A definite must read. Best book I read this year. I love the way the author has written 3 stories, in 3 different time periods, centering around one garden. From the beginning and design of the garden in 1907 by Venetia Smith. To 1944 and life during World War II and the hardships and heartbreaks. To present day restoration and solving the mystery of Winter Garden.
Three determine females and and cast of wonderful characters will not disappoint you.

This book is incredibly compelling and well-written. It takes a great deal of skill to weave three plot lines from different time periods, but the author accomplished it well. I was able to keep track of all the characters and plot lines, and I cared about all of them. Excellent!

The Last Garden in England is a beautifully written story spanning 3 different time periods about a lovely set of gardens at Highbury House.
You’ll meet 5 strong women throughout the book starting with Emma, who is brought in to restore the gardens to their original design in 2021. Going back in time, there is Venetia, the original designer in 1907. In 1944, we meet Diana, the widowed lady of the house that has been requisitioned as a convalescent home for wounded soldiers, as well as Stella, Diana’s cook, and Beth, a field girl on a neighboring farm.
Each woman is determined to make their own mark on the world in male dominated capacities. There is loss and secrets hidden in the garden that are woven together very well to create an enjoyable read.

I LOVED this book. This is absolutely something I would pay money to read, and will likely do so (I plan on buying it for myself, and my mom)! Kelly's writing is beautiful, and despite the 5 competing storylines, I felt drawn to each of the women and all the stories were woven together beautifully. I adored the concept that all their storylines (and lives) were connected by a garden; and what a quaint backdrop for this exquisite piece of historical fiction. Each of the women was a complete individual with her own thoughts, feelings, and goals. Stories with even fewer "main" characters than this have trouble fleshing them out fully, but after the initial speed bump of name learning, it was easy to keep track of them because they were all so distinct. The supporting characters were also all lovely. I just thought Kelly breathed life into these people so believably, I wanted to step right into the world(s) she had created.

A wholehearted 5/5 stars. Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for a free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

In Julia Kelly’s novel, The Last Garden in England, the gardens at Highbury House serve as the setting for four different women finding love, a home, and beauty in three different time periods. Emma, in our time, has been hired to restore the gardens to their original state. During World War II, Beth and Diana find people to love. And in 1907, Venetia designs a series of gardens for the wealthy Melcourts. This book was like a bouquet, a spray of characters arranged to satisfy readers who love English country houses and unexpected love.

So much happens in this book that I can’t summarize it other than in broad strokes. The Last Garden in England is absolutely the kind of book that you have to just inhale, because you’ll want to know what happens to all the characters. All of the women in this book—Emma, Venetia, Diana, and Beth—share qualities that put me instantly on their side and had me rooting for their happiness. All of them are deeply independent, the kind of women who are used to going it alone against all challenges so that they can live the kind of life they want. Emma and Venetia are gardeners and won’t let anything stand in their way. Beth wants a homey life where she can put down roots. Diana wants to be the mistress of her own estate, free from the interference of in-laws and government dictates about how she can use her house and property. All of them are deeply caring and nurturing—although some of the women in this book would argue that they’re not good with anything other than plants. And all of these women are characters I’d love to make friends with.

All of the plotlines throw up challenges for the women to deal with. Some of the challenges are heart-breaking, but the hope that everything will turn out alright (and it does!) kept me rapidly turning the pages. Kelly never lets things get too easy for her characters, which makes all the conclusions feel earned. I love a happily ever after as much as the next reader, but I always feel a bit cheated if that ending arrives as a result of too many coincidences or if characters have to suddenly go against type. When that happens, I always wonder if the happy ending last past the honeymoon phase.

A lot of the books I read are grim and contain elements that I feel I have to warn other readers about when I recommend them. For me, The Last Garden in England is one of the rare books I would hand to any reader looking for a good read without any word of warning. As such, I think The Last Garden in England is an excellent choice after this annus horribilis. Characters we care about grow and find genuine happiness in beautiful gardens that will have the green thumbs among us writing down species names and googling pictures of plants. It is the best comfort book I’ve read in a long time.

In this fascinating tale of one garden, one house, and three different time periods, there is a secret waiting to be uncovered. Venetia, the original garden designer in the early 1800s, struggles with finding her place in a profession dominated by men. Will she find her heart's desire as she works on the gardens at Highbury House, an English country manor? Beth was sent to Highbury village as a land girl during World War 2. What part does she play in the Highbury House saga? Emma, the present-day gardener tasked with restoring the gardens of Highbury House to their former glory is seeking to unravel the mystery behind the locked gate to a secret, long-neglected walled garden. Will she find what her heart is seeking as well? Find the answers to these questions in this page-turning puzzle that will keep readers enthralled. For fans of gardening, mysteries, and English country villages, this book is a treasure. It would make an excellent addition to any adult historical fiction collection.

This was one of my favorite types of books. Historical fiction with some romance (clean) woven into the tale. Once I started reading this I could hardly put it down.

Throughout the book we follow 4 different women in 3 time periods. At first it was a little confusing to keep track of the cast of characters, but I quickly sorted out who's who and didn’t have trouble after that. I liked all the time periods and each of the women were strong individuals who had something about them that I admired.

The garden is wonderfully described and loved that it is based on a real life garden

I love books of any genre that feature strong women fighting the gender roles and/or expectations of their time. Julia Kelly’s five voices more than satisfied my desire. In 1907 England, Venetia Smith is an up and coming garden designer who is a bit past what was then considered marriageable age. Her task is to design a garden for the estate. In 1944 Land Girl Beth, Cook Stella, and estate owner Diana Symonds each love the garden for their own reasons. The estate has become a hospital for wounded soldiers. In the present, Emma is tasked with restoring the gardens to their original splendor. As the stories move back and forth through time, I found myself staying up later and later. I was consumed. I will be happy to recommend this book to my friends who are historical fiction fans.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading this historical fiction set during three time lines about five women involving the gardens at Highbury. I loved how their stories intertwined and the impact the gardens had on their lives. I was in tears during one section involving a young boy and how the gardens helped him and a grieving woman. The story is beautifully written, and I was engrossed from start to finish. This author is a great storyteller.

I really got caught up in this story...or stories, actually. There are three storylines in three different time periods, but all in the same setting: a garden in England. I was thrilled to be able to read an advance copy of the book and would love to read more by this author. She did a great job of telling the stories of women in 1907, 1944, and 2021. How different yet similar their lives were! I admit I was a bit confused in the beginning of the book and had to jot down the names of the characters with a note as to which year each belonged. It got easier to keep everyone straight as the book progressed, but I definitely had to pay attention!

Historical fiction fans will find much to enjoy in Julia Kelly's "Last Garden of England," starting with the novel garden-themed link between the characters. The book features five women from three time periods: pre-World War 1, World War 2, and contemporary. While world events certainly play a role in bringing the characters together, particularly in the WW2 era, this book is unlike other books focusing on the same periods. It's not a war that is the driver of the action for the most part, but an extraordinary English garden that all the characters love. Kelly masterfully describes the beauty of the gardens and surrounding areas without overwhelming the reader with too much detail.

In 1907, a young woman who is a landscape artist is hired to design gardens at a prominent English estate. Creating this garden is the artist's (Venetia's) dream, but she is faced with challenges women of the time experienced that threaten to derail her dream.

In WW2, several women find themselves at an English estate that has been requisitioned for the war effort. While there, the gardens created in 1907 by the artist Venetia are the source of comfort and despair. This time period has elements of a upstairs/downstairs theme as it focuses on the wealthy woman who owns the estate as well as the poor women who are assigned to work there.

In the contemporary time period, a landscaper is hired to bring back the former glory of the gardens after decades of neglect, a challenge requiring her to search for answers as to what the original artist intended.

Despite the three timelines and five points of view, Kelly draws the reader in with minimal confusion as to the era/storyline. Nevertheless, this enjoyable book might have been even stronger if a few characters, such as Beth and her roommate, were eliminated as their storylines were not fully developed.

Just a lovely story with three generations of family, living within the beautiful gardens created by a famed horticulturalist in the early 1900’s. This era focuses on the creation of the mansion grounds and the individual garden rooms, that reflected the owners personality, with plants and flowers that created a theme.
The family in the early 40’s were immersed in a World war, and the mansion has bee requisitioned as a hospital for servicemen recovering from the trauma of the war. The gardens provide comfort and solace, while the main lawn is dug up to provide food to supplement dwindling rationed food. In the ensuing years post war, the gardens were minimally maintained and left in array.
Which brings us to 2021, the current owners in the process of restoring the mansion and the grounds, hiring a young garden designer, starting out her own business, and intent on researching the original gardens, and her plans to recreate the beautiful landscape.
Julia Kelly is a talented storyteller and did created a picture in my mind of these gardens, those that lived and worked them. Interesting characters that told the story well. Keeping the many characters of three different eras and their connection, was tricky, but in the end, well done and enjoyable.
My thanks to #NetGalley, #GalleyBooks and #JuliaKelly for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly is a wonderful story set in England spanning more than 100 years. The story begins with Emma, in the 21st century, hired to restore the grandeur of the gardens at Highbury House. The gardens had been designed in 1907 by Venetia Smith, a renowned garden designer. The generations living in the house offer an interesting tale of secrets spanning decades. During World War II, the house is requisitioned as a convalescent hospital for wounded soldiers. The women intimately involved in the house during the War include Diana, mistress of the house and widowed wife of the original owners’ grandson; Stella, her cook of many years; and Beth, a land girl working on the farm next to Highbury House. The book interweaves each woman’s story, their connection to each other and the importance the garden brings to each of their lives. It is a fascinating story brought together over time by a very special garden.

This is a book I can see myself rereading every year or two. It’s a beautiful travel through several women’s lives, who all have the same garden in common, throughout the ages.

Each woman goes through a breakthrough, a revelation, a coming-into-her-own, and I cheered for them each time.

It was heartbreaking in parts. There were a few scenes where the weight of them came though the pages and I felt it in my heart. That’s a skill that isn’t super common, in my humble opinion, and very appreciated.

I love stories that feature gardens as themes and The Last Garden in England is so good. Strong characters, compassionate characters, unexpected moments, progressive men and women, and growth for the main characters.

I received a copy through NetGalley. These thoughts are my unbiased thoughts. I am looking forward to adding a hard copy to my collection and already know several people who will love to receive this book as a gift.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3524027174?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

I loved this multiple timeline, multi-POV historical fiction novel!

There were several elements in this story that made it such a fun read for me. I’m not a gardener, but I loved the discussion of the different gardens and plants. I also really enjoyed reading about the women in this story in relation to the garden. However, I think the mystery elements were my favorite. As a story unfolds, little elements are revealed, including the original garden design, the people and their relationships.

Venetia lays out the gardens at the grand house as separate ‘rooms’ in a very particular pattern.
This story is laid out in the same way, with each detail tied together to make the whole of the story just spectacular. I am leaving out the details because I do not want to rob you of the joy of discovering these little tidbits for yourself as they as the story unfolds

The most complex chapters were the 1944 chapters because they involved three main characters within that timeline. At first I was a little confused keeping them all straight, but was quickly engrossed in their stories. Their timeline became my favorite and really added depth to the novel.

I recommend this book to historical fiction fans as well as gardening enthusiasts. 5/5

4.5/5!

I took away half a star for a slow start, but, overall, this book should definitely be on the TBR list of any historical fiction lover.

Beautiful tale of three women during different time periods all interconnected through friends and family. Keep a pen and pad handy to write down all of the characters!

An amazing tale set during World War II filled with historical detail that brings the story alive. Julia Kelly weaves a remarkable tale that takes the reader on an amazing journey.

This is an entertaining, well-written book centering around a designer garden at one of the great homes in England called Highbury House. The story begins in early 2021, when garden designer Emma Lovell is hired to restore a series of gardens and borders originally designed by the horticulturist Venetia Smith in 1907. A good bit of the narrative revolves around the researching of historic files and papers concerning the garden design in the attic of the 2021 home owner, Sydney Wilcox. Other drawings and letters also surface through other characters in the story. Part of the story covers Venetia’s story in 1907 and part the World War II era, when part of Highbury House was requisitioned by the British Government for a military hospital.

While I certainly enjoyed the narrative including life events, society of each time period and the search for accurate historical garden plans, I found the triple-timeline a bit overly complex. There were times when I found the sequences difficult to follow, struggled to remember characters from the particular time period, and thought there were too many peripheral characters. In addition, in places I found the descriptions of flowering plants and bushes excessive for the average reader.

My rating is actually a 3 1/2, and my thanks to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of #The Last Garden in England.

The Last Garden in England had all the elements of a great read: wonderfully complex characters, fascinating plot, love, friendship, heartbreak, war, and a touch of mystery. All of these components come to life over three distinct periods in time, revolving around gardens rich in symbolism and beauty. I loved it! Well done, Julia Kelly.

Thank you to NetGalley, author, and publisher for the opportunity to read this advance copy. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

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This book involved two of my favorites, gardening and historical fiction, and was a treat on a snowy weekend. The story is told through the seasons and through the years by the women who develop, cherish and restore a garden of one of the big houses in rural England. Beginning with the garden’s designer, Venetia, in the early 1900’s, continuing with Beth, Stella and Diana in WWII as the house and gardens becomes a convalescent home for wounded soldiers and finally to Emma in present day, restoring the garden to it’s original glory. Each time brings its challenges and mysteries and makes for a delightful read.