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The Last Garden in England

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The Last Garden in England

By: Julia Kelly
Narrated by: Shiromi Arserio, Marisa Calin, Danielle Cohen, Katherine Littrell, Siobhan Waring
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About this listen

 From the author of the international bestsellers The Light Over London and The Whispers of War comes an enchanting novel that is “historical fiction at its very best” (Patti Callahan, New York Times bestselling author) as it follows five women living across three different times whose lives are all connected by one very special garden.

Present day: Emma Lovett, who has dedicated her career to breathing new life into long-neglected gardens, has just been given the opportunity of a lifetime: to restore the gardens of the famed Highbury House estate, designed in 1907 by her hero Venetia Smith. But as Emma dives deeper into the gardens’ past, she begins to uncover secrets that have long lain hidden.

1907: A talented artist with a growing reputation for her work, Venetia Smith has carved out a niche for herself as a garden designer to industrialists, solicitors, and bankers looking to show off their wealth with sumptuous country houses. When she is hired to design the gardens of Highbury House, she is determined to make them a triumph, but the gardens—and the people she meets—promise to change her life forever.

1944: When land girl Beth Pedley arrives at a farm on the outskirts of the village of Highbury, all she wants is to find a place she can call home. Cook Stella Adderton, on the other hand, is desperate to leave Highbury House to pursue her own dreams. And widow Diana Symonds, the mistress of the grand house, is anxiously trying to cling to her pre-war life now that her home has been requisitioned and transformed into a convalescent hospital for wounded soldiers. But when war threatens Highbury House’s treasured gardens, these three very different women are drawn together by a secret that will last for decades.

“Gorgeously written and rooted in meticulous period detail, this novel is vibrant as it is stirring. Fans of historical fiction will fall in love with The Last Garden in England” (Roxanne Veletzos, author of The Girl They Left Behind). 20th Century Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Romance Women's Fiction War England Historical Fiction England

Critic reviews

"The inviting performances of Marisa Calin, Shiromi Arserio, Katherine Littrell, Danielle Cohen, and Siobhan Waring add to the immersive pleasure of this engaging historical novel by bestselling author Julia Kelly. Set alternately in 1907, 1944, and the present day, the plot centers on the women of England's Highbury House. Venetia, the estate's 1907 garden designer, struggles to balance social expectations with her career desires. When WWII turns the estate into a convalescent hospital, estate owner Diana, cook Stella, and land girl Beth fight to preserve the gardens while building fulfilling lives. Modern-day garden restorer Emma uncovers the past's hidden secrets while navigating challenges that echo Venetia's. They are all compellingly written characters with affecting lives and interesting personal challenges, making this a listening experience to savor."
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Based on previous reviews I expected more from this story. The narration of Venetia in particular was awful, both accent and stilted pronunciation which was very jarring!

Disappointing

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I don't usually like to leave bad reviews as books and narration are so subjective and I know other people's bad reviews can easily put me off but... I gave up on this book a few chapters in. I'm sure the book is brilliant so I've given it four stars just in case, because I didn't get to hear much of it but would definitely read the book myself. However the over breathy and frankly strange narration of one of the characters, and the awful cockney accent of another made me eventually turn it off as I couldn't get past them to enjoy the story.
Sorry...

Gave up due to narration

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This story took a while to get into and the narrator of Venettia was extremely annoying. However, I liked the way the different characters were interwoven throughout the decades, telling the story of the garden.

Slow start but worth persevering!

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This was a lovely story read by multiple narrators and I enjoyed it. However the Australian accented narrator was not quite right for an English country girl and whenever she spoke it was very jarring.

Lovely story but accents jarring

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takes you straight into the lives of the characters and the garden. loved it. shame it had to end.

enter the garden

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