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.

Historical fiction is a favorite genre of mine. The Last Garden of England follows the stories of five women - Venetia in 1907, Stella, Diana, and Beth in the early 1940’s, and Emma in 2021 all centered around an elaborate garden on an estate in England. The storylines are easy to follow and not confusing as they switch back and forth. I found this book to be both endearing and heartbreaking, with the ways of the earlier time periods the catalyst for a lot of the more sad plot points.

To my surprise, I liked all five of the women and most of the supporting characters. Emma’s story was less intriguing but interesting as she helped put together pieces of the puzzle for the other stories as she renovates the garden. Some twists I saw coming but others took me by surprise. I liked that three of the women were in the same time period and they had overlapping stories. I believe it is Diana who I liked the most. She was dealt a hard hand in life in many ways, proof that money doesn’t protect you from heartache. I enjoyed the growth of her character throughout the story. I was rooting for her and she did not disappoint. I want to keep this spoiler-free so I’ll also just say Stella was ahead of her time. A modern woman who wanted more than her time period offered for females. I understood her and I’m glad her storyline went in the direction it did. Beth was very sweet, but she started out fiery and then it kind of tapered off. I knew who she was going to end up with from the beginning, although I would have liked more information on what happened to the other guy after she said goodbye. Lastly, Venetia. Another woman ahead of her time. I’m so glad her story went the way it did. She was the original designer of the garden and a very intelligent, strong woman. I was prepared to learn her life went the complete opposite direction. I only wish we had more information on how her husband’s family handled everything.

I would highly recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction and also for lovers of gardening. I don’t love to garden but appreciated the visual picture painted for me of the flowers and design. I’ve visited many historical homes so I had a great picture in my mind of how it may have looked. For those passionate about plants and flowers, this book is very descriptive and I believe you will find pleasing. A warning that some things caught me off guard in their sadness although I’m not sure why when I know a book in the war’s time period is never a light read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the opportunity read and review this book.

This is the third novel I have read by this author and IMHO this is her best - and I'm not a gardener at all! The Last Garden in England weaves three different timelines together - the early 1900s (1907) with landscape architect/garden designer Venetia Smith creating a spectacular garden for Highbury House in the UK while at the same time, falling in love with the owner's brother; 1944 during WWII with Highbury House's then-owner dealing with loss and a cast of characters which come from her home being requisitioned by the Government for use as a wartime hospital; and finally a current-day timeline with garden restorer Emma being hired by the current owners of Highbury to restore the gardens to their former glory. No spoilers - but there were some plot twists that I did not expect that brought the story to a satisfying conclusion. I highly recommend this book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars
I love historical fiction stories, and I especially love when stories have multiple timelines and/or POVs, so this was right up my alley.
The requisitioning of country houses during World War II is utterly fascinating to me and I am glad that period of history was included in the narrative.
I am very much a city mouse and had trouble picturing the garden in my head - was it outdoors or indoors? The author kept mentioning rooms, and I couldn't decide. Was it rooms divided like at the garden center, or different gardens divided like the botanical gardens?
There are a lot of heavy topics discussed throughout the book, but the tone is overall very cheerful and uplifting, and I liked that aspect.
If anything, I thought that too many POVs were represented. I wish the author had stuck to one for each time period, instead of including 3 in the WWII chapters. I definitely could have done without Stella and Beth - their stories could easily have been told from Diana's perspective with not much difference.
Overall, I did enjoy this book and would recommend it to others.

This novel, The Last Garden in England was captivating and stunning, from the first page to the last, In the garden at Highbury House, the women of the story are all woven together, spanning several generations. All of the love, the loss, and the triumph of their lives kept me reading late into the night. Gorgeously written, I felt as if I were wandering the garden myself.

What a fascinating read! I loved following the stories of three women in the garden at such different times. The Last Garden in England made me think - especially about friendships and changing social modes. I'll definitely recommended this book to friends and family.

I am in awe of this book. First the cover...in all honesty I saw historical fiction and the cover and fell in love. Second, I cannot find the words to successfully articulate the impact the book had on me. I loved the three timelines and the different points of view from three very strong women. I really cared about all the characters that Julia Kelly created and that is truly a sign of a brilliant read.

The vivid descriptions in this book had my imagination on overdrive as I thought of the garden itself and the time and place the book was set in. I imagined the house and the clothes as well as the foliage it was very atmospheric throughout.

This is one of the best Historical Fiction books I have read...it's brilliantly, beautifully written and so well researched...This is a book that will remain in my heart for many years to come for so many reasons that it deserves all the stars.

I love historical fiction and am a huge fan of books told from multiple perspectives, so The Last Garden in England was a joy to read. Each of the women’s stories is compelling. The premise of the gardens tying these lives together was fascinating, and the prose is so beautiful that I could picture each glorious garden. I hadn’t known of land girls or homes being requisitioned (other than Downton Abbey!) and appreciated learning about both. While the ending was perhaps a bit neat, it didn’t take too much away from this thoroughly enjoyable novel.

Maybe 4.5 stars. Really interesting three timeline book about women in different time periods all attracted/attached to the same garden. One timeline is when the garden is being created in 1907, one is 1944 and focuses on 3 women, and one is present day, focusing on the woman restoring the garden to its original glory. Timelines were easy to follow. 1907 was great - woman designing the magnificent garden; 1944 focused on the owner of the house, the cook in the kitchen, and a land girl living nearby; and 2021 focuses on Emma, who owns her own business and specializes in restoring gardens. Each character is richly drawn, and each has their own ups and downs.

Present day: Emma Lovett, who has dedicated her career to breathing new life into long-neglected gardens, has just been given the opportunity of a lifetime: to restore the gardens of the famed Highbury House estate, designed in 1907 by her hero Venetia Smith. But as Emma dives deeper into the gardens’ past, she begins to uncover secrets that have long lain hidden.

: "A talented artist with a growing reputation for her ambitious work, Venetia Smith has carved out a niche for herself as a garden designer to industrialists, solicitors, and bankers looking to show off their wealth with sumptuous country houses. When she is hired to design the gardens of Highbury House, she is determined to make them a triumph, but the gardens—and the people she meets—promise to change her life forever.

1944: When land girl Beth Pedley arrives at a farm on the outskirts of the village of Highbury, all she wants is to find a place she can call home. Cook Stella Adderton, on the other hand, is desperate to leave Highbury House to pursue her own dreams. And widow Diana Symonds, the mistress of the grand house, is anxiously trying to cling to her pre-war life now that her home has been requisitioned and transformed into a convalescent hospital for wounded soldiers. But when war threatens Highbury House’s treasured gardens, these three very different women are drawn together by a secret that will last for decades."

The Last Garden in England tells the story of the garden at the fictional Highbury House, from its conception in 1907, to its use as a place of rest and solace for convalescing troops during WWII, to its 21st Century restoration. But this book is much more than a botany primer; the lives of the women who love the garden are explored and, in some cases, intertwined.

At first I was nervous that The Last Garden in England was going to be too focused on the technicalities of gardening and that I would be in over my head. I quickly realized there was just enough gardening nomenclature to pique my interest, but not so much that I was confused.

The other main idea threaded throughout the book besides gardening was the concept of loneliness. Every main character dealt with loneliness on some level, whether it was foisted upon them or they chose a life of relative solitude. What are the consequences of being lonely? When do the rewards of seeking companionship outweigh the risk? How can we best cope with sudden, profound loss? I didn’t always 100% agree with how the characters answered these questions in their own lives, but I was sympathetic to the choices they made. The Last Garden in England was a lovely, thoughtful piece of historical fiction that was a pleasure to read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I wasn't sure I was going to like this one, with five different POVs, but they're done so well, I kept reading from chapter to chapter, looking to get more of each story.

The first POV is Emma in the present day. She's hired to restore the gardens at Highbury House estate.

In 1907, there's Venetia, the designer of the gardens. She's hired to come up with the original design on the garden rooms.

And then, in 1944, there are three women— Diana, whose husband left her Highbury House, her cook, Stella, and a land girl named Beth, at a neighboring farm. Their lives are connected to the house and also to each other.

The gardens themselves are like another character, since so much revolves around them.

The book is very well written and I liked how each story wrapped in the best way for each character.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.