THE LAST GARDEN IN ENGLAND

THE LAST GARDEN IN ENGLAND by Julia Kelly

England, gardens, and a book set in 3 different time periods - what could be better right? The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly fits that bill completely. (There are a couple of blips, so be sure to check out the HEADS UP section.)

I do enjoy books set in multiple time periods. I love to watch how the threads of time crisscross each other. I love when the modern time period is trying to figure out the "why" of something affecting it from the past time period. The Last Garden does that beautifully. There are 3 time periods represented in the story: 1907 when the gardens are created at Highbury House, 1944 when Highbury House is a convalescent home for WWII soldiers, and present day when the gardens have been left to go wild and uncared for and Highbury House's new owners want to restore them to their former glory. But in that restoration questions must be answered and long kept secrets from the past brought to light. (Think of this as a Secret Garden for adults, as there is one garden that is locked, and no one knows why.) After reading this book, I need to stay away from the seed and bulb catalogs, because we would seriously go broke. The gardens sound breathtaking!

HEADS UP- There is a small amount of language. You know that in 1 time period a sexual relationship is going on, but it isn't detailed.