In this captivating historical fiction, Julia Kelly writes about five women across three different generations (the present day, 1907, and 1944) connected by one very special garden. With the chapters cleverly divided into seasons starting with winter, I was already hooked early on and wanted to get to know these women better, what ties them together, and what sets them apart – their hopes, dreams, insecurities, doubts, and strengths. The novel is brilliantly written with long-lost secrets revealed, beautifully peeling off the lingering mysteries surrounding the characters. This is an enjoyable read that reminded me of my short week in Shrivenham, a village in Oxfordshire, with its old church, pretty cottages, and historic public houses. I highly recommend The Last Garden in England!

During this pandemic, many of my friends and contemporaries have turned into plant aficionados. Their social media posts show evidence of the joy and solace they find in the plants they grow and care for. I think they will like the blooming comfort this book has to offer.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to preview this wonderful book. I fell in love with this book. I love books that can take you somewhere in your mind and allow you to rest there. I was drawn in to the book initially by the beautiful cover, as I do judge books by the cover! The book is set in present day where Emma is commissioned to recreate a beautiful historic garden. The book then took us into other date and times to find the history of the garden. As the stories intertwine, a beautiful story emerges. I gave this book 5 stars.

I want to thank Gallery Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an ARC of The Last Garden in England by author Julia Kelly. She previously wrote The Light Over London and The Whispers of War which I liked.
Ms Kelly’s new book is all about beautifully landscaped gardens as you might suspect. But it is also about women and their stories which alternate chapters during the period of time from 1907 to 2021. Old records and sketches and a mysterious box may lead to answers.
Traveling back and forth thru time periods is somewhat confusing.
If you are a romantic, this novel will definitely appeal.
The Last Garden of England will publish March 3rd, 2021.

(Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the chance to read an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

Everything I love in a novel came together seamlessly in Julia Kelly's THE LAST GARDEN IN ENGLAND.

That could be the sum of the review but I have more to say about how I loved this book.

Historical fiction is my go-to, comfort, guilty-pleasure sort of fiction. If it faintly seems historically based, I'll probably give it a try. To have a book that is basically double-dipping in history - in that Venetia Smith exists in 1907 and Beth Pendley-Hastings exists in 1944 and their stories intertwine - is genius. Like the holy grail of historical fiction.

Add in that Emma Lovett exists in 2021 and her story connects to theirs, and everything becomes somehow more perfect.

THE LAST GARDEN IN ENGLAND is not just a novel about gardens. It's not a story about romance, though the woman all find that to varying degrees.

It's a story about women, at it's heart.

Venetia Smith is a trailblazer, forging a path in garden design that no woman has done before. By the social norms of 1907, she should have been married with children by the time she arrives at Highbury House to create a spectacular garden for the Melcourts.

Beth Hastings is a Land Girl during World War II, doing her part for the war effort by working on the country farms to feed Britain. Over the course of just a few years, she grows from a shy and timid orphaned girl into an artist in her own right willing to forge her own path, even in a quick marriage where she insists she is an equal to her husband.

Emma Lovett has the benefit of a modern, more equal society and still she feels pulled and stretched beyond the things she wants to do - restore Venetia Smith's gardens at Highbury House to their former glory. She pulls hardest the way she wants to go.

These three women, and the key women who support them, are real. Their hopes and their dreams and their tragedies and their triumphs are not always what everyone, even they, might expect out of life but they are stunning nonetheless.

I am so happy to have read this book!

The Last Garden in England is a historical fiction novel written from three time periods - today (2021), WWII (1944) and 1907. The common thread between the stories is the Highbury House estate and its gardens. I loved the concept of using garden design and restoration as the common thread but I found myself wishing there was more to tie the three stories together outside just the garden.

Each time period had stories of love and loss, and making a life changing decision. It was interesting to see how integral woman were during each time period (especially as volunteers during the war) and how much woman have gained over the last century (during Venetia's time women were not even allowed in the Royal Horticulture Society and during Emma's time she was interviewing for a prominent position there).

While I love a good dual narrative, The Last Garden of England had five narrators across the three timelines as well as many side characters which made it hard to follow at times. I wish I connected a bit more with the characters, as I felt they were a little cold and closed off at times.

If you love Downton Abbey, this has a lot of similar storylines (large manor with servants, convalescent home during the war, pregnancies out of wedlock). The storylines were predictable but enjoyable and I found myself enjoying the imagery of the British countryside weaved in throughout.

This book was a very entertaining visit to different periods in English history. The story is told from the view of three women with a majestic garden linking them through history.
In 1907, landscape designer Venetia Smith is hired to design the gardens for an estate in the English country.
During WWII, Beth Pedley becomes a "land girl", sent to work on a farm adjacent to the home of the fabulous gardens.
Present day Emma Lovett is hired to bring the neglected gardens back to their former elegance.
Sometimes it it difficult to follow a story that moves back and forth through time periods, but Julia Kelly was able to weave each woman's tale into a cohesive whole.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel of three strong women and the effect their period in time had on them.
Strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in history, women's literature, and a modicum of romance!

The Last Garden in England weaves a spellbinding tale of 5 women that spans over 100 years total that are connected to the gardens at Highbury Estate. You have Venetia Smith - the designer of the gardens, Diana Symonds - mistress of Highbury House during WWII, Stella Adderton - cook at Highbury House during WWII, Beth Pedley - Land Girl near Highbury House during WWII, and Emma Lovett - gardener restoring the gardens in present day.

Julia Kelly weaves a fantastic tapestry of love, joy and pain that each woman experiences during their time at the estate. There is just enough information about the gardens to keep your interest (especially if you are a non-plant person like myself). I especially enjoyed the wartime depiction of Highbury House turned into a medical ward. The aspect I loved most is how little buds from each timeline revealed blooms in the next.

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for this ARC and the chance to give an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the arc of The Last Garden in England in exchange for an honest review.
This historical novel takes place at Highbury House and follows the lives of women across three time periods. 1907 Venetia Smith is a talented artist who designs fabulous gardens for affluent professionals with money to spend. 1944 Highbury House becomes a hospital for wounded soldiers. Present-day, Emma Lovett has built her career to restoring old gardens and feels that restoring High Urey House is a lifetime opportunity.

Through Emma's research to better understand the garden, we learn more about the women's lives from each period. The women were strong, compassionate, and courageous and lived extraordinary lives that allowed them to overcome the challenges they faced in their time in history. The author did a fantastic job of weaving the stories and timelines together and brought it all together to a beautiful conclusion. It was a pleasure to read this book, and I highly recommend it.

Julia Kelly’s THE LAST GARDEN IN ENGLAND has some of the trappings that I just love about historical fiction - written by a woman, is about strong brave women trailblazers who are able to reinvent and adapt themselves to exceptional circumstances and extraordinary moments in our history, and teaches us about a new or little known subject either in general or at least to me. It also has the added feature element of spanning over multiple generations of women who are all interconnected in various ways and through an uniquely famous English garden. It’s always intriguing and fun to read a book where as you are turning the pages you are steadily plotting a path and connecting the dots to try to figure out how all the characters are interwoven, knowing the author is leading the way to the precise moment of Aha! and to the exact timing of their chosen point of realization.

Kelly was destined to write this novel with so many influential paths and people converging to make her masterful novel a dream turned reality. She started with a book idea of a garden tying generations of women together; then that combined with growing up gardening with her dad and with her research into the War’s requisition of houses to serve in various war efforts, brought her idea into fruition. From modest country houses like her parents’ home to grand country staffed estates and manors, all were expected to do their part for their country. Various celebrated books and shows like Downton Abbey have shown these house conversions into hospitals for the recovering wounded or as barracks for soldiers. The ‘English garden’ style and tradition has become a trademark and synonymous with England, and so too in this novel - where Highbury House’s Garden becomes a character in and of itself. An epicenter for the cast of characters, it reflects its creator with intention in every detail and choice, creates a backdrop for the kindling of love but also for devastating loss, protects its inhabitants’ secrets, and acts as an escape and refuge across time. And as we see the changes that occur to the garden over the course of a season and across generations, so we too see that reflected in the women’s lives we have become invested in over the course of seasons and time.

Kelly is a new author to me and after reading her new historical work THE LAST GARDEN IN ENGLAND that will be released in January, I am excited to see what she will create and pen next. I am not even a gardener, but I truly enjoyed this lush captivating garden with all of its garden rooms and the large cast of characters Kelly has created and intertwined with it.

Told from multiple perspectives through three different time periods, The Last Garden in England takes us from its inception in 1907, through World War ll, and to its re-birth in 2021. Venetia Smith designs the original with much symbolism to reflect women and their roles at that point in time. Beth Hastings is a Land Girl in 1944 who is given permission to sketch the garden by the widowed owner of the estate, Emma is the owner/gardener/designer who has been hired to restore the gardens to their former glory in 2021. Through Emma’s efforts to discover more about the original gardens, we learn about the others and and all those who in some way contributed. Julia Kelly has given us a tour of not only the gardens but the lives and times of the key women involved.

This book is centered around one magnificent garden, and three timelines. The author expertly blends the three timelines as she follows the story of the garden's creation, maintenance throughout the years of World War II, and the 2021 plans to restore the garden to its former glory. I love gardens and gardening, so I enjoyed reading of the design and creation of the gardens. The concept of garden rooms was not one I was familiar with, but it was fascinating. The research for the restoration of the garden revealed the various stories in the garden's history. But the heart of the story were the characters, who were quite unforgettable for their courage and compassion. The three main characters were strong women who overcame tragedy and were able to forge ahead in spite of obstacles and prejudices in each timeline. I loved the ending, as the three stories converged into a beautiful conclusion. I did receive a complimentary copy from Netgalley and the publisher, and I am very glad I did.

1907, 1944 and Present Day.....Venetia, Beth, Emma.....three women, three timelines in alternating chapters all in the same Country Estate with a Garden that is as much the Protagonist as it is the Setting.  The Garden  holds a secret that deeply affects the lives of all three women.  Wars, Separations, Death, and the subplot that ensues as the estate is requisitioned by the military all make for a most engaging story.  This historical fiction novel was the perfect escape from the pressures 2020 is presenting.  There is something very therapeutic about a garden.  A well written story about a garden works also! I read a NetGalley advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A wonderful story to follow, which takes us to three time periods, present day 2021, 1944 and 1907. The story follows three different woman and there involvement in the formal gardens of Highbury House in Scotland, and the generations of family who owned it.
In 2021, we learn that Emma is Commissioned, to recreate these wonderful gardens which had been in great need of repair and where the owners wanted her to recreate the original gardens by a famed landscape artist in 1907, Venetia Smith.
In 1944 The home has been taken over by the army for a convalescent home for soldiers of WWII. Beth, a Land girl, (a women who in wartime worked in Agriculture), also helped with the gardens.
Through each of these stories we follow the joys, secrets and sorrows of the character, and the role each played in its recreation.
So many great characters to follow, as we go from one discovery to the next.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Gallery Books for a copy of this book.

Julia Kelly crafts a beautiful multi-generational novel in The Last Garden in England. Centering around the breathtaking Highbury House estate, the reader meets women across three different timelines--1907, led by Venetia Smith, the garden designer who brings it to life; 1944, and the women who protect it from being destroyed and turned into wartime farmland; and present-day as Emma tries to restore the garden's original beauty.

The writing is absolutely gorgeous and so descriptive that I felt like I was in the dirt with these women. While there are a lot of different characters to keep track of and the narration and timeline shift quite a bit throughout the seasons the book is divided into, I thought Julia Kelly did a great job really developing each character.

I really enjoyed traveling throughout time with this novel and this special garden. I will be grabbing a copy of this when it comes out, it will make the perfect gift for someone who loves gardening and a strong set of female leads!

Special thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The book just didn't keep my interest. Maybe you have to be a gardener?? Tried a few chapters but then closed the book.

When done right, historical fiction can prove as riveting as the best spy thriller and author Julia Kelly is a masterful writer. The task of weaving characters and three disparate timelines from 1907, 1944 and 2021 must have been daunting but the narrative sails along on smooth seas. From the reader’s POV keeping track of who fits where requires close concentration and I occasionally had to flip back to refresh my memory about what era I was in.. Thank the powers that be that this is not a time travel story. What it is is three separate tales, three protagonists and one glorious English garden.covering 115 year period. Emma Lovett has been hired to restore the gardens to their former glory and in the process she uncovers long buried secrets from the past.. It’s fascinating and challenging in scope but Kelly rises to the occasion and sweeps the reader up in the grandeur.of the garden’s restoration.

This is no namby pamby dry Victorian narrative. “The Last Garden in England” is beautifully written with brilliant subplots of the hope that accompanies love and the despair of death, all built around a love of gardening that shines brightly and feeds the soul.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. My thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review “The Last Garden in England” by Julia Kelly.

#NetGalley #TheLastGardenInEngland

The Last Garden in England, by Julia Kelly, is an interesting novel that intertwines 3 separate lives/time periods, involving the same place, Highbury House gardens.  It is a good read, however, I complicated it by looking up a multitude of things that were mentioned about gardening, the area, etc.  This slowed my reading progress and delayed my finishing.  While I can't blame the book for my own desire to know more, I think it may be a book best enjoyed by someone with more knowledge of gardening, unless you are open to the learning experience.  The cover is beautiful and the text is well written.   Though it took me a while to read it, I am glad I did.  And yes, I do now feel the need to visit Highbury! Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for gifting me an ARC ebook version of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Sorry to say this historical novel did not do much for me. Perhaps it's because I'm not a gardener. Despite what the book description promises, I did not find this either "poignant" or "unforgettable".

Like many new fiction books written these days, this one uses that tried-and-true (in my opinion, overused) device of telling three narratives, from different periods of time, that only come altogether at the very end of the book.

• 1907. A little-known-but-soon-to-be-famous garden designer, Venetia Smith, specializes in long-neglected gardens. She is working to design elaborate gardens for famous Highbury House, a Downtown Abbey type home for British landed aristocrats.

• 1944. Like many large homes, Highbury House has been requisitioned by the government for use as a convalescent hospital for injured World War II soldiers. Recently-widowed homeowner Diana Symonds is not only dealing with her own grief, her young son, and a domineering sister-in-law, she is also managing the house staff and trying to maintain some semblance of a normal home life. And she is working with a number of "land girls", small town civilians working in agriculture to contribute to the war effort.

• 2020. Emma Lovett, a deep lover of history, runs a small gardening company specializing in restoring overgrown gardens to their original design. The opportunity to work at Highbury House is a dream come true. As is the looming prospect of a job offer that would free Emma from all the business-owning tasks she hates doing.

Weaving back and forth between time, we follow the stories of these three women and a few others as they navigate war, tragedy, dances, romances, pregnancy, and all manner of secrets and British class prejudice.

It sounds like a decent enough premise. Only, for at least half the book, I found it difficult to remember who was who as the author jumped back and forth in time. There are lots of people, multiple romances to track, and too many of the characters didn't seem particularly distinctive to me. I rarely felt any emotion for any of them.

BUT, I will close by suggesting that reading this novel might be a totally different experience... if you love gardening.

I received a free ARC of this book through Netgalley.
It mixes love and horticulture in 3 different time periods and 3 different women all in regards to a single garden in England. It was quite riveting as it went back and forth between the strong female characters. I enjoyed the descriptions of the gardens as well, but you don't have to be into horticulture to enjoy this book.

A story you can slide right in to, The Last Garden in England brings to life three generations of women whose lives cross the spectacular gardens at Highbury House in Warwickshire. Mixing their voices in a collection of chapters slotted into each season of a single year, we witness the progression of their lives in the contexts of radically different times and accompanying social mores.

In 1907, Edwardian garden designer Venetia Smith designs the gardens. In 1944, recently widowed Diana Symonds is the Lady of Highbury House, now repurposed as a convalescent hospital; Stella Adderton, head cook, is caring for her orphaned nephew; and Elizabeth Pedley is a Land Girl on the adjacent farm. In 2021, Emma Lovett is trying to restore the gardens, struggling to unearth information on their original state.

The writing and story remind me of Kate Morton (I’m a fan) — deep characters and easily absorbed writing with a plot that that is equally character and story driven. I love the way each character makes her way through the constraints of her time period following the dictates of her own values on vocation, family, love, and internal worth. They were all different! Some were naturally maternal, some not; some were pulled towards a life of great achievement (despite difficulties), some not; some were willing to compromise for love, some not. I loved the lack of stereotypes and the matter-of-fact descriptions of social context for women in each time period and the way they got on with it. Included interesting insight into the process of garden design (both creation and restoration).

A real joy to read with that lovely combination that keeps both the heart and the mind engaged.