A charming story following the same formula Adam’s used for her first novel “The Reading List”. For some reason I have a weakness for stories that involve weaving together a motley crew of British neighbors. Both Adam’s and Clare Pooley have excelled at that and it always hits my sweet spot.

Not as captivating as the fist novel since I found a few parts slow moving, but still strong. One description on death that coincided with the appearance of snowdrops shattered me. If you’re a fan of this genre, it’s a good read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

TW: loss of spouse, loss of parent

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I was really looking forward to this one as I enjoyed the author's last book and I love books about gardens.

I'll be honest - I was a little disappointed. I found this book to be a slow read and quite sad. The Beatles song "Eleanor Rigby" kept running through my mind while reading it (ahhh - look at all the lonely people....) There were also a few instances of loss that I wasn't entirely prepared for. I also didn't buy how few friends the main characters had.

I enjoyed the setting and the descriptions of the garden but this book just wasn't for me.

The Twilight Garden is a charming dual-timeline story about a shared garden between the two townhouses at Numbers 77 and 79 Eastbourne Road, Stoke Newington, London. The modern-day story starts in September 2018. Winston, an Indian immigrant, must deal with his new neighbor, Bernice, who tries to dictate his use of the rundown garden. He is struggling with guilt over not fulfilling his parents' dreams for him to work in finance and with his problematic relationship with his boyfriend, Lewis. Bernice is a single mother who is overly protective of her young son, Seb. Her ex-husband, Simon, continues to cause problems. Both Winston and Bernice start receiving mystery envelopes containing pictures of two women and the garden when it was flourishing.

Scattered throughout are flashbacks to the former residents, Alma and Maya. Maya and her husband, Prem, are a young Indian immigrant couple struggling to adjust to life in London. The very gruff Alma, who has always lived on the property, makes it clear that she does not want Maya to help her with the garden.

In both timelines, the garden brings the adjoining neighbors together. Unexpected friendships form that help the occupants to deal with their emotional struggles. The narrative explores the themes of intergenerational communication, cultural identity, family expectations, what constitutes family, and the transformative power of personal connections through having a shared goal. The twilight garden becomes a place of healing and personal transformation.

4-plus-stars

The Twilight Garden follows the story of Winston and his neighbor Berniece as they struggle to cohabitate civilly in their shared overgrown, weed-filled backyard space. With alternating narrators and time periods, the readers gain insight into the lives of Alma and Maya, the garden’s previous tenders and neighbors. This charming tale focuses on how unlikely friendships sometimes turn into family.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read The Twilight Garden by Sara Nisha Adams. I so enjoyed the dual timeline along with watching the friendships, along with the garden, grow.

This story went nowhere fast. I didn't care for the characters or the story. I was looking forward to reading this book and was very disappointed.

This gentle dual-timeline story reveals the transformational power of gardening. In 2019 London, Winston and Bernice are decidedly unfriendly neighbors. It doesn’t help that their backyards share an overgrown, unsightly garden. When Winston receives an anonymous letter with photos of the garden in its prime, he decides to restore the space. As the garden grows anew, so does the neighbor's relationship with each other and the greater community.

The Twilight Garden was a super sweet, happy tale about strangers coming together (twice!) to create a community garden. I looked forward to this second book by Sara Nisha Adams after reading her debut, and it didn’t disappoint. Two stories told in two timelines, they each entertain on their own and then weave seamlessly into one another. I loved the cast of characters, but I had a bit of trouble keeping track of who was who, especially across the two timelines. All in all, this was a comforting, feel good story that most will enjoy. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc.

It took me a few excerpts to get into Alma and Maya's story, and I found myself preferring Seb/Winston/Bernice's storyline more, but this book was a winner. The pacing is unfettered and unrushed which allows for a relaxing read with lower stakes. I would recommend this to fans of found family tropes, and books like Remarkably Bright Creatures, West with Giraffes, and the Finlay Donovan series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance reader copy in exchange for a review which will appear on Goodreads.
In England where having a garden is akin to American yards, one can see how sharing one would cause trouble. If the neighbors don’t take the time to get to know one another, assumptions are made and there is no room for understanding and helpful conversation. This is that garden.
There is a large cast of characters that you have to sort out and with the book set in England, there are expressions and sites and terms that take a lot of time to work out. This is also this book.
I liked it well enough but likely wouldn’t put it on our staff picks shelf. For me it was harder to get into than The Reading List, which I do recommend to my patrons.
3*

Two storylines from 1986 and 2019 connect through an empty lot community garden and the power of nature to build community and found family. The author of The Reading List brings us another novel full of connection between people exploring themes of grief, loneliness, love, and community.

I loved this book. I read it straight through. The story of friendship, family, and community, in all of its forms was wonderful and uplifting. Highly recommend.

As neighbors with a shared back garden, Winston and Beatrice will have to learn to get along when Beatrice buys the house next door to Winston's rental. When they both begin to receive mysterious mail about the history of a community garden, they slowly warm up to one another and work together to improve the space and uncover the full history of their London neighborhood- which leads them both to a greater sense of belonging and community. Well told and interesting dual time line story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of The Twilight Garden by Sara Nisha Adams.

Adams brings back the charm, sentiment, and good feelings that won us over in her debut, The Reading List. This story of a garden bringing neighbors together in two different timelines will warm your heart and either make you believe in the power of community and connectedness, or reaffirm what you already know. Of course, this book is about so much more than gardening as The Reading List was about more than books. The characters here are so real and human and funny and complex. If you like stories of people going through life and raising each other up in difficult times, you will love The Twilight Garden.

Two neighbors who hate each other, find common ground where neither of them think they ever could. The outdoor city garden needs a little TLC and these unassuming neighbors save and care for it.

The Twilight Garden….Sweet story, lovely characters. Thanks Netgalley and publisher..sometimes I really dislike having to have at least 100 characters in my review.

What a lovely story! I really enjoyed this book, and the dual timeline. The character development was excellent, and the writing was good.
I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 as I would have preferred to have more time with the characters and less time on the specifics of the garden.

Absolutely wonderful! What a lovely, slow read of a book. I rarely take four or five days to read a book but this one demanded that I slow down and taste each paragraph like a well crafted bite of delicious food. The friends, the characters, the garden - all so well depicted that everything seemed so real. Bravo.