Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Miscarriage, Grief, War, Classism
Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Pregnancy
Minor: Alcohol
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really liked this book! It was such a neat concept, with the women being connected through a garden. To an extent, it was feminist, but almost all the girls ended up with love interests, so. I don’t know. I preferred reading about the 1940s, but I also believe the author could’ve done more with Venetias and Emma’s stories. Overall a neat concept, with a beautiful home and cast of characters.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I truly enjoyed this book. The writing was vivid, I could easily picture the gardens. I found the time changing intriguing and frustrating and fun. Having finished it I found myself reflecting back and seeing all the hints.
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Some of my favorite stories are when past and present are told simultaneously, and this does it beautifully. I loved learning the past and present of the house and garden, and of Emma's story. I would love to see this turned into a movie.
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
TLGiE was the April pick for my IRL book club. The novel follows the stories of five different women, all with ties to the gardens at Highbury House. There are some romance story lines, but at its heart this is a story about women finding their purpose in life. Although at many times sad, it is also a comforting.
LOVED
• The full narrator cast!
• A present-day timeline in which the pandemic did not exist.
• Three timelines that were as interesting and strong as the next one.
• Three timelines that were as interesting and strong as the next one.
• All the descriptions of gardens, and gardening.
• The focus on a part of WWII history that I knew nothing about - young women who were sent to the English countryside to work as “land girls” and the requisition of large estates to be used as hospitals and/or farming land.
My only complaint is that three timelines and five MCs meant that character development was not as strong as it could have been.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Miscarriage, Blood, Classism
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief
Minor: Vomit, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, War
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes