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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a sleeper of a story! It was promising, but very little moved the story, and I found I just wound up not caring about the characters. I would have abandoned it midway, but so many four star reviews made me hang in there, thinking it was going to come alive. I won’t do that again.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
I listened to the audio version and would highly recommend! The narration was wonderful.
*This book was received as an Advanced Reviewer's Copy from NetGalley.
The Last Garden in England is the first book I've read of Kelly's . Choosing to situate her book in three different time periods, they all revolve around the same garden, and the lives of the women who touched that garden.
Venetia is a garden designer in the first decade of the 20th century. Known for her designs and use of non-traditional styles, she's made a name for herself. Now, working on a new garden, she finds distractions that could ultimately end up sinking her career.
Beth, Diana, and several other characters round out the time period during WWII, in which England was besieged and many manors and homesteads taken over in the war effort. The beloved garden designed by Venetia in a previous decade is no exception, granting comfort to the inhabitants of the manor that is being used as a makeshift hospital, and the family who still lives there as well.
Finally, Emma, of 2021, is hired to restore the beautiful garden to its previous glory. A devoted fan of Venetia, unlocking the gardens mysteries becomes just as important as restoring it. And maybe there's time in there for her to discover what she truly wants and needs out of life as well.j
All of the characters are pretty compelling. While I didn't connect quite so much with Venetia, I at least understood her plot, struggling to make a name for herself in a male-dominated world. I think where I lost connection was in the romance, and even that probably only because of how quickly her particular chapters went. My favorite character was probably Diana; I found her complex and interesting, especially given the trials her character has to endure. Stella too really resonated with me. I feel like the book has a potential to paint her in a bad light due to her choices, but I think her strengths were in recognizing her weaknesses and seeking to find the best solution for them.
Overall the book moved pretty seamlessly despite having three different time periods woven in. Each storyline was concise, tied together with the others on the major plot points, and all resolved satisfactorily. While some of the romance points were a bit rushed, I don't think they detracted. And knowing the time period for some it also kind of made sense to have them be rushed. I was pleased to see a lot of information about the various volunteer and work programs during WWII (having just read The Splendid and the Vile it fit in very well with what I learned there). It helped shed a light on that part of history and how people managed. But best of all, the garden was a highlight of this book and I truly appreciated the explanations and descriptions of the various plants used throughout the garden.
A quick, but engrossing read, it's definitely one to settle in with.
Review by M. Reynard 2020
The Last Garden in England is the first book I've read of Kelly's . Choosing to situate her book in three different time periods, they all revolve around the same garden, and the lives of the women who touched that garden.
Venetia is a garden designer in the first decade of the 20th century. Known for her designs and use of non-traditional styles, she's made a name for herself. Now, working on a new garden, she finds distractions that could ultimately end up sinking her career.
Beth, Diana, and several other characters round out the time period during WWII, in which England was besieged and many manors and homesteads taken over in the war effort. The beloved garden designed by Venetia in a previous decade is no exception, granting comfort to the inhabitants of the manor that is being used as a makeshift hospital, and the family who still lives there as well.
Finally, Emma, of 2021, is hired to restore the beautiful garden to its previous glory. A devoted fan of Venetia, unlocking the gardens mysteries becomes just as important as restoring it. And maybe there's time in there for her to discover what she truly wants and needs out of life as well.j
All of the characters are pretty compelling. While I didn't connect quite so much with Venetia, I at least understood her plot, struggling to make a name for herself in a male-dominated world. I think where I lost connection was in the romance, and even that probably only because of how quickly her particular chapters went. My favorite character was probably Diana; I found her complex and interesting, especially given the trials her character has to endure. Stella too really resonated with me. I feel like the book has a potential to paint her in a bad light due to her choices, but I think her strengths were in recognizing her weaknesses and seeking to find the best solution for them.
Overall the book moved pretty seamlessly despite having three different time periods woven in. Each storyline was concise, tied together with the others on the major plot points, and all resolved satisfactorily. While some of the romance points were a bit rushed, I don't think they detracted. And knowing the time period for some it also kind of made sense to have them be rushed. I was pleased to see a lot of information about the various volunteer and work programs during WWII (having just read The Splendid and the Vile it fit in very well with what I learned there). It helped shed a light on that part of history and how people managed. But best of all, the garden was a highlight of this book and I truly appreciated the explanations and descriptions of the various plants used throughout the garden.
A quick, but engrossing read, it's definitely one to settle in with.
Review by M. Reynard 2020
This was a 3 star book for me. It was okay. I found the pace of the stories of each character was so slow. It was historically mildly interesting but I just didn’t find the stories of the characters peeked my interest at all, and some parts of the story I found just too predictable. It fell flat for me. I was waiting for something “bigger” to transpire, and it never did.
I love the concept of this book. Following women from 3 different generations, all connected by a garden (sighhhh, sounds heavenly). But I found this book to be superficial and confusing. There were so many characters and it was often difficult to keep the storylines straight. I would have liked more depth into each story line with fewer "main" characters-- especially when it comes to the romances in this book. I often thought, Wait, how did we get here? during the "romanitc" moments in the book. It felt as if the relationships went from 0-60 in a paragraph, but I was blindfolded when it was evolving, ha!
In my next life I want to come back as a wealthy English noblewoman and spend my days promenading, taking tea and reading in one of my meticulously kept gardens on the sprawling country estate owned by my family for generations. Yes, I think that will do just splendidly...
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated