Magical! I loved every word. Oftentimes while reading particular passages I could easily visualise the gardens.

Wow! I am blown away by this book. I love Julia Kelly and this book is my new favorite of hers! The Last Garden in England is historical fiction at its best with characters & a story line that every reader will love.

I loved the concept of this book far more than the execution. I have always been curious about the concept and execution of a majestic, monumental British garden and the idea of following the history of a significant (if fictional) one for 100 years was really enticing.

But, somehow I didn't find the magic I was looking for in this book. The concept of a garden as a statement of wealth and "taste" was not new to me, but the lack of heart and emotion in the couple who commissioned "The Last Garden in England" created a chill in this novel that never left me. Their calculating personalities and business-like approach to what should have been a creative project dispersed in to the tone of the whole book. I never really felt the passion and creativity I expected to experience when I read about the garden. Perhaps that was intentional, but it detracted from the book for me.

This garden was never presented as a happy place, nor the project as an emotionally satisfying one for the designer or the owner. Although the book was garden-centric, it was more a story of love and loss---and women's aspirations. The garden was the foil for presenting these emotional issues, but it was really never the star of this book.

NETGALLEY provided me a complimentary copy of this book in return for a candid review.

Julia Kelly has a way with words. The Last Garden in England was so captivating and fresh. This is historical fiction with not two eras, but three! I love the travel through the ages and learning about each stage and life of the gardens.
It was like three stories for the price of one. Even though there are numerous characters, Julia has them so well developed that the story just flows. This is one novel that I didn’t want to end. Thank you NetGalley and Julia Kelly!

It's January 1907. She walks in the winter garden surrounded by Christmas Roses. I loved the opening descriptions. Then it's February 2021 and Emma is meeting with clients. I liked reading about Emma's work in the gardens. I loved going back in time and reading about the past. I loved reading about the beginnings of the garden. I loved the characters and seeing how they would connect to the present.

In a time when women were expected to be only housewives and mothers, Venetia Smith has made a career of designing gardens for the rich and famous; no small feat for a woman in 1907. And the gardens at Highbury Estate promise to be her crowning glory. In 1944, England is at war, and Land Girls from all over descend on Highbury to help, to forget and to survive. In the present, Emma Lovett has come to Highbury to restore the gardens created by her idol, Venetia Jones, and in doing so uncovers the secrets and stories of all the other women who have called Highbury home. This is a gorgeous and sumptuous novel and just what I needed at a very dark time in my life