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Book Review of The Bone Garden

The Bone Garden
sgray29 avatar reviewed on + 18 more book reviews


I truly loved this story. Oddly enough, the first half of the book took me quite some time to get through, as I didn't find it very interesting. I actually considered not continuing many times. The book is set in present times in part, but the majority takes place in 1830 during the lifetime of Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes. Although I always enjoy a mysterious murder, I, personally, must be in a certain mood for historical fiction to enjoy it. Though fiction, this tale is realistic. I did not even think about the fact that the author, Tess Gerritsen, is a physician and would, no doubt, be respectful of & knowledgeable of the accomplishments of Dr. O. W. Holmes until I had finished the book.
I originally chose this title because it listed Dr. Maura Isles of the Rizzoli & Isles series as a character. This is a little misleading, as she has an extremely small appearance in the story.
After stumbling slowly through the first half of the book, I read the last half in one quick sitting. Ordinarily, I am absolutely sickened by romantic books, yet I must describe this book as a really wonderful love story. I'm not at all a sappy, happy person, but I found the 1830s portion to be very touching. There were quite a few characters that I found interesting & to whom I grew attached; there were also characters I disliked and characters I felt sympathy for in a way that added to the story. I particularly enjoyed the historical significance of the character Wendell Holmes. I was left wanting to learn more about the actual person & his brilliance in the medical field. There was also the mystery aspect of the story that initially attracted me that helped make this story so great to me. This is a book that I could definitely see myself rereading some day.