Five different women and a garden with secrets. . The changing timelines and lives of the five women were woven together nicely. The description of the garden was vivid enough to picture. It’s an engaging story with a bit of romance that was enjoyable to the very end.

The Last Garden in England
by Julia Kelly
Gallery Books
You Like Them
Historical Fiction | Romance | Women's Fiction
Pub Date 12 Jan 2021 | Archive Date 12 Jan 2021

Thanks to Gallery Books and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I really liked this book told from three different perspectives and what the garden means to them.
Wonderful story!

4 stars

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was very well written, the characters were likable and each had their own unique and developed storyline. I loved the multiple perspective through the three time periods and seeing how the characters each were involved in the garden. I was immediately drawn into the story and enjoyed every minute reading it. Good historical fiction of the war, but with a fresh perspective. I enjoyed learning about the land girls and the use of different properties for hospital and agriculture. Great read that I would happily recommend to friends.

The words ‘Garden’, ‘England’ and gorgeous cover lured me to this book. What’s better than strolling, albeit virtually in an English garden. I am a big enthusiast of flowers and gardens. Loved getting to know more about the garden rooms. Admire the way Kelly had incorporated the garden as a pivotal character, infused life and soul into it. Unbelievable how she adeptly used the garden to change the life trajectory of her protagonists. Another brilliant aspect of her talent was the way she made garden rooms correspond to each stage of life.

This story of three generation women bound by secrets, and the lush garden changes the lives of them forever.
• In the present day, Emily, landscape designer, takes upon a challenging task of restoring the expansive
garden of Highbury House in Warwickshire.
• During WWII, Lady Diana inherited the aforementioned house, and the garden changed her destiny
irrevocably. Beth came to the farm in this village to work as a land girl.
• Early 90’s, renowned gardener Venetia Smith was commissioned to design the gardens at Highbury
House.

Past timelines are my most favorite ones. Admire at the resilience of remarkable people who lived and endured it. Everyone has tried to accomplish their part for the country by giving up their homes to be converted to hospitals, working as land girls, suffering with limited supplies… Admired Diana for her courage to stand up against authorities to protect what is dear to her and providing comfort to many convalescents. Can’t help but empathize with her for the loss she suffered.

There are a lot of characters as the author takes time to establish their stories. It took me little time to keep all of them straight in my head.

Loved the past narratives better than the present one. My only quibbles are, don’t see the need for the current story as it didn’t add much to the narrative except a little. In my opinion, the book would have been crisp if the present story is condensed and the reader wouldn’t feel the story is dragged out.

Take a bow Kelly for writing a beautiful story that captures the war and love and loss sensibly and vivid descriptions which transported me to the verdant countryside.

Absolutely recommend this if you are a fan of historical fiction.

It's been a year since I was first introduced to Julia Kelly with both, The Whispers of War and The Light over London - click on titles for my reviews. So it only stands to reason that I would follow those up with The Last Garden in England.

Given the year that 2020 has turned out to be I loved that the current day story is set in 2021 - hope for a better year. I haven't read too many books with 3 different story lines set in 3 distinct time periods it wasn't hard to stay on top of things. The uniqueness of a multi room garden with the different themes/names felt very English to me and one I'd love to see in person.

It wasn't until the half way point that things picked up for me and the story took off. That being said it's not like the first half wasn't good. The introduction to the different characters gave me a chance to get to know them, their backgrounds and personalities. The WW2 story was my favourite as it involved more women - and I got to see another side of how the war affected those out in a country setting. It was a horrible time of adjustment and heartache.

The Last Garden in England is a story of friendship, legacy and creating your own path. It hits book stores on January 12th and available for preorder now.

My sincere thanks to the author, Julia Kelly for a digital ARC (via Netgalley) in exchange for an honest review.

From 1907 to the present day, this book takes of a beautiful place. A place that was started and cared for through the years by three very different women. Different but the same in things that counted.
A wonderful, delightful story. Grabs you and keeps you engaged to the very end.

This is the third historical novel that I have read by this author. I have enjoyed all three books. Each has had war as a backdrop and all have had characters with whom I enjoyed spending time.

A garden is a character in this title. Like a person it is born, grows, and faces struggle and renewal. Indeed, the main characters in this novel also have their struggles and joys as they spend time in this very special garden that was designed with rooms, including a children’s garden, a tea garden and a winter garden.

There are many characters to follow. The original designer of the garden is Venetia, a woman who was independent for her era which was WWI. During WWII readers follow land girl Beth, cook Stella and owner of the house with the garden, Diana. In the present, readers get to know Emma who is restoring Venetia and Diana’s garden. Each of these women has a back story and people who matter to them. Their lives are vividly presented by the author who writes characters with whom readers get to know well.

During Covid, I have spent a lot of time visiting my local botanical garden. I think that enhanced my enjoyment of the sections of the book that described the gardens but you don’t have to be a horticulturalist to read this title.

Come to visit this garden and these characters with their love stories and tales of life both in the present and in the shadow of war. It will be time well spent. Everything invites the reader in including the book’s lovely cover.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

This is a wonderfully visual story of an English garden that binds the lives of five women from 1917 through the end of WWII. Author Julia Kelly does such a fantastic job describing the creation and regeneration of this place that you can picture yourself walking from flower to flower and tree to tree. A terrific historical connection is made to a woman's place in the English botanical society and the principles that need to be kept in order to make a point. Her character development has you wishing to know or dislike everyone mentioned. Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC.

Another wonderful novel by Kelly! A multi-timeline story centered around a garden in England. The novel explores the societal, personal, and daily angst of life in the early 20th century and during the War. Loved the flora and fauna descriptions. A wonderful read.

This was a delightful read and I adore Julia Kelly's storytelling technique! The Last Garden of England refers to the Highbury House estate's once-lush garden with the story centering around the garden's past and impact on five women across different points in history, from modern-day to 1907 and 1944.

Kelly offers poignant and beautiful details about the garden's plantings and the garden's evolution through time, a reflection on the five-strong women characters and how their connection with the garden forever shapes their lives.

If you adore historical fiction with strong female characters, I highly recommend this book!

This was a lovely book about a garden in England and the women who created and refurbished it over the course of more than a hundred years. First was Venetia Smith, the visionary creator of the garden in 1907. The next timeframe was 1944 when the estate became a rehabilitation hospital for recuperating soldiers, and the third timeframe is present day, when the great granddaughter of the estate hires Emma to restore the gardens and many garden rooms to their former glory. Each generation of women has her unique story to tell, which is why I liked it. I really enjoyed it.

Julia Kelly has now been added as a favorite author. She reminds me a lot of Kate Morton's writing style. I can't wait to go read her first two books. Truly haven't enjoyed a historical fiction this much in quite some time. The writing flows so well, and even though we are dealing with 3 time periods, I had no problem keeping up with each one. Truly a joy to read.

1907: Venetia Smith is a talented garden architect/artist. She has a great skill for creating beautiful gardens that the owners can be proud to show off. Most of her commissions are on grand estates, and she is extremely talented at what she does. When hired on at Highbury House, she has a grand plan, as well as some life-changing surprises ahead for her.

1944: Beth Pedley has been assigned as a land girl during WWII in a village outside Highbury. She loves working the land and comes to love the people as well. She becomes friends with Stella, the cook at Highbury House. Stella is anxious to leave her employment and travel the world. Diana is the owner of the home, and while dealing with the struggle of losing her husband, she finds a way to create a loving home for her son. As Highbury House is transformed into a convalescent home, many things are in the works to change all their lives.

Present Day: Emma has been commissioned to return the grand gardens of Highbury House back to its former glory. Over the decades it has fallen into disrepair and she is excited about the challenge placed before her.
As an avid fan of Venetia Smith, she is thrilled with the opportunity to learn more about her and her work.

So many wonderful things about this book. I loved the characters. There weren't any that were unbelievable to me. I liked that while all the stories ultimately crossed paths, each was distinct in its own right. I was grateful for the way it all played out. The gardening descriptions were fabulously done and I almost felt I was there with them. Truly a great story. It's clean, it's uplifting, it feels real, and I loved it. I would recommend to anyone. (Even my teens could read this one!)

Great thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

If you love gardening or even if you don’t have a green thumb, this is a wonderful historical fiction. I had never thought about what planning went into the infamous English gardens, but the research into this book was excellent and it helped in understanding how the diagrams and visions were acted upon. The plants mentioned in the story are ones I have in my own garden. The way the story is told lets you feel as if you were right along beside all the girls, Emma, Diana, Venetia and Stella.
I would suggest you pay attention when the characters are first brought into play. I had to backtrack to make sure I could place who was who. The epilogue explains the background on how this book was brought to fruition. I have read several Julia Kelly’s books and will continue to do so. She has great writing style, one of the best things she did in this one, she starts out each chapter with the character/setting and date of what we are going to read, this is so helpful in keeping the timeline/storyline going smoothly. I highly recommend and this one comes in with 5 stars.
I was so glad I was allowed an ARC from Gallery Books and NetGalley for my honest unbiased review. Thank you!! This one gets high 5 stars! Really enjoyed this one.

My thumb is decidedly not green but after reading Julia Kelly's The Last Garden in England, I wanted to go outside, tear up my lawn, and create lovely garden rooms. The three stories were loosely woven together in a way that felt natural and organic. As I read the stories of Venetia Smith and her groundbreaking work as a garden designer in 1907, I felt I needed to know more about her life. This story touched on a brief part of her life but Kelly could easily write another book about Venetia. Emma's story in 2020 reflected some of the challenges Venetia faced 100 years earlier, which tied the two stories of an estate in England together. The middle story, about a Land Girl during World War 2 was perhaps the least fleshed out but still intriguing to read about how the same piece of land has changed purposes over the years.
I received an advanced digital copy of this book for my review but all opinions are my own.

I wish I could have given this book five stars. But I decided on three stars. I took one off for my failure to be able to keep track of all of the characters and the different time periods. I also took a star because even though the author told an interesting story, I thought there were too many characters and it was a little confusing to keep up with which time period I was reading about and who belongs where. The story is good and the descriptions of the gardens beautiful. There is tragedy, love, friendship, loss and even a little humor. It is a very good book and I will read another from this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.

This is a lovely book, that I finished in 2 days. The author deftly weaves the stories of five very different women over three time periods from 1907 to WWII to present day. Each woman is interesting in her own right and the garden is a character as well. This is a book I will read again more closely to savor the prose, Thank you Ms. Kelly for providing a bright spot in these troubling times.

This book was as delightful as spotting the early sprouts in a spring garden. The book’s female characters had depth and wisdom. The 3-tiered plot held my interest from the beginning through the epilogue and I enjoyed each story equally. I would classify it as light historical fiction - it’s not heavy on details but an enjoyable time piece. A wonderful weekend read.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early release in exchange for a fair and honest review.

What a beautiful book! Gorgeous writing with a story and characters that drew you in and kept you reading. I devoured it quickly as I could not put it down! My one complaint is that I feel there are too many points of view - perhaps only one per time period? It got a little confusing at times to remember who's story you were reading. But I did love the way everything tied together. Certainly worth your time! 4.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for my advanced reading copy of this book - all opinions are my own.

How can a single garden connect three very different women across time? This lovely novel by Julia Kelly takes you back to the days of huge British estates (think Downton Abbey) with expansive, evocative gardens.

Garden designer Venetia Smith creates the gardens at Highbury House (1907); in World War II era we meet Beth Pedley who is a land girl working at Highbury House, and in current day we meet Emma Lovett who is hired to restore the gardens. With this triple timeline weaving in and out, author Julia Kelly has produced an excellent piece of historical fiction that will keep you turning the page until the very end.

Everyone who reviews this book has their own favorite character but obviously the main character is actually the garden itself. With "rooms" that correlate and parallel women's lives, the garden, it's design, and it's restoration is a perfect metaphor for women's lives.

Such a lovely, wonderful novel and one you might need to read more deeply than you initially anticipate. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Once I started, I couldn't put The Last Garden in England down and was disappointed when it ended. As always, Julia Kelly hit the jackpot with the characters and plot.