The Last Garden

Product Information

The concept of designing a garden, then its restoration is a very original premise. And I was looking forward to those two stories. But I didn’t feel that the designing and restoration process came through in those two stories. They were more absorbed by something else. At the end, the story I expected the least from turned out to be the most interesting.

The distinctive voices of the five narrators helped me to slip into each timeline. My favorite timeline was that of 1944 but all three of them are interesting and by the end of the book I understood how everything was connected. The 1907 timeline is Venetia's story and the present day timeline is Emma's story, but the 1944 timeline focuses on many more people and that is the heart of the story for me. Being in the midst of WWII and with the estate being requisitioned to aid the wartime efforts, there is even the threat that the gardens will be plowed under. That is when widowed estate owner widow Diana Symonds puts her foot down. Present day Emma has so many questions about the past and one curiosity is what has happened to the key to the overgrown winter garden. Slowly the past unfolds for her and the reader.

The Secret Sky Garden

An avowed bachelorette at thirty five, Venetia is focused on designing, her love of gardening, and being outdoors. When Mrs. Melcourt insists that Venetia incorporate her brother's roses into the garden plans, Venetia silently seethes but meets with Mr. Goddard as requested. While Venetia’s career was exceptional for her time period, World War II forced many women in 1944 to work when they otherwise might not have had the opportunity to pursue a trade. How did the war impact the lives Beth, Diana, Stella, Cynthia, and Matron were able to lead? How did their lives pave the way for women like Emma? How did the war change the lives of women the world over? If you were a woman in 1944, which job would you have liked to have had to help with the war effort? I found this book to be an interesting addition to the historical fiction shelf. Even with WW2 books, it was nice to see a unique tale of the people left home rather than on the front. As I said, though, this is more than just the 1940's. It is interesting to see the lives and restrictions on women's lives and expectations and how they have changed over the years. Interesting to compare the differences yet similarities of women throughout time. The estate has passed down through the family and Diane Melcourt is charged with holding it all together. She’s met with resistance from her deceased husband’s sister who has moved herself into the house and is on the verge of a coup.

In season 2 of Downton Abbey, the great house is converted into a convalescent home for injured soldiers. Although it takes place during World War I, it’s reminiscent of many of the hospital scenes in the The Last Garden in England. After reading this novel, binge a few episodes of Downton Abbey with your book club to imagine how one of England’s great houses would have functioned as part of the war effort. Bestselling author Julia Kelly plants the seed of an idea, nurtures it into a vivid, intriguing seedling, then fertilizes, prunes, and shapes its various twisting branches into a stunning garden. Connected across the decades by a garden in desperate need of their care, three fascinating women grow alongside one another, shedding secrets and insecurities, eventually blooming with self-realization, hope, and love." —Genevieve Graham, bestselling author of The Forgotten Home Child I have been a huge fan of Ms. Kelly for quite a while now. I loved her previous two books: The Light Over London and The Whispers of War. When I saw that she had a new book coming out, I knew I had to read it. And it most certainly did not disappoint. 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.Diana suffers a great deal of loss during the war, losing both her husband and her son. Her grief is acute, and it becomes clear that she also felt she lost a part of herself when she married and became a mother. What do you think of Bobby’s adoption? Of her choice to call him Robert, the given name he shared with Robin? Of the choice to bury the adoption papers and keep his true ancestry a secret? Do you think she ultimately finds peace? If so, do you agree with how she found it? Birds of Passage is humble and heartbroken. Her warm words are crimson berries that bear fruit in the cold depths of winter, hanging over crooked, bare branches where nothing else survives. Her dove-like vocals soar, but her introverted lyrics blossom with the fondness of love." (Fluid Radio) I think the story of Venetia was my favorite because she was so far ahead of her time with regard to her hopes and aspiration. She just didn’t really fit in anywhere, though she really did have talent and skill and the drive to succeed in supporting herself as a garden designer. Many thanks to NetGalley, Gallery Books and the author for the opportunity to read The Last Garden in England in advance of its January 12, 2021 publication date.

Highbury House and its gardens is the only constant through each of the timelines in the novel. How is the house a character in its own right? What does it teach and give to all of the people who call it home—temporarily or otherwise? How is the pull of it the same or different for each of the characters? Are there any characters for whom it is more a prison than a sanctuary? Is there a place in your life that you feel has given you purpose, or perhaps driven you to look for more? Julia Kelly’s captivating novel, The Last Garden in England, is as immersive as it is enchanting...Historical fiction at its very best." — Patti Callahan, New York Times bestselling author of Becoming Mrs. Lewis This was a lighter, wholesome kind of read with a beautiful setting and an interesting blend of story lines that has a bit of everything - romance, heartache, friendship, loss and a dose of botany - but a green thumb is not required! (phew!). This was an enjoyable, if a bit predictable read that focuses on an array of strong female characters who show the importance of friendship and resiliency during tumultuous times. even though romance does play a role in this story, it didn't feel so overwhelming as it did in Kelly's book The Light Over London. The garden is front and center in all the plots. Kelly does an accurate job describing various trees, shrubs, and perennials, as well as gardening techniques, such as grafting and cross-pollination;Three timelines and multiple characters challenged me during first portions of the book. However, it became cohesive as all the stories verged around the Highbury estate, family secrets, and the farm next door.