The Seeing Garden
A Novel
by Ginny Kubitz Moyer
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Pub Date May 09 2023 | Archive Date Mar 24 2023
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Description
It’s 1910, and Catherine Ogden is aching to live a creative and meaningful life. That’s not easy to do when her aunt and uncle—and all of New York society—consider a good marriage to be the pinnacle of feminine achievement. But when Catherine visits Oakview, the Northern California estate of handsome bachelor William Brandt, she thinks that it might be possible to satisfy her family’s hopes as well as her own. In that beautiful place, she finds the promise of a new start and the opportunity to use her artistic gifts in designing the garden. But as Catherine is drawn into William’s hidden life, as well as the secrets of his estate staff, she discovers that Oakview holds both more opportunity and more risk than she ever imagined. It will take all her courage—and the lessons of some shocking revelations from the past—to choose the path that leads to real freedom.
Full of rich period detail and complex characters, and set against an unforgettable backdrop, The Seeing Garden explores what it takes for a woman to discern the path to her most authentic life.
A Note From the Publisher
Advance Praise
A Hasty Book List Most-Anticipated Historical Fiction Title for 2023
“The prose and dialogue flow naturally, with the author spinning phrases that beautifully capture the passion of youth and love . . . a moving story with strong female characters and twists that will satisfy readers who enjoy well-researched history alongside their romantic narratives.”—Kirkus Reviews
“This well-written and captivating novel about social manners and stifling expectations imposed on women shines a light on a piece of California history that has been overlooked. A delight for the senses with Moyer’s artistic descriptions of gardens and mansions, The Seeing Garden is a page-turner of a story that is sure to inspire today’s women who seek creativity and love.”—Ann Weisgarber, author of The Glovemaker
“A lavish estate on the San Francisco Peninsula is the setting for this elegant historical tale of loss, love, and redemption. Moyer’s characters are as vivid and alive as the lush California garden that feeds one young woman’s soul and guides her in a struggle between family duty and following her heart’s greatest desire. A sweeping coming-of-age story to savor."—Tammy Pasterick, award-winning author of Beneath the Veil of Smoke and Ash
“At what price freedom? In this finely tuned period novel set in 1910 New York and California, Ginny Kubitz Moyer quietly ramps up tension until its inevitable breaking point, opening the door for protagonist Catherine Ogden to make a pivotal choice: conforming to familial and societal pressures or following her heart. Laced with rich detail and historical accuracy….A great book club read!”—Ashley E. Sweeney, author of Eliza Waite
“Fans of historical fiction, romance and intelligent women will relish The Seeing Garden….a passionate story of yearning and discovery, transporting readers back to early twentieth-century Northern California with vivid descriptions and colorful characters that will enchant readers everywhere!”—Kristen Harnisch, internationally bestselling author of The Vintner’s Daughter series
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781647424268 |
| PRICE | $17.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 376 |
Featured Reviews
Libby R, Reviewer
Set in California in the early 1900"s, the reader is introduced to Catherine, who has moved there to be close to her fiancé and their upcoming wedding. In the past as a small child, she is raised by her parents( her father, an artist from a wealthy family and her mother, a former maid and an artist's model ). .Tragedy separates her from her parents and she is raised by her father's brother and wife. With the expectations of the time and her family , she is expected to marry (and to a wealthy family). A wonderfully written love story; the descriptions of the early California is interesting to read. Also, Catherine's love of gardening , makes me want to start my own garden. A highly recommendable novel.
Rachel F, Reviewer
The Seeing Garden by Ginny Kubitz Moyer is a wonderful historical fiction that takes us to Northern California in the early 20th century.
Catherine Ogden is a stunning MC. Her coming of age story is so beautifully depicted and described. The way the author blends the colors, textures, sights, and emotions through multiple avenues and mediums truly makes this novel a work of art.
Add in the historical contents of society and social expectations, aspirations, and limitations…and the reader can be fully immersed in a book that engages and tests all of your senses.
I loved the location, time, threads of romance and also independence, the pace and progression, and I loved the conclusion.
The journey to finding one’s purpose and passion within oneself, as well as within your surroundings, is something that I think every reader can resonate with. It is something fundamental that surpasses space and time.
5/5 stars
Thank you NG and She Writes Press for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 5/9/23.
Carolyn P, Media/Journalist
Nineteen-year-old Catherine Ogden appears to have everything: youth, wealth, birth, breeding, and beauty. No one in New York high society is surprised when she attracts the attention of William Brandt, an up-and-coming business tycoon from California. It’s 1910, and the job of women like Catherine is to marry well and make their families proud.
At her aunt’s urging, Catherine agrees to visit the Brandt estate near San Francisco. There she falls in love not with her prospective groom but with his beautiful, sun-filled house and, most of all, the extensive gardens that surround it. When he proposes marriage, she accepts.
Yet Catherine is not quite the society heiress her appearance suggests. The daughter of a wealthy man who gave up his fortune for art and love of her mother, Catherine grew up in a household that valued emotional fulfillment more than status and pride. So she can’t ignore the prickles of concern that arise during her conversations with William. For a while, she distracts herself by designing a beautiful garden of her own, but as the wedding day draws closer, a series of surprises force her to confront what she most wants in life.
As noted in her bio, Ginny Kubitz Moyer lives and gardens in the area where she has set her novel, and it shows. The exquisite descriptions of the landscape and its effect on Catherine could carry the novel, but they don’t have to. Catherine herself—with her combination of innocence and self-awareness, her unexpected past and its contrasts with her very different present—is the heart of the story. And although we can predict where she might be heading, Moyer keeps us guessing almost to the end as to how her heroine will get there. All in all, a very satisfying read.
I will be interviewing this author for the New Books Network (link below) sometime this summer.
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