The Last Garden in England
The Last Garden in England is a beautiful story full of gorgeous imagery and strong female comradery.
Present Day: Emma Lovett, who has dedicated her career to breathing new life into long-neglected gardens, has just been given the opportunity of a lifetime: to restore the gardens of the famed Highbury House estate, designed in 1907 by her hero Venetia Smith. But as Emma dives deeper into the gardens’ past, she begins to uncover secrets that have long lain hidden.
1907: A talented artist with a growing reputation for her ambitious work, Venetia Smith has carved out a niche for herself as a garden designer to industrialists, solicitors, and bankers looking to show off their wealth with sumptuous country houses. When she is hired to design the gardens of Highbury House, she is determined to make them a triumph, but the gardens—and the people she meets—promise to change her life forever.
1944: When land girl Beth Pedley arrives at a farm on the outskirts of the village of Highbury, all she wants is to find a place she can call home. Cook Stella Adderton, on the other hand, is desperate to leave Highbury House to pursue her own dreams. And widow Diana Symonds, the mistress of the grand house, is anxiously trying to cling to her pre-war life now that her home has been requisitioned and transformed into a convalescent hospital for wounded soldiers. But when war threatens Highbury House’s treasured gardens, these three very different women are drawn together by a secret that will last for decades.
The story revolves around the lives of five women who all are connected to the gardens of Highbury in England. Kelly was able to write her story through the points of view of all five women and three different time periods. One would think that this would be too much for and author and reader to take on, but it wasn’t. The story flowed seamlessly, and I found myself fully immersed in the lives of all five strong female characters. It was so interesting to see how their lives were impacted by the time periods and social circumstances.
The central theme of the story revolved around Highbury House Gardens. I still can’t get over how Kelly was able to transport me into a lush land full of beautiful flowers, plants and tons of color. She really must have put a lot of time and effort into her research in order to transport the reader into a botanical paradise. I felt as if I was right there taking in the sights and working along side the characters in the story. You could smell the earth and feel the sun. Kelly truly has a gift for cinematic imagery.
Overall, this was quite the enjoyable read. If you are someone who loves a story with a beautiful setting, friendship, romance, engaging characters and a steady pace you should pick this book up!
Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for the gifted copy of this digital book in exchange for my honest review.
