Member Review

The Moonlight Gardening Club by Rosie Hannigan has Ruby returning to her hometown a widow. Frankie is a single mother with a home that needs numerous repairs. Rosie Hannigan is a descriptive writer which allowed me to visualize the town, Ruby and Frankie’s homes, and the moonlight garden. I found the side characters more interesting than the main characters. Various townspeople come together to work on the garden, and they are the community that Ruby and Frankie (and Dillon) need. I liked the moonlight garden with its variety of white flowers. I did find Ruby and Frankie’s storylines to be predictable. It was easy to figure out the twist long before it happened. The story has a good ending, but it was expected. I thought there was too much romance. Why does a woman need a partner to overcome her grief and move forward with her life? For anyone that has been bullied, belittled, or controlled by another person, they might find some of the content upsetting. The story moved along at a leisurely pace. I did end up skimming (mostly the romance sections) to get through the book The Moonlight Gardening Club was just okay for me (I wish there had been a magical element because it would have livened up the story). The Moonlight Gardening Club takes readers to Ireland with a sorrowing widow, a struggling single mum, a bug happy boy, generous gardeners, an austere abode, a captivating neighbor, and a comforting garden.