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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
Julia Kelly effortlessly weaves the 3 timelines into a compelling story that I didn’t want to end. As we travel through the time periods we encounter women whose lives and story are connected by a garden at Highbury Estate in the English countryside.
Whether the story was about our modern day character Emma who was attempting to restore the garden to its original design, the original garden designer Venetia in 1907, or Diana, Beth, and Stella from the 1940s, Julia manages to draw us in to the dynamic lives of these strong women. Through her descriptions, Julia has created a charming narrative. I felt as if I was being transported to each time period and quickly became engrossed in their stories.
The puzzle pieces fit together beautifully as she expertly blended and intertwined the 3 timelines. She has intricately drawn the characterization of these strong women with period detail and a very believable dialogue. Julia has a way with words that captures your attention and transports you to the various time periods within the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada, Gallery Books, for the privilege of reading this book.
3.5 stars. I wish there had been maps/sketches of the garden/garden rooms in each era. Also, it feels like there was enough material that each of the three storylines could’ve been a complete book.
This was a sweet story once you got into it, but goodness 3 timelines and 5 character POVs is A LOT. We have Venetia in 1907, Beth, Stella, and Diana all in 1944, and Emma in 2021. They’re all living in the same town and all connected in some way to Highbury House where garden renovation/restoration is happening both in 1907 and 2021. Once I made it about 100 pages in and figured out who everyone was and where they were in time, it got better, but I still wish things had been narrowed down to one or two storylines. All the switching made it difficult to get immersed in the story.
One of my most anticipated reads this year is The Last Garden in England by @juliakellywrites . She is definitely one of my favourite historical fiction writers and I was so surprised and excited to have this appear on my door step from @simonschusterca . There were actual happy tears!
We follow quite a few perspectives of women from different time periods. We have Venetia Smith in 1907, who is a reputable garden designer. She arrives at Highbury House ready to design a magical garden. I loved reading this character and seeing the garden come to life.
In 1944 we have three women who are connected in an unimaginable way. Beth is a land girl who has come to do her part in the war. She meets Stella, a cook at Highbury House whose dreams of travelling come to halt. My favourite from this time period was Diana, the Lady of the house. She starts off as a character you don’t think will make much of an impact on anything but you are proven wrong very soon.
In the present day, Emma, a garden designer like Venetia, is at Highbury House to bring the garden back to life and help it look like it once did back in 1907. She continues to discover long buried secrets as she makes her way through the garden.
I think this might be my new favourite historical fiction! I loved the intertwining of storylines and the uncovering of secrets.
We follow quite a few perspectives of women from different time periods. We have Venetia Smith in 1907, who is a reputable garden designer. She arrives at Highbury House ready to design a magical garden. I loved reading this character and seeing the garden come to life.
In 1944 we have three women who are connected in an unimaginable way. Beth is a land girl who has come to do her part in the war. She meets Stella, a cook at Highbury House whose dreams of travelling come to halt. My favourite from this time period was Diana, the Lady of the house. She starts off as a character you don’t think will make much of an impact on anything but you are proven wrong very soon.
In the present day, Emma, a garden designer like Venetia, is at Highbury House to bring the garden back to life and help it look like it once did back in 1907. She continues to discover long buried secrets as she makes her way through the garden.
I think this might be my new favourite historical fiction! I loved the intertwining of storylines and the uncovering of secrets.
I am a long time reader of Historical Fiction, and was so excited to read this newest release by Julia Kelly. I love that the author dedicated this to her Father, who inspired her own love for gardening. It was Kelly who wrote one of my favorites, Light Over London, and I’m already falling back in love with her writing.
The dual timelines, a beautiful setting, compelling storyline that draws you in, and fascinating characters that I feel hold all the secrets to the past.
One of my favorite things about this was the garden that tied each woman and their stories together.
*many thanks to Gallery for the gifted copy
The dual timelines, a beautiful setting, compelling storyline that draws you in, and fascinating characters that I feel hold all the secrets to the past.
One of my favorite things about this was the garden that tied each woman and their stories together.
*many thanks to Gallery for the gifted copy
3&1/2* Ultimately, this was a satisfying book with an interesting ending. Maybe it was just me, but I was a bit confused at first by the various narrators, especially when they overlapped time zones. It took me about half the book to settle into each woman’s tale and start to see the connections. I found Diana to be the most intriguing and most complex character, therefore, the one I wanted to read about the most. I did thoroughly enjoy reading about the garden through the ages and I now feel that my yard work leaves much to be desired.
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
3 women, Venetia-1907, Beth-1944, and Emma -present day, separated by time but bound together through a garden. Lovely book!
Historical fiction set across multiple time periods? ✔️
Centered around a garden set in the English countryside ✔️
I mean if it's not terribly written that gets a 3-4 star rating from me every time. I enjoyed this one. Kept me intrigued and wanting to see how all the dots connected from 1907-2021. Not the deepest characters, but enough there to keep going and different female perspectives.
Centered around a garden set in the English countryside ✔️
I mean if it's not terribly written that gets a 3-4 star rating from me every time. I enjoyed this one. Kept me intrigued and wanting to see how all the dots connected from 1907-2021. Not the deepest characters, but enough there to keep going and different female perspectives.