The Rose Garden

By: Tracy Rees

Narrated by: Emma Fenney

The Rose Garden is a richly imagined historical novel full of intrigue and secrets, spanning the luxury and poverty of Victorian England. Perfect for fans of Dinah Jefferies and Rachel Hore.

Every house has its secrets....

For 12-year-old Ottilie Finch, London is an exciting playground to explore. Her family have recently arrived in Hampstead from Durham, under a cloud of scandal that Otty is blissfully unaware of. The only shadow over her days is her mother’s mysterious illness, which keeps her to her room.

When young local girl Mabs is offered the chance to become Mrs Finch’s companion, it saves her from a desperate life on the canals. Little does she know that all is not as picture-perfect as it seems. Mabs is about to become tangled in the secrets that chased the Finches from their last home, and trapped in an impossible dilemma....

©2021 Tracy Rees (P)2021 Macmillan Publishers International Limited

Critic reviews

"Tracy Rees is a natural storyteller.... What a treat it is!" (Rachel Hore)

"In this engrossing novel, Tracy Rees takes the reader directly into the drama and action, her writing bringing every scene to sparkling vivid life.... Totally unputdownable." (Dinah Jefferies)

Another wonderful story by Tracy Rees!

I never wanted it to end. What a wonderful story. Keep these types of stories coming, please.

Most Amazing narration and story!!!

The narrator brought the story and personalities to life like nothing I have ever heard and the story was captivating from beginning to end!

No diminishing returns with Tracy Rees

‘Love at first listen’ is how I would characterise any of Tracy’s books. Her stories are never predictable, but enchanting and uplifting. This book is yet another example of her ability to create rich characters with storylines that can stand alone. I love her creative use of words, often combined in unexpected and interesting ways. The narration of this book was outstanding too. Each accent was delivered authentically and could have been an entire cast of different readers. Great story, excellent narration and totally worth the credit.

Worth the listen

There were times that the story seemed to get bogged down but it was worth hearing through it all. I like Tracy Rees as an author. She develops her characters very well and makes complicated stories. It’s a good listen.

Sweet, but Unlikely

As a rule, I love Tracy Ree’s stories, but in this one, it is my opinion that she tried to tackle too many social issues in one story: adoption, women’s rights, racism, male dominance, and class distinctions. The neatly tied up situations at the end seemed rather improbable. That said, I still enjoyed the story for the most part.

I loved The Rose Garden

It was a little hard in the beginning to keep the main characters straight as they were introduced one at a time, but other than that, I loved the entire book. It was a little suspenseful and it had a very unexpected ending. I can't wait to listen to it again.

Fabulous!

This was a wonderful story! I couldn’t stop listening! Tracy Rees provided an unforgettable story with perfect pitch characterizations! I wan more!

My new favorite author !

Characters, content, portrayal of the times :
all of these are "head and shoulders above" most in this genre. A true pleasure.

Nice story.

Enjoyed the story, though at times the narrator was a bit overdone. Would recommend it.

I didn’t want it to end!

This is a lovely story and a wonderful performance. I didn’t want it to end!