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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
The audiobook was hard to get into at first.
I enjoyed the last quarter of the book the most.
I enjoyed the last quarter of the book the most.
Couldn't put this down. I will say that there are a LOT of characters to keep track of at first, but once I figured out the format of the book, it got easier. I really loved the way that aspects of the earlier time periods affected the stories in the later time periods, and the characters were all really compelling and interesting, but very different. Even though there wasn't time to delve too deeply into the stories of any one of the women, I think the book did a great job making you understand and feel for each one of them. Highly recommend!
The Last Garden in England brings three women together from different generations. Their stories offer readers pieces of history, romance, mystery and their qualities transcended generations; their independence, commitment and strength to overcome adversity. I loved the design of the last garden and the challenges it represented. “I believe much like books gardens are organic, unpredictable things revealing their beauty how and when they choose. It is up to us to remember to pause and enjoy their beauty every day.” Julia Kelly
Really enjoyed this pre-published copy. So now I wonder if they changed anything for the final printing? I liked all of the women, the storylines and how things wrapped up.
I enjoyed the connected stories over time quite a bit, though I did get a little confused when there were multiple women in the same time-frame. Once my brain sorted the structure though, I found this a compelling read.
A multi-generational romance with a few too many characters.
Beautifully written. The characters and their relationships, the ever changing and evolving scenery; I just wanted to devour every detail of this book. It isn't my usual read, either. Quite a bit more mellow and day-to-day living than what I usually go for, but I'm delighted that I did. You'll fall in love with many of the characters and find that there's a few surprise twists you won't see coming. I've already picked up a few more similarly written novels, including another by Julia Kelly. Definitely recommend her books.
Stories of 3 women and the garden they tended one Victorian, one WWII era, one current. A bit like a Dickens novel with the number of characters, even more confusing because characters were referenced with sometimes their first name and sometimes their full name. Despite the frustration of names it was worth finishing.
dark
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
This was such a weird book. Very boring for the most part, and things get strange near the resolution.
Of the main characters:
• Venetia (1907)
• Beth (1944)
• Stella (1944)
• Diana (1944)
• Emma (2021)
2021 did not need to be there at all. All the stories had pretty basic plot lines without not a lot going on. Very tropey and light fare, but 2021 was definitely the least interesting. Maybe this book hits different if you’re a super big gardening nerd, but I had no interest in Emma building mild friendships with mild people. The romance was bland and basically nonexistent. Hard to find much to care about when she popped up.
1907 was fun enough given the setting. A woman designing a garden at a time when it would have been groundbreaking (pun intended) but again, not a lot to say. You could see where the plot was going a mile away and it did not deviate from what was expected. The writing was strong thought so it was easy listening.
The 1940s had the most characters and the most meat on the bones. A historic manner in wartime was a lot more interesting than anything else going on in the book. It was interesting to learn about how the landed gentry were commissioned in wartime, and there was at least the pretense of stakes for these stories.
Throughout all the stories, it felt like this was not a book meant to really challenge you. This is ultimately a light/feel-good beach read. However, WWII setting demands some tragedy and how characters cope with that tragedy, and it’s super weird and almost messed up how the author chose to pursue this.
Spoilers:
• Stella’s sister dies, leaving her the guardian of her 4 year old nephew (sad, but understandable)
• Stella has no desire to be a parent and is out of her depth (complicated, but fair)
• Diana’s son dies by eating poisonous flower’s on Beth’s wedding day (oh. Wow. Ok. Robin had asthma so I thought that would come up again, but I guess that was a red herring. Surely we’ll get a chapter on Beth and how she feels about this tragedy on her wedding day)
• We do not find out how Beth feels about this tragedy on her wedding day. She seems to stay completely focused on her own internal issues that were developing before the child death. I’m a bit surprised that she seems completely unaffected.
• Diana wants to adopt Stella’s nephew Bobby because she feels that her purpose is to be a mother and that she and she and Bobby are now bonded through grief (fair enough, I guess)
• Diana and Stella have developed an interesting friendship, so when Diana offers to send her to school and to take over parenting as a win-win, that also seems ok enough because it’s clear that Bobby deserves to grow up with a loving parent
• Stella then saying that after she leaves she will never see Robin again?? Ok, a bit harsh! I get that you don’t wanna parent but that fucking sucks for him!
• Fucked up for Stella to throw Beth’s bad upbringing back at her
• So weird that they seem to never tell Bobby why he’s now being raised by Diana! Such a British move to adopt a kid/abandon a kid and decide his life without telling him anything. His life is a lie!
• Diana evicts her somewhat bitchy sister in law in a way that is supposed to be taken as triumphant but honestly seems kind of harsh
• None of the men act era appropriate. That makes them seem super progressive and more appealing, but tbh took me out of the history. What can you do. They are set dressing and none of them have arcs.
Of the main characters:
• Venetia (1907)
• Beth (1944)
• Stella (1944)
• Diana (1944)
• Emma (2021)
2021 did not need to be there at all. All the stories had pretty basic plot lines without not a lot going on. Very tropey and light fare, but 2021 was definitely the least interesting. Maybe this book hits different if you’re a super big gardening nerd, but I had no interest in Emma building mild friendships with mild people. The romance was bland and basically nonexistent. Hard to find much to care about when she popped up.
1907 was fun enough given the setting. A woman designing a garden at a time when it would have been groundbreaking (pun intended) but again, not a lot to say. You could see where the plot was going a mile away and it did not deviate from what was expected. The writing was strong thought so it was easy listening.
The 1940s had the most characters and the most meat on the bones. A historic manner in wartime was a lot more interesting than anything else going on in the book. It was interesting to learn about how the landed gentry were commissioned in wartime, and there was at least the pretense of stakes for these stories.
Throughout all the stories, it felt like this was not a book meant to really challenge you. This is ultimately a light/feel-good beach read. However, WWII setting demands some tragedy and how characters cope with that tragedy, and it’s super weird and almost messed up how the author chose to pursue this.
Spoilers:
• Stella’s sister dies, leaving her the guardian of her 4 year old nephew (sad, but understandable)
• Stella has no desire to be a parent and is out of her depth (complicated, but fair)
• Diana’s son dies by eating poisonous flower’s on Beth’s wedding day (oh. Wow. Ok. Robin had asthma so I thought that would come up again, but I guess that was a red herring. Surely we’ll get a chapter on Beth and how she feels about this tragedy on her wedding day)
• We do not find out how Beth feels about this tragedy on her wedding day. She seems to stay completely focused on her own internal issues that were developing before the child death. I’m a bit surprised that she seems completely unaffected.
• Diana wants to adopt Stella’s nephew Bobby because she feels that her purpose is to be a mother and that she and she and Bobby are now bonded through grief (fair enough, I guess)
• Diana and Stella have developed an interesting friendship, so when Diana offers to send her to school and to take over parenting as a win-win, that also seems ok enough because it’s clear that Bobby deserves to grow up with a loving parent
• Stella then saying that after she leaves she will never see Robin again?? Ok, a bit harsh! I get that you don’t wanna parent but that fucking sucks for him!
• Fucked up for Stella to throw Beth’s bad upbringing back at her
• So weird that they seem to never tell Bobby why he’s now being raised by Diana! Such a British move to adopt a kid/abandon a kid and decide his life without telling him anything. His life is a lie!
• Diana evicts her somewhat bitchy sister in law in a way that is supposed to be taken as triumphant but honestly seems kind of harsh
• None of the men act era appropriate. That makes them seem super progressive and more appealing, but tbh took me out of the history. What can you do. They are set dressing and none of them have arcs.
emotional
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Grief, Pregnancy