A beautiful story of love, loss and belonging set in the Devon countryside during WWII. A quick read - perfect book for a cold winter evening. I really loved this story and hope the other readers will too!
Helpful Score: 1
Our bookclub really enjoyed this book...lots of discussion. WWII story about girls in the Women's Land Army, organized to grow potatoes for the war effort. The women are posted to an old estate, along with a Canadian regiment.
Helpful Score: 1
I absolutely loved this book, it was a quick read with so much packed into the story that you need to read it twice to experience parts you might have missed. The story of a woman finding herself in one of the worst times in history and how she becomes who she really is and what she can be. Set in WWII you see that even though bombs are dropping, people still have "normal" everyday problems to deal with. A excellent read.
I thought this was a great book. There are interesting characters, and the story line is fairly unique. Well-written, I recommend it.
The author has writing talent. Gwen, the main character, is mid-30s and lacking in confidence, which is understandable considering her mother's unkind comments to her, dating back to when Gwen was a kid and up until her mother died not long ago. Jane is a secondary character who appears to be strong and a natural leader; Captain Raley is a too-good-to-be-true fellow--good looking, fit, charming, polite, etc. Naturally, Gwen starts to fall for him.
Soon after Gwen arrives at her assignment, she hears stories that there's supposed to be a ghost in the area. I assumed that this "ghost" would have a significant role in the story but when the identity of the "ghost" is learned, it was a let down and it was ludicrous that even though this "ghost" supposedly had been around for decades, no one ever figured it out. What happens to Jane at the end of the story also doesn't fit with how she is initially portrayed in the book. The lost garden is apparently a three-section "love" garden. I wondered if this was a "real" thing in England or had been at one time, but I couldn't find anything when I googled it. At the end of the book, the author notes credits for quotes, etc. but there is nothing about English "love" gardens so perhaps they never actually existed. The secret that Capt. Raley revealed to Gwen is also unbelievable--not the secret itself but the fact that he told her.
Soon after Gwen arrives at her assignment, she hears stories that there's supposed to be a ghost in the area. I assumed that this "ghost" would have a significant role in the story but when the identity of the "ghost" is learned, it was a let down and it was ludicrous that even though this "ghost" supposedly had been around for decades, no one ever figured it out. What happens to Jane at the end of the story also doesn't fit with how she is initially portrayed in the book. The lost garden is apparently a three-section "love" garden. I wondered if this was a "real" thing in England or had been at one time, but I couldn't find anything when I googled it. At the end of the book, the author notes credits for quotes, etc. but there is nothing about English "love" gardens so perhaps they never actually existed. The secret that Capt. Raley revealed to Gwen is also unbelievable--not the secret itself but the fact that he told her.
