This book is great. It is the story of three generations of women and the garden that they cared for. It's not just a regular garden, but includes many different sections including a walled winter garden. Venetia designs the garden in the 1900s. Diana tends to it during WWII and tries to save it from being requisitioned. Emma is hired to restore it during modern times.

There is an impressive amount of detail about the (fictional) garden itself, but the author also clearly did a lot of research into the history of the time periods as well. The characters are well thought out and I definitely became engaged in all of their stories. This book is thoroughly enjoyable. I definitely recommend it.

THE LAST GARDEN IN ENGLAND by Julia Kelly is a beautifully-written and poignant story of five different women living in three time periods decades apart but all connected by the same special garden in England. In 1907, Venetia Smith is one of very few women garden designers and she has been hired to design the gardens of the opulent Highbury House estate. Her interactions with its wealthy owners and their family and friends will change her life forever. In 1944, land girl, Beth Pedley arrives to work at a farm near Highbury House. The grand home has been requisitioned to the British Army and turned into a convalescent hospital for injured soldiers. The once lush gardens are at risk of being destroyed for the war effort. While delivering food and supplies, Beth meets the manor’s cook, Stella Adderton and its mistress, Diana Symonds, a recent widow of the war. These three women’s lives become intertwined by a long-held secret. In the present day, the Highbury House gardens are overgrown and neglected. Emma Lovett has been hired to restore the famous gardens to their former glory. As she learns more about the gardens’ past, shocking secrets are revealed that change everyone’s understanding of the history of the estate and its occupants. The characters are wonderfully-portrayed. I was transported to each time period by the vivid descriptions of the setting, especially the gardens. THE LAST GARDEN IN ENGLAND is a well-researched and enjoyable work of historical fiction that I highly recommend. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy.

Thank you NetGallery for the privilege of reading this book prior to publication.

This book takes place around the gardens at the Highbury House. There are three women and three. Time periods that. the story unfolds around..

The first is in 1907 when the Melcourts, the owners, hirer Venetia Smith to design several different formal gardens on the property. There is a nice description of the flowers and plants. The story involves a romance with the brother of the owners who cultivated roses. She leaves the country and thus the name of the book, the Last Garden in England.

But, the gardens story continues. Into the wartime of 1944. The owners are Symonds unfortunately, the husband dies and the wife Dianna runs the home with her son Robin who at a young age of 2 dies as well. However, now enters Elizabeth ((Beth) Pedley who works on a farm as a land girl, who delivers food to Highbury. She is awed buy the gardens and sketches them. She becomes friends with the cook, Stella. Both Beth who wants to belong to a family with love, and Stella who wants to go and have a life are struggling with their own desires. Stella’s sister drops off her young son to be cared for by Stella..

Then comes the present and the house is owned by the Wilcoxs who commission Emma Lovell who owns a company called Turning Back Tyme. The gardens have been left without care for years and Emma is determined to bring them back to the gardens when Venetia designed them in 1907. It is very interesting how the story is brought together by the research in finding out what has happened and how it all fits together.

The story jumps around from chapter to chapter in dates and people. It is wise to take some notes, at least for me it was so helpful to follow the story.

I enjoyed the story and would call it historical fiction and women.

3.5 stars

Scotland, 2021. Emma is commissioned to restore a historic garden at Highbury House. She strives for historical accuracy in re-creating a garden. And that’s the part I enjoyed the most in this story. The process of finding any kind of trace, a drawing or a picture, that would lead her in the right direction. The story is also consumed by her relationship with her parents. And her mom’s regret that Emma didn’t go to college. Instead, she took a course in garden design and opened her own company, which her mother doesn’t applaud as she doesn’t see it as having a stable life.

1907. Venetia Smith is commissioned to design a garden at Highbury House. She finds the owners - her employers challenging. Brother of the owners breeds roses. Her designing a garden and him breeding some roses lead to a romantic relationship.

The concept of designing a garden, then its restoration is a very original premise. And I was looking forward to those two stories. But I didn’t feel that the designing and restoration process came through in those two stories. They were more absorbed by something else. At the end, the story I expected the least from turned out to be the most interesting.

1944. During the war, the Highbury House is being used as a convalescent hospital.

Beth, after finishing her training at the agricultural college, the city girl travels to the country to become a land girl. While delivering produce to the Highbury House hospital, she takes a look at the garden rooms and “their surprising little nooks and crannies.” She gets an itch to sketch them.

Stella is a cook at the Highbury House hospital. But she has bigger dreams.

Diana Symonds is the owner of the Highbury House. Once she was “determined to be an excellent caretaker of the grounds,” but the war has changed everything.

I enjoyed the camaraderie of women trying to save the gardens during the war, when the government issues “the agricultural requisition of all unused land at Highbury House.”

It was interesting to read about the requisition of properties and land during the war. And about the so called land girls.

The characters I warmed up to the most are the three women living during the war. Diana grieves her husband who was a doctor. So she knows that it would make her husband happy to know that their house is being used for the wounded soldiers. Even though, it doesn’t make her happy. Beth, after losing her parents at young age, grew up with her aunt, who provided a roof over her head, but never expressed love. Now, on the farm, through her hard work she receives the kindest of words from the farmer she works for and her happiness makes your heart swell. Stella takes care of her sister’s son at the time. She is stuck at the Highbury House for the time being. But she does have her dreams. She wants to explore the world that is out there beyond what she is acquainted with.

Overall, the prose is enjoyable. The pace is good. If you enjoy romance stories, there is plenty of it in this book.

This is a book about three different generations of women in England all set in the same place. We read about their lives in Warwickshire at Highbury House.
Venetia Smith's chapter begins talking about how a garden project inspres her. "Each new garden is like an unread book, it's pages brimming with possibilty."

Beth's story is set in 1944. She is a land girl and moves from Dorking to Warwickshire, settling in on a farm and loving it. Beth's back story told how she was orphaned as a young girl, taken in my her aunt but never shown love or support. Her aunt had a duty to her and while she was fed and clothed, it was clear she had no emotional attachment to niece.

Getting assigned as a land girl to a country couple who showed approval and kindness changed her life. Her chapters at Highbury House during the war were interesting.

In present day, 2021 actually, Emma Lovell has a business called Turning Back Thyme where she designs gardens and also does her favorite thing, restorations. Her inspiration is Venetia who originally designed the lush and complex gardens at Highbury House back in 1906. I enjoyed getting to know Emma as she started to join in with village events such as the weekly pub quiz. The team she ended up on was called Menace to Sobriety, I thought that was very funny.

The gardens are an entity in it's own as much of the story focuses on the designs and restoration of the terraced "rooms". A tea garden where polite company meet leads to the lover's garden brimming with flowers and plants in hues of passionate reds and pinks, then the bridal garden, the children's garden and the winter garden. In Venetia's time is was being designed, Beth came along while the house was requisitioned as a hosital and the gardens were in a state of wildness. Emma had the restoration job of trying to find out what it orginally looked like. As the stories interwined I was unable to put this book down. Dinner was late last night because I was near the end and had to finish!

This is my first experience with this author and I plan to seek out more of her work. Julia Kelly did her research about requistioned houses during WW II and provided us with titles ot read more on that subject at the end of her book.

While I am not a fan of straight out romance novels, this book had just enough of the romantic element to work well within the storyline. I loved the ending and all mysteries about the people and the Winter Garden were solved.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. This is scheduled for publication 12 January 2021. The genre is historical ficion and women's fiction.

Sharing with Joy's Book Blog for the British Isles Friday linkup.

The Last Garden in England is a gem of a read. Spanning generations, the story focuses on four women connected to an English estate. The author has created a story about a garden from inception in the early 1900s to restoration in the present. Each time period is defined by characters that reflect its mores as both triumphs and hardships are experienced. This book engages on so many levels. It isn’t just a visualization of the garden, but also of restrictions, expectations and the many faces of love. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Most highly recommend.

I love historical fiction, so I was really excited to be approved for this book. And it lived up to my expectations. It was a beautiful book that I would highly recommend.

This is a historical novel about 5 women spanning 3 timeframes, 1907, 1944 and 2021. Emma who has dedicated her life to restoring neglected gardens has a commission to restore a series of gardens at High urg House designed by Her idol Venetia in 1907. The house has been left to Diana after the death of her husband during the was. Beth is working at the near by Highbury House as a land girl (a land Issa young women who are sent to farms to replace the young men who have gone off to war).. Beth is searching for a home after her parents died and she went to live with her aunt who really didn’t want her.she loves the town near Highbury House and often delivers food to the house. Stella a cook at HH is miserable and is saving money and taking correspondence courses in order to move to London, get a job and then travel. She becomes saddled with her sister’s 5year old son when her sister is killed a pin a bomb raid. All the women are complex, endearing and fascinating. There are love stories which seem natural and not contrived just to add romance.

This work of historical fiction weaves together the stories of strong women facing the challenges of their times. Venetia is designing the gardens of the Highbury House, working for the snobbish Melcourts. It is the early 1900’s, a time when a scandal could ruin a woman’s reputation, facing Venetia as she falls for the owners’ brother Matthew. The second story revolves around two women, Diana Symonds, a war widow in Highbury House which has been requisitioned for use as a hospital during WWII, and Beth, a land girl who is looking for a place to call home. Beth was orphaned at an early age, and felt unloved by her guardian. Lastly, we meet Emma in 2021, a landscape professional hired by a young couple to restore the Highbury House gardens to their original design. The stories are told in alternating chapters, with rich details of their eras, as well as beautiful descriptions of the various gardens. I loved the very English setting, and the stories of strong women who face challenges . I highly recommend this wonderful book, and thank NetGalley for the ARC.

The Last Garden takes the current obsession with World War II stories told back and forth between war time and the present day a step further, starting this story in 1907 with a woman, Venetia Smith, that acts as a professional garden planner. Venetia is commissioned to design a set of gardens for Highbury House and along the way falls for the brother of wife's homeowner which ends up causing her to leave England for America. The story is then looped into 1944 when the wife of one of the descendants is required to convert the home into a convalescent hospital for injured service members during the war. Finally Emma in 2021 is hired to restore the gardens to Venetia's earlier plans from over a century ago. I really loved the focus on the gardens, and I kind of wish that Kelly's descriptions of them had been even more vibrant. There is less focus on them in the 1944 part of the story, but one of the gardens has a dramatic impact on all three women the author focuses on during that time. While I do like seeing the evolution of the garden over multiple generations and multiple points of view I did feel like it could get muddled at times - especially in the 1944 portion. The five different perspectives also makes it a little difficult to really feel like you're getting to really know and be in the shoes of any of the characters. Ironically I felt most strongly about the women that were the "villains" in several of the timelines. This is another solid book by Julia Kelly that I enjoyed and would recommend to people who enjoy these types of stories, but it isn't quite in the upper tier for me.

The Last Garden in England reconstructs an abandoned historic garden, uncovers a mysterious locked gate, and reveals the lives of determined women, separated by generations and war but who grow connected by one famous garden.
Julia Kelly presents The Last Garden in England in triple timeline and the voice of five women, including the diary entries of the Edwardian garden designer, Venetia Smith. Readers are introduced to original garden designs through the intricate details drawn and planted by Venetia in 1907, sketched by “land girl,” Beth in 1944, and recreated by Emma and the company crew of Turning Back Thyme in 2021.
Highbury House and its labyrinth of garden “rooms” in Warwickshire, England, becomes the “living” landscape for the nouveau riche Mr. & Mrs. Melcourt in the early 1900’s, Dr. and Mrs. Murry Symonds in 1944 war torn England, and Sydney and Andrew Wilcox in 2021. Each family is grafted into the history of this once breathtaking garden.
Readers’ love for Venetia and her gift of visionary gardens will thrive as Julia Kelly’s tendrils of love and loss are intertwined amongst the thorn encrusted, vine covered locked gates and the seeds of new beginnings.
Return to an early Victorian era and wander the rose petaled pathways in The Last Garden in England.

Highbury House estate had historic gardens. They were designed in 1907 by Venetia Smith commissioned by the Melcorts. Mrs. Melcort's brother, Matthew, lived nearby and bred roses. Many of his varieties were used in the garden "rooms" designed by Venetia. Venetia's reputation is growing and she is determined to make this garden a masterpiece. The garden, and the people she meets, change her in ways she never expected. After working with this garden, Venetia moved to America, so the Highbury House garden was The Last Garden in England Venetia designed.

Present Day: Sydney & Andrew Wilcox commission Emma Lovett to restore the garden at Highbury House. To be accurate with the restoration, Sydney searches through her grandfather's papers to find the originals. Henry, who runs a family farm nearby, also provides his grandmother's sketches of the garden, as it was in the 1940s. As Emma learns more about the garden's past, she uncovers secrets that have long been hidden.

1944: Beth Pedley, an orphaned Land Girl, arrives at a farm on the outskirts of Highbury. She just wants a place to belong. Cook Stella Adderton, wants desperately to leave Highbury House. Widow Diana Symonds, mistress of Highbury House, wants life to be like it was before the war and before her house has been commissioned into a convalescent home for wounded soldiers. When war threatens the gardens, these three women are drawn together by a secret that will be kept for generations.

In The Last Garden in England, Julia Kelly writes a extraordinary story of unexpected connections that cross generations and of the special places that change lives forever. I was captivated! I was allowed to read this book on #netgalley.

Julia Kelly gives us an interesting historical read featuring three storylines, three strong women and three different time periods. The story features a beautiful garden and all the secrets it holds. We experience all the heartache as well as the love shared by many of the characters. Well written with a beautiful cover that draws you in. #TheLastGardenInEngland #JuliaKelly #NetGalley

Three stories in one: a woman who designs high-end gardens struggles with a frowned upon romance in 1907; a WWII story of heartbreak and loss; a contemporary story of a young woman trying to restore the garden. The first two stories were riveting and were well worth reading. Like many novels of this genre, the contemporary story just didn't grab me. Overall, however, I enjoyed the book and couldn't put it down towards the end.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

Set in three timelines. 1907: Venetia Smith, 1944: Beth Pedley, Present day: Emma Lovett are all involved with Highbury House Gardens.

I enjoyed all the gardening stuff, the designing/planning and how different flowers/shrubbery would mature and create the garden rooms. I spent much time looking at pictures of the flowers that were mentioned. But, there were very familiar storylines making this an uncomplicated (boring?) predictable read.

2.75☆

What a beautiful story. The Last Garden in England tells the story of the gardens at Highcourt House from their creation by a female gardener in the early 1900’s to the war years to a present day restoration and the women who love them. Perfect for fans of Beatriz Williams and Downton Abbey. I loved the mystery and seeing the stories come together. Each woman’s story was better than the chapter before. This book was a cozy, joyful trip to England!

Wow! I am blown away by this book. I love everything about this book it is my new favorite! historical fiction at its best with characters & a story line that every reader will love.

Told in multiple viewpoints across more than 100 years, The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly is an atmospheric, dramatic read. In 1908, we join Venetia, who has been hired to design a revolutionary garden for a country estate. In 1944, we join Beth, a Land Girl stationed at a neighboring farm. In 2021, we join Emma, who has been hired to restore the garden. I love multiple viewpoints because each chapter has you riveted and on the edge of your seat. Perfect for fans of Beatriz Williams or Karen White, this is the poignant story of love, loss, and sacrifice that you need to add to your TBR today.

A tale of three gardens
A prepublication Big5+ review

r/suggestmeabook: I want a drama about women of various eras dealing with similar issues about work and love.

Edwardian, WWII and contemporary

Rating: PG

Publication date: 1/12/2021

From the publisher:

From the publisher: 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.

1907: A talented artist with a growing reputation for her ambitious work, Venetia Smith has carved out a niche for herself as a garden designer.

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.

Julia Kelly expertly explores the themes of women and work in two major past periods and contemporary England through the frame of a garden. What will you give up for your dream of work or your dream of love? We used to think we could have it all, but Kelly does a good job of showing that from the dawn of professional female artists, compromises have had to be made.

At first, it was a little difficult to keep up with whose point of view was being discussed, despite the labeling of each chapter with each of the five women’s names.

Venetia was easy enough, given the unique name coupled with the earlier period, but I had a more trouble remembering which name matched which woman. The tone is fairly consistent for all these points of view, despite the fact that Venetia is first person and the other four are third party close.

Another theme she explores is the one of home: what constitutes one and when do we start wanting one? All of the women have different answers, and the answers morph with their character arcs, which are developed at a believable pace, as seasons change.

The choice to explore three different women during WWII is interesting. Of late, it feels like land girls and occupied country estates have been fairly thoroughly explored, but juxtaposing the land girl, the lady of the house, and the cook for the great house helps illuminate all of them in new and interesting ways.

The garden itself is lost on me. I have a vague sense of all the plants she was describing, but not the specifics of them or what a room in a garden is. However, it still worked for me, as the love of the various characters for the garden and what it symbolized to each of them came through.

A solid piece of historical fiction—probably not one to haunt my dreams, but The Last Garden in England was a good meat and potatoes read.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I'll be posting my review on Goodreads and Amazon