This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Reviewed by Jennifer Joyce
In 1919, the end of the war has just been announced, but peace comes too late for the Sanderson family. Days after the announcement, the vicar of Goswell and his wife receive a telegram with the devastating news that their son Walter has died while fighting for his country. Their youngest daughter, Eleanor takes the news badly and becomes increasingly consumed by the grief of losing her beloved brother. In a bid to bring Eleanor out of the dark place that seems to be overwhelming her, her father decides to hire someone to help Eleanor bring the vicarage gardens back to life again.
In the present day, Marin and her half-sister Rebecca have just moved into the village of Goswell. The sisters are in need of a fresh start after the death of Rebecca’s parents and Marin’s father. When they discover the locked door to a walled garden within their property, the sisters are intrigued by what lies beyond the wall. Determined to discover its secrets, Marin enlists the help of a local gardener to help with the project.
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After reading the prologue to The Lost Garden, I was intrigued by what had happened to Eleanor and was looking forward to delving into her story. The book begins as Marin and Rebecca move into the cottage that once belonged to Eleanor’s grandmother and I couldn’t wait for them to discover the secrets of the garden. The book alternates between 1919 and the present day and although I often enjoy books with this format, I did sometimes find that Marin’s chapters slowed down the plot a little, but this could be simply because I was so eager to find out what had happened to Eleanor in the past! I definitely warmed more towards Eleanor’s character than Marin’s and was therefore more invested in her story. I was already intrigued by the relationship between Eleanor and gardener Jack from the prologue and I enjoyed seeing their friendship blossom.
Due to the nature of the storylines, the book isn’t the most uplifting of books as there is a lot of grief and despair, right to the very end, but I did enjoy the book.
8/10