age. From beginning to end, it is populated with altruistic, authentically rendered characters representative of each of us trying to wend our way through the maze of life’s pain and forgiveness to what we hope will be an enlightened transition at the end of a road well-traveled.

In Edward Fahey’s The Gardens of Ailana, four characters are on an inevitable journey with one common purpose: embracing the capacity to heal. Their paths are alternately populated with speed bumps and visions; as in real life, the way to true enlightenment reveals itself in riddles to be solved only in moments of personal revelation. As much as Ailana’s gardens - “Green Man’s Glen,” as they are called - are a physical environment in which she applies (both in life and after death) her remarkable healing gifts, the real gardens of this touching and transformative story are the lives she has impacted with those gifts. One of the book’s central characters, Murph, perhaps captures it best: “Everyone, he said, was a hero in the making. In their weaknesses lay their strengths. Amid what they might see as the rubble of their lives and broken spirits they might still find building blocks for something rich and meaningful beyond all imagining.”

The greatest epics of human history - Gilgamesh, Beowulf, and the Ramayana, to name a few - offer superhuman heroes accomplishing amazing feats on a playing field which spans universes. Their lives have inspired us for centuries. The Gardens of Ailana by Edward Fahey offers the same kind of seminal characters, with one key difference: the expansive universe in which they defeat their monsters is the universe within - infinite, mysterious, and fully knowable only to those who dare to venture across the threshold. In this sense, The Gardens of Ailana is a different book for each reader, with different truths to impart and a different reward waiting at the end of each reader’s journey. What if, in the end, what matters most is not who we were in this life but rather who we were to each other? In Ailana’s garden, everyone has the capacity to heal and to be healed. It is world that we as a species would do well to spend a great deal more time exploring.

"Just finished this Wonderful book. I wasn't sure what to expect when I began the story but knew it was something I genuinely needed to read. So, I found a warm spot in the sun and began an incredible journey into a forest filled with wisdom, magic and PEACE.
"Being raised Roman Catholic it is easy to have guilt ingrained into one's soul before they're barely out of diapers. Even now at the age of 60, and having walked away from the church more than 40 years ago, I find I STILL carry much of that guilt, but clueless as to what it's even about. I think if there is a single theme that this tale carries throughout, it would be Forgiveness -- even when you aren't aware of what or toward whom (including oneself) -- because, Forgiveness isn't an Action and "The Gardens of Ailana" teaches more on this single 'word' than any book, or movie, or lecturer I've ever encountered.
"If you are looking for Peace within, do yourself a favor and fix a cuppa of tea or coffee; find a comfy seat and immerse yourself. I'm so glad I did."

"There is magic here, and a pervading sense of wonder.
“This is a magical story, wreathed in tragedy and infused with an almost effervescent resilience.
“In many ways, Fahey's easy use of metaphor reminded me of some of Gibran's more transcendent work. Although it in no way is framed like Dostoyevski, there are still elements of Miracle, Mystery, and Authority reminiscent of "The Grand Inquisitor."
“At its core, this is a story of spiritual healing; something rich and strange and altogether wonderful."

"Overcoming abuse and neglect, transcending pain, learning to love, live, and heal. This is an amazing journey. It will make you glad to be alive. I don't know how to accurately describe this book. Suffice it to say, I just finished it at 3:15 in the morning. This books affects you, stays inside you, snuggles into a warm little spot in your heart. I am certain I will read this again and again, probably starting tomorrow. It makes me want to be a better me. It makes me hope that maybe I can. It makes me know that there is so much more............."