A review by sarahmatthews
The Garden of Lost and Found by Harriet Evans

The premise for this one was very appealing as I always love a novel about the art world or a family saga and this had both.

There was a lot I enjoyed about it, especially the modern timeline but I found I put it down when the 1890s timeline came in as I just didn’t connect with the characters and couldn’t care about what was happening there, just wanting to return to the present.

I really liked the garden diary element of the structure which was a great hook to get Juliet out of her daily struggles and connected again to country life and enjoyed the general chaos of her family.

I read this in hardcopy Braille to start with then switched to electronic Braille and finally, when I realised just how long the book was, I switched to audio for the last two parts, which I read in a day.

I found the story really engaging overall but it felt uneven and a bit of a struggle to stay with at times, finding myself putting it down for several weeks. I think it was a bit repetitive and over explained. The ending felt far too drawn out (I definitely didn’t need to read an epilogue) but ultimately I’m glad I finished it as the conclusion was satisfying if a little predictable. One to stick with.