The Heirloom Garden
Viola Shipman

Personal Note: Like many editorial reviewers I usually only review in the third person, expressing my feelings in only adverbs and adjectives but once in a while an author speaks to my soul and that is exactly what Wade/Viola does for me and I just had to take a minute to express this.

Viola Shipman’s latest, The Heirloom Garden is an exceptional read about loss, hope, of friendship and the healing power gardening. It’s also a fantastic example that a family of the heart sometimes is dearer than blood. Set in the real Michigan town of Grand Haven aka Coast Guard City the author uses real places like the long time Pronto Pup hotdog stand and events like the Grand Haven Musical Fountain alongside his fiction that gives the read a real genuine feel as the reader follows the family on outings and while in their Sears Kit house. The characters are likeable and realistic and each star has their own strengths like Iris’s childlike excitement in her garden, Lily’s old soul personality, Cory’s anguish resulting from his time at war and Abby trying to keep it all together. And it’s all perfectly expressed in a flowing easy to comprehend narrative. Each of the main protagonists are equally exceptional and the real standout in the novel the tribute to our past and present military men and women and a reminder to always thank them for their service. Fans of this master storyteller, women’s fiction, military fiction or just an unforgettable novel will find this unputdownable.

In the spring of 2003 a young family moves next door to their reclusive elderly landlady. The family consists of Cory, a vet just returned from war, his wife Abby an engineer whose new job has brought them to Grand Haven, Michigan and their small daughter Lily. This family needs a new start and Abby hopes this new place will be what they need. What they don’t need is a cantankerous old woman living behind a giant fence next door.
Iris hasn’t left the sanctuary or prison (however you look at it) of her home in decades. She’s experienced the tragic loss of her husband in WWII whose remains are still somewhere in Europe and of her daughter not so many years later stricken with a rare fatal type of polio. She spends her days months and years caring for her heirloom garden the only thing that has kept her sane for all these years. The last thing she needs is the family living in her grandmother’s cottage next door snooping into her life.
What these people don’t realize yet is that they are exactly what the other needs.

I really liked this book because it drew on similiar themes as some of my favorites authors; Kate Morton and Lucinda Riley. The romance, an almost Secret Garden like atmosphere, I could not put the book down. Fantastic.

Thank you to Graydon House and Net Galley for the chance to read and review this book. This book is a little masterpiece when it comes to stories about loss and friendship. At first, I thought it was going to be a sappy read, but I was so wrong. This is a beautiful story. Iris, who lost her husband in WWI and her daughter to illness, has shut herself away from life by building a big fence around her house. She also has a lot of flowers and she is quite the gardener. Abby and her family move next door. Abby's family is going through hard times because her husband has been traumatized during the Iraq War. This is the story of how these two women help each other heal and come to terms with the things they have lost. I loved the flower illustrations also! They were just beautiful! Highly recommend this book!

Iris Maynard is a recluse. Ever since losing her husband in World War II and her daughter a few years later, she’s decided to hole herself up in her house and avoid interacting with the public as much as possible. Decades later, she still rents out her grandmother’s beautiful house next door, but she’s very picky about the tenants she approves.

Iris likes Abby Peterson and her family right off the bat. Abby is a successful engineer. Her daughter is sweet and curious, and Abby’s husband is grumpy and just back from war. Iris has no plans to actually talk to the Peterson family, but when she happens to catch Abby’s daughter picking her bleeding heart plant, Iris finds herself drawn into the family…and into deeper relationships than she’s experienced in years. The four neighbors will eventually form a bond and a trust that will not only help them heal and forgive past hurts, but also help them figure out what it means to live a meaningful life.

MY THOUGHTS
The best thing this book has going for it are all the Midwestern plants. I’m a Master Gardener in Illinois, and I so loved hearing Iris talk about her favorite flowers. If you aren’t familiar with these plants, you’re going to want to google each and every one so you know what she’s talking about. But for me, I knew most of them already, so I felt like I was having a conversation with a fellow plant nerd. It was delightful.

The storyline is okay. I’d say it’s a little (cheesy) Hallmark channel-ish for my taste, but I still enjoyed watching the relationships between these characters progress. And who doesn’t love a happy ending, especially in times like these? Overall, this was an enjoyable read, and I will definitely be on the lookout for other books by Viola Shipman.

When you pick up a book by Viola Shipman, you know you’re in for a treat. This heartwarming story is no exception. Her novels are always populated with broken, lost characters who have lost their way or purpose and somehow find a way back to happiness. In this one, a woman who has lost everything and has isolated herself from the world soon befriends the family that is renting from her next door and finds there may be more to life than she’d thought.

Iris is a complicated character who has a broken life and has found solace in her garden. She creates beautiful flowers which originated from her grandmother’s garden, and they bring her joy. Abby, her neighbor, is trying her best to keep her family together despite the stress of her husband’s PTSD, her new job, and caring for her young daughter. She is overwhelmed. But upon meeting Iris, she feels a kinship with the older woman and slowly they begin to create a bond. But changing one’s life isn’t always easy.

This is a beautiful story that is sure to touch your heart. Perfect for those who love heartwarming women’s fiction novels.

This was a lovely read that flowed beautifully between the well drawn charcters. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinion is my own. I have read the authors previous works and always enjoy returning to these appealing well crafted stories. I was surprised to find out that the author is actually a male author writing in the name of his Grandmother to honor her. Somehow this author is writing wonderful women's fiction that appeals even as a male author which is unusual.

We are introduced here to two strong female charcters. Both suffering from grief and somehow finding solace through their friendship even with a difference in their ages. Iris had lost her husband and daughter. She spends her days in her magnificent private garden tending to her plants. She has created a paradise for herself and does not share it with the world.. It brings her purpose and comfort. Abby moves next door with her husband who is a vet and suffers terrible PTSD impacting their family. Her life is difficult and she reaches out to Iris. They become friends and as Iris shares her garden each woman finds the friendship is helping them heal and relate to each other.

This is a lovely book. I enjoyed the rich charcters and descriptions of the garden . I look forward to the next book by this author.

Viola Shipman (the pseudonym for a male author) has successfully been writing fiction that appeals to women.  I think that this is his sixth book.  The author chose his nom de plume to honor his grandmother.


I think that this author has found a winning formula.  The novels are appealing and full of humanity.  This new book is about two women, each of whom has faced trauma and grief.  The older protagonist, appropriately named Iris as you will understand when reading the book, lost both her husband and her daughter.  The thing that keeps her going is her garden, though it is a very private one.  The second protagonist is Abby whose husband suffers PTSD, leading this family to be under strain as well.  How these characters come together forms the basis for this novel.


This book is one that fans of this author will welcome I am sure.  New readers may want to give it a read as well.


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

I’m happy to share another book for my stop on the Harlequin blog tour. The books they publish seem to have the most beautiful covers and this one is no exception!

A warm thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this extraordinary story.

War is a beast with no mercy. It tears families apart, and leaves them broken and aching. The wounds are not always easy to see, and can last for generations.

Iris Maynard lost everything. Her husband died faraway, fighting the evils of World War II. She lost her child to terminal illness. And then she lost her purpose. The only sanctuary she finds is tending her flower garden. She tenderly nurtures the daylilies and roses that bring her life color and peace. She is content.

Abby Peterson is trying to find her family's place in the world. Her husband is a different man than the one who left to fight in the deserts of the Middle East. Her daughter is growing into a rebellious, adventurous, confusing young woman that she is at a loss to help and understand. When she moves next door to Iris, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery she never could have imagined.

The women unexpectedly bond over the poignant losses that have shadowed their lives. They find a mutual love of flowers and a need to unburden their hearts to a friend who will understand their pain.

This was an absolutely beautiful story about the bonds of friendship that can be forged when we find unlikely common ground.

Viola Shipman’s The Heirloom Garden is good old-fashioned storytelling at its finest. A richly woven story of love, hope, secrets and redemption, this is a beautifully written read that is perfect for losing oneself in.

Iris Maynard cannot help but feel hopeless. Life has certainly not treated her kindly and her days stretch emptily ahead of her as she struggles to come to terms with the horrible tragedies which have befallen her. Iris lost her husband in the Second World War and her daughter to illness. Alongside these terrible losses, Iris has also lost her reason for living and her sense of purpose and even though she knows that wallowing in self-pity and misery will not bring her family back, Iris is struggling. She is struggling to come to terms with her loss and with how she is going to manage to survive when there is nothing left to life for. Yet, out of great sadness comes hope and Iris, although she knows she will never bring her loved ones back to life, decides to find a way to honor them. Seeking solace in her garden, Iris begins to put all the love and nourishment in her heart into her new project…a family of flowers which will keep those she loved and lost alive in some way.

Like Iris, Abby Peterson has had her fair share of anguish and misery lately. Her husband had been severely traumatized in the Iraq War and every day is a struggle as she tries her best to be a source of strength and support for her family. With a young daughter to think of, Abby knows that she needs to put on a brave face and try and give her child a semblance of normality and stability, even when it feels as if things are falling apart. Loss, sadness and a love of all things horticultural bring her into unexpected contact with her neighbour Iris and although the two of them do not initially seem to have much in common, a bond is soon struck and a friendship quickly forged. As secrets are unearthed and confidences shared, Iris and Abby will help each other in ways neither one of them had ever expected.

Are Iris and Abby ready to cast aside the shackles that have held them back for so long and take a tentative step into the unknown and embrace life? Or will they continue to hide in the shadows?

The Heirloom Garden is a superb tale of friendship, healing and the power of love that will bring a tear to the eye of even the most cynical and jaded of readers. Viola Shipman is a wonderful writer who has created a story written with heart, compassion and sensitivity and one that will warm the heart and touch the soul. Iris and Abby are two brilliantly nuanced characters who are so beautifully sketched that they come instantly to life and will feel like old friends by the end of the last page.

A poignant, powerful and captivating tale that breaks the heart yet warms the soul, Viola Shipman’s The Heirloom Garden is a gem of a novel readers are sure to savor.

This is the first Viola Shipman's book I read and won't surely be the last because I loved it.
It's a poignant and heartwarming story that made me smile and moved me to tears. As I am a keen gardener I loved the descriptions of the garden and wish I could have one like that.
The plot is well crafted, you are hooked since the first pages and it's unputdownable as you want to know what's next and how will the characters evolve.
It's a story of friendship and overcoming grief, full of emotional moments and hope.
I loved Iris and Abby, two strong women who face sufferance and whose life is improved by their friendship.
They are well thought and realistic, you cannot help rooting for them.
I also like the other characters, all of them are well written and interesting.
It was an excellent read, I strongly recommend it.
Many thanks to Graydon House and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I've enjoyed every book I've read by Viola Shipman. This title was extra special and oh so timely. Such an emotional, rich story with vulnerable, flawed characters that seemed especially suited to this time.

This book is mentally pleasing. I can see the flowers and smell the fragrance of each one in my minds eye. . The characters are brought to life in the beautiful writing of the author.

I really loved this book. It will definitely be in my top ten for 2020. This is the first book I have read or listened to by Viola Shipman and if all her books are like this, then I have sure missed out.

Iris is an older woman who lives in her home, behind her tall fence. She wants nothing to do with her neighbours. Like the fence around her property, there is a fence around her heart. She has bee hurt terribly and wants nothing to do with others. Her only friends are her heirloom flowers. She loves them like family and they are the only things that keep her going. Then the new neighbours move in, Lily, Abby and Cory. Both Iris and Abby had husbands that went to war. One never came home, one came home damaged. As we learn more about both Iris and this family, young Lily finds a way into Iris's garden and eventually, they all find a way into her heart.

The story is told by both Iris and Abby. There is a dual-timeline as we learn both of their stories. I enjoyed both stories and my heart broke for both of these families. These women are both strong, independent women, but Iris was beaten down by life and the beliefs in the 1940s. The writing was absolutely beautiful. It was descriptive and flowed well. I felt like I could see the beautiful gardens and beach in Michigan. This was a book that will linger with me. It is a heartfelt and loving novel of family, hope, fear, sadness and joy. I definitely recommend this one.

I enjoyed the generational aspects of this story by Viola Shipman. I have some of my grandmas irises in my yard!

Viola Shipman has once again shown us all how to overcome diversity, to accept and to understand that kindness and love can heal all types of wounds.

Iris Maynard lost her husband during WWII and her only child, a young daughter a little while later. Unable to bear the heartbreak she felt, she poured herself into her gardens, as an homage to both her husband and daughter, and years later to all those who were dear to her and had died.

As the years progressed, Iris, who became a botanist later in life due to her love of flowers, began to recede from life. Her gardens were her only friends and families. She decided to shut herself off from people by building an enormous fence around her property which consisted of her house, as well as her mother's house which also had a fence so her renters would be unable to see her. She was slowly able, due to technology, basically become a hermit, happily tending her gardens and buying all she needed from her computer and having it delivered. She would never have to let another person into her life again.

Enter Abby, her husband Cory and their daughter Lily who rent Iris' mother's old house on the other side of the fence. Cory, who has just returned from the Iraq War has had an extremely difficult time adjusting to life again after seeing so much death. Refusing to seek help or medication his days revolve around drinking, sleeping and trying to remember to tend to his young daughter Lily. Abby, feeling the walls close in around her family and trying extremely hard to keep them together moved her family so they could hopefully have a fresh start. And Lily, just about the same age as Iris' daughter Mary, is a bundle of curious love.

What they all soon discover is sometimes everyone needs a bit of a push and encouragement, remembering that everybody grieves in different ways. That sometimes a little help can go a very long way. And we all have something to teach each other. As Iris teaches about flowers and love and coping with loss, Cory teaches Iris to take baby steps into entering a world she abandoned many years ago.

The story, with glorious floral prose describing the different flowers from each season tells not only their own story, but the stories of each character. And as the healing begins and continues, fences start to come down and are replaced by friendship and love.

What a heartwarming story on the lessons of the sadness of death, the struggle to become whole again and the illumination of a new life if you'll only take the chance.

Thank you so much to #NetGalley #Harlequin(JustineSha) #The HeirloomGarden #ViolaShipman for the advanced copy.

The Heirloom Garden by Viola Shipman pulls together very serious themes - war and its impact on soldiers and families and the glass ceiling women seem to hit so often in the corporate world. Gardening, war, and corporate America come together to make a story ultimately about family and the important things in life. Most of all, the garden comes vividly to life, making me look forward to my own garden this season.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2020/05/the-heirloom-garden.html

Reviewed for NetGalley and the Harlequin Trade Publishing's 2020 Spring Read blog tour.

Hopeful and heartwarming. Viola Shipman has once again stolen my heart with her/his beautiful writing. It will never fail to amaze me that Viola Shipman is a pseudonym for a male author, he is quite brilliant at telling a story from the female perspective. The story is told from the alternating points of view of two strong women whose lives have been touched by grief and flowers. Iris lost her husband toWWII and her daughter to polio. After a few unfortunate events she decided to build walls both literally and figuratively to protect herself from the rest of the world. Abby has just moved next door to Iris in this small Michigan town. Her husband has recently returned from Iraq and is no longer the man he used to be. Abby is struggling to balance her new job, her young daughter, and trying to understand her husband. Iris and Abby, though decades apart in age, form a lovely Bond over their love of flowers and hate of war.

I loved both Iris and Abby as characters, but even more than that I loved the bond that Iris formed with Abby and her entire family. It was so so sweet watching Lily (Abby‘s daughter) precocious personality really force Iris to confront some of her issues. This really was a sweet story about connections and family being the one you choose. This really would have been a five-star read for me, but it got a little preachy in parts. Iris was very vocal when it came to her thoughts on government and war as well as her thoughts on women’s treatment in the workplace. And even though I’m in complete agreement with Iris, I didn’t feel as though it flowed naturally into her dialogue, it occasionally felt as though we were being lectured to. In spite of this I thought it was a delightful story and I loved learning all the interesting facts about flowers. The audiobook was narrated by NaN McNamara and Lauren Ezzo who both did a marvelous job of bringing voices to these amazing characters.

This book in emojis 🌷 🌹 🌺 🌸 🌼 🌻

*** Big thank you to Harlequin & Harper Audio for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

The Heirloom Garden tells the story of Iris, an avid heirloom gardener/victory gardener who lost her husband and daughter in the 1940's. Iris's life later intersects with her neighbor Abby in 2003. Abby 's husband is a returning veteran, and she is balancing work, her husband's struggles, and her young daughter.

I wanted to read this book because I love Viola Shipman's writing! Viola Shipman books are always so heartwarming. They beautifully balance life in present day with a sense of history and the past.

I immediately found both Iris and Abby very empathetic characters. This is a unique dual-storyline novel with two storylines that are equally compelling. Iris's backstory in the 1940's was especially heart-wrenching. Her losses have made her wary of the world, and she has walled herself up in an old house with the most fabulous garden. The young family next door, though, starts to wear away her reserve.

This was a lovely, life affirming read. I recommend The Heirloom Garden (and Viola Shipman in general) for readers who are looking for an uplifting novel with a sense of the past.

Viola Shipman is one author I watch for new books. I grab the opportunity to get them early without even reading the synopsis. This is a great read, especially in these stuck in the house times. My cousins and I were just talking about all the people planting gardens this year just like the Victory Garden's from the past. Iris and Abby become neighbors. Iris is 80+ years old and has lived isolated from everyone for years. Abby wants to get to know her when she and her husband and young daughter move into the house next door. They can see iris's garden and can't resist trespassing into her walled yard. I love stories that are different generations getting to know each other and Iris is so much like my grandmothers. It's hard to believe that Viola is a man who writes such beautiful women oriented stories. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.