The Garden House. A Novel by Marcia Willett, St. Martin's Press, 2021

This book is about new university graduate El, grieving her beloved father Martin’s recent sudden death. Never forgiven by her now remarried mother for continuing to see her father after her parents’ divorce, El inherits and moves into Martin’s house on the Devon moors, finds a part-time job at a nearby book store, and sets out to build a new life supported by her step-brother Will and Martin’s friends.

The story is also about Julia, widowed mother of two sons and Martin’s lover, a secret they intended to keep only temporarily to avoid upsetting their children. When El finds coded messages between them on Martin’s phone, she enlists Will’s help in figuring them out. Meanwhile, life goes on for El and Martin and Julia and Will’s friends and families, their everyday happenings are woven into the story.

Marcia Willett is a wonderful story teller with an approach to character development that, when I first encountered her in the 1990s, reminded me of Rosamunde Pilcher. The two share elements of their writing style that simply captivate and engage readers such as developing kind and realistic characters, describing beautiful settings, weaving in rich details of everyday life and letting secrets came to light

It was lovely to meet Martin’s friends Cass and Kate again in this book, as following a series of my own moves and periods of study, I lost track of these old acquaintances, as I did this author.

I have to admit that I gobbled up this book faster than I should have. Now I will need to go back, reread and catch up.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of The Garden House for free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. #TheGardenHouse #NetGalley

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

DISCLAIMER: This review may contain spoilers for The Garden House.

The Garden House by Marcia Willett is a tale of love, grief, death, and secrets uncovered. Fresh out of university, El moves to the small town of Tavistock following the abrupt death of her father, Martin, and inherits his home in the countryside called the Pig Pen. Grappling with her new reality after her father’s death and figuring out what to pursue in life after university, El accepts the help of her stepbrother, Will, in maneuvering through her grief and sorting through Martin’s belongings. When El finds Martin’s phone and discovers coded text messages from someone called “J” within, El realizes that there was more to her father than she knew. As El and Will work to decipher the codes in the texts, they get closer to the truth, to the mysterious “J,” and to each other.
The Garden House is a charming little story about family, the process of grief after death, and the revelation that, sometimes, you find out that people you thought you knew will have secrets, and that’s okay. However, it was difficult to get into it at first; the beginning was extremely slow-paced, there were a myriad of characters introduced that I struggled to remember, and Willett’s style appears to be (at least in this book) to provide as much detail as possible, despite it not bolstering the performance of the plot. An example of this can be found below:

The black car gleams under the overhead lights and, as he presses the button on his keys and the indicators flick, he takes a moment to appreciate its lines. To the untrained eye it is like any other large saloon, but to the enthusiast it is an understated achievement, quiet power and quality. The Phaeton is his pride, joy... and money sink. Bought to celebrate his command - and to irritate his stepmother - it is the perfect vehicle for a new captain.

Willett’s characters add a lot of dimension to the story and of our examination of Martin's absent character. Each person introduced – Angus, Kate, Plum, Julia, and even Will – provided their own insights into Martin’s character. We are able to see into their minds and witness their thoughts concerning events and other characters within the text. Yet, while this was valuable, I felt at times that these characters' thoughts were sometimes irrelevant to the story and served as more of a distraction; there were too many times the side characters jolted our attention away from El uncovering Martin's secrets, and instead we were treated to Kate's fondness toward Angus or Will's disdain towards Felicity, El's mother and Will's stepmother.

Moreover, for all the characters that Willett does introduce, we never get to know any characters outside of Tavistock, such as Felicity. There is a distinct lack of a differing perspective, and it is due to this that I feel that a lot of this story felt wholly biased and one-sided in its narrative, despite the omniscience of how its told. Martin and El's company in Tavistock consists of a lot of "yes people;" these friends did not take issue with Martin cheating on his wife (regardless of whether or not Felicity was a horrid woman) or El and Will pursuing a romantic relationship with one another, despite being stepsiblings. It just appeared that for all these people care for one another, they outright refuse to call each other out on their actions.

​Yet, regardless of the above observations, I did like this book. The more I read, the more I began to appreciate the story for what it was. The Garden House is a tale of life after death and the love that exists thereafter. While the description of the novel lends itself to allowing for a more sinister plot, this is a simple story of a daughter coping with the loss of her father and coming to terms with the fact that there were parts of his life that she did not know. Willett captures the whirlwind of grief and acceptance beautifully, and while I have not experienced the loss of a parent at this point in my life, it was tangible enough that I painfully empathized with the pain that was tangible in the novel's pages. This doesn’t have to be a mystery thriller or contain a dark revelation of Martin’s past; to simply examine the impact of a loved one’s death on a person is powerful enough by itself.

As Vision says so beautifully in WandaVision: “What is grief, if not love persevering?”

El’s father passed away and she decides tinto his cottage in Devon. This is a story of love and grief and how the characters deal with these emotions. A very pleasant read.

This is a charming quick read. The author tells a sweet story that allows the reader to relax. There are no big reveals or shocking twists, but there is a lot of heart.

Marcia Willett always tells a wonderful, gentle tale in stunning settings and The Garden House did not disappoint. There were no great surprises, no real secrets or darkness. There is friendship, joy in family and lots of love (and quite a few dogs!). The real star is the descriptions of Devon and the gardens, you can feel the genuine affection for the bleak moors and the tamed gardens. I am not sure Willett got the voice of 21 year old El right. She sounded so much older, just like her dads friends who would have been much older. This book felt like either the first in a series of books about the characters and town or a book well into a series. I couldn't quite gel with them and so many arcs were left unlinked. That was a little frustrating.
However, as a summer read this was perfect. I want to pack my bags and get myself to Dartmoor right away.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC, this is my honest review.

El’s dad died, and she has inherited his home. She has a lot to do to make herself comfortable, living alone with fond memories of her father. Her mother and father divorced, and her mother and brother resented the fact that she still wanted to spend time with her dad. As she morns, Will, the son of her mother’s new husband, is the only one she feels comfortable with sharing her grief. He lost his mother when he was younger and can empathize with El’s feelings. While looking through her dad’s phone, she comes across a few texts that seem to be in code. She wonders who the texts are from. How could her father have someone special and not share it with her? Will and El make it their mission to solve the clues and find out what El’s father was hiding. In the meantime, Will and El’s relationship deepens. I really liked this book and the Garden House that not only brought El’s dad comfort but also draws Will and El together. I enjoyed watching their relationship blossom. The setting was wonderful. I could see the beauty and peace of the gardens, feel the chill of the weather, and warmth of the hearth and the people who cared for each other. Great book.

I enjoyed reading this story such a lovely uplifting, charming, emotional book with a group of amazing characters that combine to make a very satisfying journey to an idyllic village.
A good relatable read!

Marcia Willett excels at characterizing the intricacy of human relationships and this book is no exception. Her characters are complex and often conflicted. The settings are interesting and lushly described. There is also a sense of connection and continuity with other books that she has written. A thoroughly enjoyable book.

I have read every book that Marcia Willett has published under her own name and have found everyone of them to be satisfying reads and sorry that t hey always have to come to and end. The characters are well-developed and bring a great deal of warmth to the story. It is fun to meet new friends, but also marvelous to reconnect with old one. A most enjoyable read as all of her books are, You simply can't go wrong in picking one up and reading it.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 4.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

If you are a fan of Maeve Binchy and Rosamonde Pilcher, you will enjoy this story. Marcia Willet has a down to earth style which engages you through the entire book. When I am in the mood for a character based sweet story with vivid landscape and flora descriptions I turn to this author. While I enjoyed The Garden House I would love a sequel to this book. I felt the ending was a bit abrupt and there was more of the story to be told. Also, a large part of the book was devoted to the relationships of secondary characters whose stories were told in previous books. I felt there were too many secondary stories that were not fleshed out. Still, an enjoyable read perfect for these stressful times.

The Garden House
by Marcia Willett

Four Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
A charming, emotional book with a group of supporting characters that combine to make a very satisfying journey to an idyllic village.

Publishers Blurb:
After the death of her father, El moves into his home just outside Tavistock in Devon. Fresh out of university and dangling on the precipice of adulthood she questions what it is she really wants from life. Although her childhood friend, Will, is there to help her through her grief she soon realises there were things her father was hiding from her…

Jules is also mourning Martin, but they thought best to keep their relationship secret, she must now grieve entirely alone. All she has to remember her love are the memories of their time spent at a beautiful community garden and teashop nearby. The Garden House is where they met, fell in love and where their secret affair will inevitably be uncovered.

As El and Will begin to piece together her father’s secrets they bring them closer and closer to both Jules and a truth that is difficult to face.

My Take:
After a slow start with a lot of backstory and details, this story became a charming look at families, grief, love, and secrets. The author, Marcia Willett, is masterful at description, and I felt at home in the charming village of Tavisiston. I love a small town/village story full of interesting characters all with their own quirks, challenges and drama. The story is told from various points of view, to include the main characters and many of the other characters. I liked the way the author took us into the thoughts of the various story characters.

The story mainly deals with grief and love, and the different ways the characters deal with these emotions. I enjoyed the way El and Will followed and solved the puzzles left by her father that opened a piece of his life that they never knew existed.

I always love a book that transports me to a new place, and I liked that Taviston is a real town, in a real country. The Author knows the area very well and I liked all the details about the various areas in the story.

About the Author:
Marcia Willett began her career as a novelist when she was fifty years old. Since that first novel Marcia has written twenty more under her own name as well as a number of short stories. She has also written four books under the pseudonym "Willa Marsh", and is published in more than sixteen countries.

Marcia Willett's early life was devoted to the ballet, but her dreams of becoming a ballerina ended when she grew out of the classical proportions required. She had always loved books, and a family crisis made her take up a new career as a novelist - a decision she has never regretted. She lives in a beautiful and wild part of Devon where she loves to be visited by her son and young family.

Recommendation:
I highly recommend this book as a feel good emotional read.

This review is based on NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.