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bookworm_oakey's review against another edition
3.0
Not enough depth to the storyline in the "past". Not as good as some of her others but still enjoyable
craftyemma's review against another edition
4.0
Can an abandoned garden really bring two people together?
Cornwall, 1912. Pearl is a budding artist, but also a housemaid at Merryn Hall. When she falls in love with someone she cannot marry, she finds herself about to be cast out of the house. The head gardener makes a truly unselfish and generous offer, enabling them to live together in the gardener's cottage, eventually accepting and loving one another.
In the present day, Mel arrives in Lamorna to gather research for her book on Cornish artists. Whilst staying in the old gardener's cottage at Merryn Hall, she is drawn into the story of Pearl - sensing her presence. Mel is drawn into helping the property owner, Patrick, to start clearing the overgrown garden, unearthing secrets as they go.
Growing closer to Patrick, Mel realises neither of them are ready to pursue a relationship and returns to her old life in London. Absence and time really does make the heart grow fonder and a timely reminder of the garden is the push that Mel needs to make that leap of faith.
I enjoyed the premise of the story - a garden lost in time, overgrown in a tangle of memories and emotions. The relationship blooming between the two main characters and the friendship of the locals helped to weave the story. I felt that three quarters of the way through, the garden was completely forgotten, but then the author found a way to bring it back into focus. I enjoyed being transported into Cornwall, both past and present, and also the idea that even a housemaid could leave an imprint in history, through letters, diaries and her art.
A cosy, easy read, perfect for summer.
Cornwall, 1912. Pearl is a budding artist, but also a housemaid at Merryn Hall. When she falls in love with someone she cannot marry, she finds herself about to be cast out of the house. The head gardener makes a truly unselfish and generous offer, enabling them to live together in the gardener's cottage, eventually accepting and loving one another.
In the present day, Mel arrives in Lamorna to gather research for her book on Cornish artists. Whilst staying in the old gardener's cottage at Merryn Hall, she is drawn into the story of Pearl - sensing her presence. Mel is drawn into helping the property owner, Patrick, to start clearing the overgrown garden, unearthing secrets as they go.
Growing closer to Patrick, Mel realises neither of them are ready to pursue a relationship and returns to her old life in London. Absence and time really does make the heart grow fonder and a timely reminder of the garden is the push that Mel needs to make that leap of faith.
I enjoyed the premise of the story - a garden lost in time, overgrown in a tangle of memories and emotions. The relationship blooming between the two main characters and the friendship of the locals helped to weave the story. I felt that three quarters of the way through, the garden was completely forgotten, but then the author found a way to bring it back into focus. I enjoyed being transported into Cornwall, both past and present, and also the idea that even a housemaid could leave an imprint in history, through letters, diaries and her art.
A cosy, easy read, perfect for summer.
lillyalaine36's review
4.0
Rachel Hore has made it her speciality to write books which seek to tie together stories from the past with those of today. Writing characters who find solace in their modern lives and dramas through the actions of her characters in the past living similar lives.
In The Memory Garden this formula is used to explore the life of Mel, an art history lecturer who takes a sabbatical to write her first book. Travelling to Cornwall she rents a cottage on the estate of Merryn Hall and meets it's handsome owner Patrick. Working together they begin to restore the gardens of the hall and in doing so discover the paintings and stories of a mysterious new artist.
The book then flashes back to the days of pre WWI and the life of servant at the hall Pearl who leads us through the story of the paintings. It was these parts of the book that I fell in love with and longed for them to be longer and more frequent. They were beautifully written and so evocative of that pre war world.
Hore has written another wonderful book which ties together the worlds of both Mel and Pearl. Using the flashback technique can be tricky though if not one of your stories holds up to the other. You can find yourself longing for more of one whilst feeling tepid about the other. Whilst I could have spent more time with Pearl this wasn't a reflection upon the story of Mel and Patrick, my only criticism being the sight long winded ending. We seemed to take a long time to conclude Mel's story going round one or two too many houses before reaching her end. This was a shame and was where I wishes Pearl could have been more prevalent.
It was a lovely setting for the book, on the Cornish Coast and looking at the world of artistry in the area at that time was wonderful. Hore has again proven she has the capability to enrapture and fully immerse her readers in the past. A wonderful read.
In The Memory Garden this formula is used to explore the life of Mel, an art history lecturer who takes a sabbatical to write her first book. Travelling to Cornwall she rents a cottage on the estate of Merryn Hall and meets it's handsome owner Patrick. Working together they begin to restore the gardens of the hall and in doing so discover the paintings and stories of a mysterious new artist.
The book then flashes back to the days of pre WWI and the life of servant at the hall Pearl who leads us through the story of the paintings. It was these parts of the book that I fell in love with and longed for them to be longer and more frequent. They were beautifully written and so evocative of that pre war world.
Hore has written another wonderful book which ties together the worlds of both Mel and Pearl. Using the flashback technique can be tricky though if not one of your stories holds up to the other. You can find yourself longing for more of one whilst feeling tepid about the other. Whilst I could have spent more time with Pearl this wasn't a reflection upon the story of Mel and Patrick, my only criticism being the sight long winded ending. We seemed to take a long time to conclude Mel's story going round one or two too many houses before reaching her end. This was a shame and was where I wishes Pearl could have been more prevalent.
It was a lovely setting for the book, on the Cornish Coast and looking at the world of artistry in the area at that time was wonderful. Hore has again proven she has the capability to enrapture and fully immerse her readers in the past. A wonderful read.
pixieauthoress's review
4.0
I didn't enjoy this quite as much as 'The Dream House' by the same author, mainly because there was a slightly dull period in the middle of the novel where it mainly focused on the contemporary story and the two main characters were a bit depressing and self-absorbed during this time. Although I started out enjoying the contemporary story more, the historical one did get more interesting once the novel got going. Overall, a pretty interesting dual-time narrative which might appeal to Downton Abbey fans due to the historical storyline and the romance between the upper class cousin and the maid. Several reviews comment that this book is nowhere near as good as the author's recent novels, so I'm looking forward to seeing how her writing progresses! Ultimately, a slightly deeper chick-lit novel but still a fairly easy read. 4*
han_cat's review
2.0
decidedly average book. plot and characters have been done many times before and in my opinion much better. writing was pretty basic too. I hate seeming mean but this book was too bland and unoriginal for me.
wordsofclover's review
3.0
I really enjoyed this book and learning about Pearl's story along with Mel's own journey. A read for both young and old!
zoe2088's review
5.0
I loved this book, I loved the dual storyline, everything. It's well written, brilliant location, brilliant characters and I look forward to reading more of Rachel Hore's books.
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