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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
Nothing original about this plot at all. You can predict everything that happens with a minimum of information given. I like books set in either World War, but they need to show a little originality, and this one doesn't. I finished it, but only because I didn't have much else to read in the house at the time!
Summary: Emily Bryce chafes at the restrictions placed on her by her very proper British parents. She wants to work as a nurse like her best friend, Clarice. But with the WWI battlefield death of her brother, Freddie, her parents are now overly protective of their only daughter. Besides, her upwardly mobile mother feels it isn’t proper for a young lady to do anything to help the war effort besides visiting injured soldiers in the convalescent home next door. Nothing short of someone with a title or at the very least “one of their own kind”, is good enough for Emily.
On one of these sanctioned visits to the convalescent home, Emily meets Lieutenant Robbie Kerr, a member of the Australian Royal Flying Corps. Although from very different backgrounds, Emily and Robbie fall in love. After Emily turns 21, she is free to make her own choices. With Robbie back flying in the war, she decides to volunteer as a Land Girl, working the farms in Britain to help on the home front.
With a genteel upbringing, Emily is totally unprepared to be a Land Girl, but she is young, strong, healthy and willing to work. She soon befriends the girls she works with, women of completely different stations and backgrounds. After assignments picking potatoes and sowing hay, she ends up working for Lady Charleston, tending her large garden. She and two other women live in the tumble-down cottage on the estate.
After she learns that Robbie was killed in a plane crash, she discovers she is pregnant. Remembering her mother’s sharp criticism of another unwed mother, Emily decides to remain with Lady Charleston as companion, gardener and library organizer, rather than return home. Emily blossoms as she continues to gain independence and learn skills in herbalism from an old book she found in the cottage.
But someone doesn’t like Emily and is determined to see her gone.
Comments: I’m a huge Rhys Bowen fan and I particularly like her stand-alone novels. I recently reviewed The Tuscan Child. I liked that book, but I like The Victory Garden better. Like her other historical fiction, the author uses the time period as a backdrop to the lives of her characters and doesn’t spend a lot of time on specific historical details. In The Victory Garden, the author does a credible job of describing English countryside life during WWI. But for me, it is the characters that shine, which is what I like most in her writing.
I absolutely devour Rhys Bowen’s books. She can’t write them fast enough for me to read them. I look forward to whatever she’s publishing next!
Highly recommended for fans of Historical Fiction, General Fiction or Women’s Fiction.
On one of these sanctioned visits to the convalescent home, Emily meets Lieutenant Robbie Kerr, a member of the Australian Royal Flying Corps. Although from very different backgrounds, Emily and Robbie fall in love. After Emily turns 21, she is free to make her own choices. With Robbie back flying in the war, she decides to volunteer as a Land Girl, working the farms in Britain to help on the home front.
With a genteel upbringing, Emily is totally unprepared to be a Land Girl, but she is young, strong, healthy and willing to work. She soon befriends the girls she works with, women of completely different stations and backgrounds. After assignments picking potatoes and sowing hay, she ends up working for Lady Charleston, tending her large garden. She and two other women live in the tumble-down cottage on the estate.
After she learns that Robbie was killed in a plane crash, she discovers she is pregnant. Remembering her mother’s sharp criticism of another unwed mother, Emily decides to remain with Lady Charleston as companion, gardener and library organizer, rather than return home. Emily blossoms as she continues to gain independence and learn skills in herbalism from an old book she found in the cottage.
But someone doesn’t like Emily and is determined to see her gone.
Comments: I’m a huge Rhys Bowen fan and I particularly like her stand-alone novels. I recently reviewed The Tuscan Child. I liked that book, but I like The Victory Garden better. Like her other historical fiction, the author uses the time period as a backdrop to the lives of her characters and doesn’t spend a lot of time on specific historical details. In The Victory Garden, the author does a credible job of describing English countryside life during WWI. But for me, it is the characters that shine, which is what I like most in her writing.
I absolutely devour Rhys Bowen’s books. She can’t write them fast enough for me to read them. I look forward to whatever she’s publishing next!
Highly recommended for fans of Historical Fiction, General Fiction or Women’s Fiction.
My first novel by Rhys Bowen and I loved it! Set during the Great War in 1918, Bowen gives a fictional account of what hardships and sacrifice many went through during the war.
Emily, the main character is portrayed as a strong, independent woman who is not afraid to follow her own path in life. Emily cultivates the friendship of many diverse women and makes somewhat of a family out of those who have no one else.
Although many in the story have suffered loss, this is not a sad, depressing tale, but one of hope and resilience. Many have heard the phrase “it takes a village” and this was certainly the example throughout the book.
I loved the descriptions of the English countryside, villages and especially the little cottage where Emily created a temporary home. For readers who like historical fiction and clean reading without disturbing war descriptions, this is an excellent choice to read.
I have two other novels by Rhys Bowen on my reading list, so I will certainly look forward to reading those in the near future.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.
Emily, the main character is portrayed as a strong, independent woman who is not afraid to follow her own path in life. Emily cultivates the friendship of many diverse women and makes somewhat of a family out of those who have no one else.
Although many in the story have suffered loss, this is not a sad, depressing tale, but one of hope and resilience. Many have heard the phrase “it takes a village” and this was certainly the example throughout the book.
I loved the descriptions of the English countryside, villages and especially the little cottage where Emily created a temporary home. For readers who like historical fiction and clean reading without disturbing war descriptions, this is an excellent choice to read.
I have two other novels by Rhys Bowen on my reading list, so I will certainly look forward to reading those in the near future.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.
Wonderful story!
Wonderful story! It even has recipes for your inner wise woman to try. I must read another of Bowen us books.
Wonderful story! It even has recipes for your inner wise woman to try. I must read another of Bowen us books.
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
The story is a simple, slightly predictable historical tale of romance, loss and friendship. I took a half star off because this book had one of my pet peeves -- repeated information due to poor editing. At one point a character uses Emily's name only for a few pages later to claim he didn't know it and asks for it. This sort of poor editing happens twice and I find it quite annoying.
The Victory Garden is a story...
Of love,
Of lost,
Of grief,
Of healing,
but most of all...
Of the resilience and strength of women through whatever life brings.
I love stories of women in the wartime. As this is set in WW1, women were still relegated to certain duties (ie. being a wife, etc) but as war has called most men away from their usual posts, women are called to fill in. Emily Bryce felt such a call and despite her parents' objections, went on her own way and determinedly carved her own path in life.
She flew on the wind of love.
She strove for her country.
She drowned in the sea of grief.
She surfaced for the one she carried.
The Victory Garden is a slow and sweet story. Let me stressed on the 'slow'. The book description really didn't leave too much out... Usually, you'd expect the book blurb to describe maybe to about halfway at most & leave the rest for readers to explore but not this one. I guess this is why I found the book to be really really slow. Nevertheless, it was a lovely tale and I did enjoy it.
Of love,
Of lost,
Of grief,
Of healing,
but most of all...
Of the resilience and strength of women through whatever life brings.
I love stories of women in the wartime. As this is set in WW1, women were still relegated to certain duties (ie. being a wife, etc) but as war has called most men away from their usual posts, women are called to fill in. Emily Bryce felt such a call and despite her parents' objections, went on her own way and determinedly carved her own path in life.
She flew on the wind of love.
She strove for her country.
She drowned in the sea of grief.
She surfaced for the one she carried.
The Victory Garden is a slow and sweet story. Let me stressed on the 'slow'. The book description really didn't leave too much out... Usually, you'd expect the book blurb to describe maybe to about halfway at most & leave the rest for readers to explore but not this one. I guess this is why I found the book to be really really slow. Nevertheless, it was a lovely tale and I did enjoy it.
I’ve read and enjoyed a few Rhys Bowen books, which left me eager to dive into The Victory Garden. I was eager for another read that was addictive in the ways of In Farleigh Field and The Tuscan Child, and happily devoured this one.
Although The Victory Garden was an addictive read, one I was able to complete in no time at all due to my addiction, I found I did not enjoy it to the same degree as my other Rhys Bowen books. It was enjoyable, it kept me hooked, but I wasn’t quite sucked into it in the way I had hoped.
I think my issue is that I never felt the emotional connection I had expected to. There were plenty of elements throughout this story that could have left me feeling a range of emotions, yet I never felt them. I appreciated the story, but it did not pack the punch I had imagined it would.
It had great characters, an interesting storyline, and the usual addictive Rhys Bowen writing, but it wasn’t quite to the level I had hoped. It is certainly worth a read, but I cannot label this one my favourite Rhys Bowen book.
Although The Victory Garden was an addictive read, one I was able to complete in no time at all due to my addiction, I found I did not enjoy it to the same degree as my other Rhys Bowen books. It was enjoyable, it kept me hooked, but I wasn’t quite sucked into it in the way I had hoped.
I think my issue is that I never felt the emotional connection I had expected to. There were plenty of elements throughout this story that could have left me feeling a range of emotions, yet I never felt them. I appreciated the story, but it did not pack the punch I had imagined it would.
It had great characters, an interesting storyline, and the usual addictive Rhys Bowen writing, but it wasn’t quite to the level I had hoped. It is certainly worth a read, but I cannot label this one my favourite Rhys Bowen book.
I liked the main character and her friends. To me this was less romance and more of a coming of age tale of this young WW1 woman. The narrator was fantastic. For this American, I was pleasantly surprised to hear differences in accents.
Others have called this predictable. I truly thought I knew what was coming several times and was surprised it went a different way. So while, yes, the major idea was expected, the things that happened to Emily after never were to me.
I enjoyed this audiobook.
Others have called this predictable. I truly thought I knew what was coming several times and was surprised it went a different way. So while, yes, the major idea was expected, the things that happened to Emily after never were to me.
I enjoyed this audiobook.
I received this from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.
As the Great War continues to take its toll, headstrong twenty-one-year-old Emily Bryce is determined to contribute to the war effort. Emily’s lover has not only died a hero but has left her terrified—and with child. Since no one knows that Emily was never married, she adopts the charade of a war widow.
A quick and easy read, rather predictable.
3☆
As the Great War continues to take its toll, headstrong twenty-one-year-old Emily Bryce is determined to contribute to the war effort. Emily’s lover has not only died a hero but has left her terrified—and with child. Since no one knows that Emily was never married, she adopts the charade of a war widow.
A quick and easy read, rather predictable.
3☆
Unsurprising. Soothingly mediocre.
I enjoyed learning some about the Women’s Land Army. And herbal medicines and witches. Honestly, witchery was introduced too late in the novel.
The story was very uncomplicated, sparing in detail, and plot breezed by with the page without manifesting gravity. The characters were fairly static. Writing was repetitive.
I haven’t really said anything positive in my review thus far, but I actually enjoyed reading the book—it was a nice breather. The most frustrating books show promise but lack follow through or empathy or nuance or something.
This, though, was just a moderate eye-roll because of the clichés. Yes, The Victory Garden lacked ingenuity, but at least it was straightforward.
I enjoyed learning some about the Women’s Land Army. And herbal medicines and witches. Honestly, witchery was introduced too late in the novel.
The story was very uncomplicated, sparing in detail, and plot breezed by with the page without manifesting gravity. The characters were fairly static. Writing was repetitive.
I haven’t really said anything positive in my review thus far, but I actually enjoyed reading the book—it was a nice breather. The most frustrating books show promise but lack follow through or empathy or nuance or something.
This, though, was just a moderate eye-roll because of the clichés. Yes, The Victory Garden lacked ingenuity, but at least it was straightforward.