The NetGalley reviewing process is a curious thing. One wants to be fair to the authors who have put their heart and soul into their creations, but reading books to a specific time schedule can work against giving a book or an author a fair go. When I feel pressured to get something read by a certain date, it can take away my enjoyment of the reading experience.

Also, how does one deal fairly with those books that you have requested which turn out to be ones that don't meet your expectations or don't turn out to be right for you? In a bookshop, once you have sorted through all the choices and finally pick one off the shelf, you read the blurb or flick through it before putting it back, until you find one that urges you to also read the first page or two. A number of these books also end up back on the shelf until, finally, that magical reading moment happens when you start reading...and can't stop. That's the book we buy and take home with us.

With NetGalley it is much harder to make such considered choices. All we can go on is the cover, the front cover quotes and blurb. It isn't until we've requested something that ticks all the boxes re interests, genre, topic etc that we can finally read the first page or two.

Where the Old Roses Grow was one such book. I'm a gardener and love roses. I regularly go through Virginia Woolf phases, so the Vita Sackville-West connection intrigued me and stories about how people got through one of the world wars always catch my eye. But I didn't gel with the tone of the writing. Something was bugging me. The line (p8) 'The evening light was gilded as the sun set behind Vita's tower. I felt, not for the first time, that we had slipped back in time.' twigged an old memory. I checked my records and found the connection. McCulloch wrote a book about Joan Lindsay and Picnic at Hanging Rock a number of years ago that I failed to connect to as well. For the same reasons as this one - too many "i" statements, not enough depth.

I hope the finished copy has some beautiful photography of the various old-fashioned roses in bloom, otherwise this a light, easy stroll down McCulloch's memory lane, Suitable for readers who want an undemanding, gentle memoir about English gardens, roses and WWII.

"Where the Old Roses Grow" tells the inspiring story of a group of rose enthusiasts, including Vita Sackville-West and Constance Spry, who worked to preserve heritage roses during and after WWII. As war raged and hope waned, these dedicated individuals collected rare roses to save them from extinction. This tale of resilience, passion, and hope highlights their efforts to ensure Britain’s beloved roses would thrive for generations to come.

This was not quite the book that I was expecting from the description. However it was quite an interesting look into the lives and gardens that were created around the period of WWII and beyond. I had recently read about Vita Sackville West as well as stumbling onto one of her books. Where the Old Roses Grow, gave us a glimpse of a few other people responsible for keeping old varieties of roses being lost to the world, it was predominantly about Vita Sackville West (and her husband) and the creation of Sissinghurst as a home and a garden for Vita and her family. It also provided information about Graham Stuart Thomas and Constance Spry (who has a rose named after her) and a few others.

I had pictured this book as more of an adventure about them racing to keep the roses from being destroyed by the war. But it seemed to me, to be more about people with a love of roses who were preserving them for their own sake or even for business purposes in the case of some. Though they were certainly living with all the fears and trauma of World War II. And vegetables took precedence over flowers during the war. But due to their efforts and the preservation of these old heirloom roses, the roses and gardens are there for us to enjoy for years to come.

I enjoyed learning more about Sackville West but was unfamiliar with the others. Perhaps British readers or serious flower gardeners are more familiar with them. As someone who loves flowers and gardens, I enjoyed learning more about the roses and the creation of these gardens. It certainly made me curious to look up the varieties mentioned and visit some of these beautiful historic places. Readers who love gardens, roses, history or these rosarians will enjoy this the most. I did feel that the author perhaps inserted herself into the story a bit too much for my tastes. But some readers would probably enjoy this modern tie in to the gardens.
#WhereTheOldRosesGrow #NetGalley

In "Where the Old Roses Grow: Vita Sackville-West and the Battle for Beauty during Wartime," Janelle McCulloch shows how important gardens are to the British spirit and history. Indeed, the idea of the rose and its inclusion in a garden is an important factor in this preservation of history and tradition. McCulloch does a first-rate job at going through the history of Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicholson's garden, Sissinghurst. McCulloch details the creation and continuation of this beautiful garden. We grow to care about the garden, and how much consideration Sackville-West and Nicholson put into the continuation of the garden.

Through telling the story of garden and roses, we learn about the various types of roses, and how rosarians cared for and ensured that the roses and their histories would not be erased even in times of war. We often just think about the beauty of roses and gardening, but we do not always consider the way they impact our moods, our relationships, and our connection to country. As McCulloch repeatedly points out, we find solace in beauty and nature. Gardens can help us make sense of a world that feels chaotic and dangerous. McCulloch's book is a nice balm for uncertain times.

A fascinating book for anyone who loves gardens, especially rose gardens. Vita Sackville-West and her husband, Harold Nicholson, moved to the now-famous Long Barn in Sissinghurst in 1930. There she transformed a neglected plot into one of the most famous gardens in England. This is the story of how she achieved it. Just before WWII, she wrote a book about her garden and opened it to the public, perhaps wanting it to become more widely known in case it became neglected during the war. There is also a section on the author’s experience of writing and gardening during the time of Covid. Towards the end, there are references to other famous gardens and gardeners, such as Mottisfont in Hampshire. A gardener’s delight.

This was a good choice for me, a blend of flowers, historical and literary figures. An enjoyable new slant on Vita Sackville-West’s biography which also introduced me to some new people. The details about the history of roses were accessible and enjoyable even for someone who’s not a gardener. I hope the print version will have illustrations. I’m not overly a fan of intrusive authorial voices though and there was a bit of that.

Thank you Netgally and Ad Lib Publishers for giving me this opportunity to read this ARC (Advance Reader Copy) and provide my honest review.

I have loved roses since childhood. Whenever I saw one, especially a red rose, I couldn't resist taking it with me. Weddings, in particular, seemed to have the most stunning roses, perhaps because red is my favorite color. We had small gardens on our rooftop and balcony filled with various flower and vegetable plants in tubs. Despite having roses, we could never seem to grow the big, beautiful red ones at home, which was disappointing then and still is now.

I was particularly captivated by the wealth of information about rose names and their histories. Did you know that many of the roses we cherish today were once on the brink of extinction? These dedicated rosarians collected rare, old roses and ensured their survival, even as German bombers darkened the skies and hope seemed to fade.

During an internet blackout in my country, I read, drew, and painted to pass the time. When the internet was restored, I searched for new books and came across this one. As I mentioned earlier, roses are my favorite flower, so I was intrigued by the book's description and plot. The book isn't just about roses; it's about resilience and hope. Their love for roses and their commitment to preserving them for future generations is truly inspiring. It serves as a powerful reminder of the beauty that can flourish even in the darkest times.

If you have an interest in history, or gardening, want to learn more about roses, or simply seek an uplifting story, I highly recommend this book.