Title: The Last Garden in England
Author: Julia Kelly
Published: 2021
Call #: FIC/Kelly
Julia Kelly is back with another engrossing historical fiction title sure to please her fans and new readers alike. This book has everything a reader loves in a good story: engaging characters, connections to the past and an engaging plot. Kelly is amazing with description, bringing the different areas of the garden to life with her vivid imagery. Like her previous novels, Light Over London and Whispers of War, you won't be able to put this book down.
The Last Garden In England takes place across three different time periods, with the plot interweaving between the three. The story begins in present day England, where Emma Lovett is hired to restore the gardens of a large home, Highbury House. While researching the history of the garden, Emma finds the original plans from 1907, learning that that her hero, pioneering landscaper Venetia Smith, is the creator of the themed garden "rooms," including the mysteriously locked Winter Garden. Her research also leads to the discovery of photos from WWII, that highlight what has happened to the gardens. Highbury House has now become a recovery hospital for wounded soldiers, much to Diana Symonds' dismay. Diana is lady of the house and is desperately trying to cling to some sense of normalcy after her husband's death. Her relationship with her cook, Stella Adderton and "land girl" Beth Pedley, will lead to one of the biggest secrets discovered about the Winter Garden.
Jill B.
Popular Materials Manager