The Last Garden in England

By: Julia Kelly

Narrated by: Shiromi Arserio, Marisa Calin, Danielle Cohen, Katherine Littrell, Siobhan Waring

From the author of the international best sellers The Light Over London and The Whispers of War comes “a compelling read, filled with lovable characters and an alluring twist of fates” (Ellen Keith, author of The Dutch Wife) about five women living across three different times whose lives are all connected by one very special garden.

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 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.

“Gorgeously written and rooted in meticulous period detail, this novel is vibrant as it is stirring. Fans of historical fiction will fall in love with The Last Garden in England.” (Roxanne Veletzos, author of The Girl They Left Behind).

©2021 Julia Kelly. All rights reserved. (P)2021 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Good Development of Plot and Charecters

Good overall character and story development. It took me awhile to figure out the movement through time and who fit with which years... but it made me reason out the processes.

Best book I have read this year and for many years

I really loved each of the three stories and the way they entwined. I learned so much about plants, history, and human nature. The gentle live themes warmed my heart too!

Beautiful Story!

I found myself smiling through most of this book, and then brought to tears at times. The visual imagery played out perfectly in my mind’s eye with the author’s skill for storytelling. I LOVED this book so much I’ve shared it with more than a few friends. If you’re looking for a book to escape into, this is the one. Pure joy!

Interesting Historical Fiction Novel

If you enjoy WWII historical fiction books and multiple story lines woven together over different time periods, I would recommend this book! It followed multiple women’s lives and how they were deeply connected to the Highbury Estate’s Gardens. Found it a peaceful and interesting read with a satisfying ending.

Loved this story!

Delightful book and the delivery by the narrators were better than I usually find for a book with several actors telling the tale. For anyone who loves garden, especially English ones. The women and their families are brilliantly woven into the stories behind the garden.

Good read, lacks diversity

I write these reviews for myself so I’ll remember what I read and if I liked it/the author. You can move along.

This was a lot like Lights Over London I read by the same author - but, I like the setting (England in 1904, WWII, and current day). It’s female focused and the history is accurate. Good when I don’t have anything else to read.

I don’t like that all of the people are white and the relationships are heterosexual. I might write to the author and ask her to consider some diversity.

Strong Women

It starts off slow, but pay attention. As the author spins her web around you with these interesting historical women and their stories. End was well played. Really nice read.

Very interesting I wish More was true

The storyline was good as in any book that has great divisions in it you get more interested in one than another. I really wish books that have a lot of men speaking in them would have men do the reading in the book and not women. I also wish more of this book was true.

Many stories woven together

I really appreciated that this was told from 5 perspectives - it kept the story really interesting - I never got bored of any of the characters. Fun to piece together how all their experiences influenced the garden, the central theme. All of the narrators were decent, though I didn't like Venetia's narrator's pacing - she'd rush a few words, pause, repeat, which made it distracting. Overall, a very pleasant read

GREAT BOOK

Enjoyed this very much. Well woven. Held my interest to the last word. Such a special story.