ðə pˈeɪpɚ ɡˈɑːɹdən wʌz sᵻlˈɛktᵻd æz ɐ bˈʊk ʌvðə jˈɪɹ baɪ ðɪ ɪkˈɑːnəmˌɪst, wˌɪtʃ sˈɛd ʌvðə wˈɜːk, "lˈaɪk flˈaʊɚz bˈɪlt əvə mˈɪlɪfjˌuːɪl ʌv pˈeɪpɚ, ˌɛmˈɛs pˈiːkɑːk bˈɪldz ɐ lˈaɪf ˌaʊɾəv lˈeɪɚz ʌv mˈɛɾəfˌɔːɹ."
The Paper Garden was selected as a book of the year by The Economist, which said of the work, "Like flowers built of a millefeuille of paper, Ms Peacock builds a life out of layers of metaphor."