The Last Garden in England: A Book Review

“I’m going to get ‘Gardens aren’t just about flowers’ tattooed on my forehead one of these days.”

-Emma Lovett

The Last Garden in England written by Julia Kelly is a captivating and motivating book that spans across three different timelines. Julia has now become one of my favorite authors who specializes in historical fiction and historical mystery. She is an international best selling author and rightly so! 

I could not put this book down when my husband bought it for my birthday this year. In fact, I read it within a week. One night I couldn’t sleep, so I took the book, put on my flashlight on my phone and finished reading until the sun began shining. Books have a powerful impact and for a history lover as I am, this one drew me in as if I was lost in a garden myself.  This is a historical fiction book, but it also gives one pause to reflect what a garden means to any individual. 

In 1907, Venetia Smith who was a garden designer was a woman like no other. In this Edwardian era, where women were considered second class and it was rare for a woman like Venetia to have her own business. Usually men are the ones who are the craftsmen and do all the financial backing. Venetia’s brother Adam does a lot of behind the scenes work for her job. But she herself is a master at creating gardens for customers. One would not expect a woman in her era to be forthright, a business woman and an artist whose works commands respect. Reading this book, I was drawn to how she was able to create from suggestions that  the Melcourts wanted and made different gardens for each taste. She appealed to their egos in her own way. The Winter’s Garden at the Highbury House is the focal point I believe of this book which leads to each female character to be drawn to.

In 1944, Beth Pedley who is a Land Girl at the Highbury House, becomes drawn to the garden but only after interacting with other pivotal characters in her backstory. The Winter Garden draws her and the widowed mistress Diana Symonds into a life that is interwoven through sorrow, excitement and peace. As a Land Girl, Beth is expected to work on the farms and anything that is nearby to Highbury House as World War II ensues. Land Girls worked on farms while soldiers were at war. I had heard of them before, but never as in much detail as Julia Kelly writes. Beth, who is an artist in her own right, uses the Winter Garden as her inspiration for drawings. Which connects the next time line into the 21st Century.

Emma Lovett has a passion for gardening and restoring gardens back from their former glory. Like Venetia Smith who she admires the most, she has her own business and works hard to succeed. She has to deal with the intricacies that her reputation is on the line, work twice as hard as she doesn’t have much crew to help her, and deal with a mother who thought she should have a different career. Emma loves her job as she feels connected to not only Venetia as she works at Highbury House, but also to the earth. It is something about working the land, bringing new life to something long derelict that drives her. 

All the women have connected with other secondary characters in their timelines and also have been connected by love in various ways. I won’t spoil it for you as you have to immerse it in yourself. But Venetia’s Winter’s Garden connects these women like no other. 

I love to admire my tiny garden that I have and plan to grow more flowers when I can get green thumb professionals to help. Choosing flowers like each woman does for creating, drawing and restoration gives them a new breath of life. Personally, I love carnations. I have a connection to it and it is more precious to me than a rose. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to have roses, but carnations are more special to me that perhaps I may divulge one day. Seeing new flowers everyday and taking photos of them gives me joy to see how nature can draw anyone who appreciates it. Even if you do not have a green thumb, you can simply enjoy what nature provides. There is something refreshing about being surrounded by nature that can give you peace, fulfillment and a break from the day. 

I have asked a friend if she would mind explaining why working in her garden means so much to her. I wanted to see from another’s perspective what would drive anyone to till the earth, enjoy the fruits of your labors as she has flowers and food to harvest. She has mentioned that it is important to work in her garden because overall it helps her with mental health, spiritual and of course physical health. She feels at home and overall wholeness. I believe that wholeness is something for each person to find their own niche to make them feel as one. I find that nature, photography, film and reading often help me connect, reflect and recenter when I need it. 

What Julia Kelly has written is a captivating story for all time. She seamlessly made effortless transitions across time and allowed the reader to see how one garden can connect many relationships. Julia’s deep knowledge of history enriches the story and helps you dig deep to understand how each era affected the women’s’ career, quality of life and freedoms. I am so happy to have read this book and look forward to reading her other works. It has allowed me to open my eyes to more historical facts or discovery, and to give me more appreciation as to why I love nature. You can follow Julia Kelly on Instagram and get updates of her new and upcoming books from her website.

Purchase Julia Kelly’s book The Last Garden in England today at Bookshop.org and immerse yourself in the Winter’s Garden, love, friendship, and overall wholeness.

I decided to include more information about the Edwardian Era and Land Girls and how it made a significant impact on society and women. These two eras are one of my favorites to learn about and any time I can discover more, I simply immerse myself.

To read about women in the Edwardian Era and the expectations of them, check out the Edwardian Promenade. This site has a vast amount of resources of this era as does the Driehaus Museum.

Land girls have marked their own history in the world and I am glad that Julia brought more attention to them. There is a BBC television series titled Land Girls. But recently, I discovered as with anything in history, there are more resources about these groups of women. These women courageously gave their time and service to their country. They are the garden version of the American Rosie the Riveter. At a time where it is all hands on deck as your country is at war, these women helped pave the way to keep soldiers and their country fed. In fact this group was started in 1917 during the First World War and was called the Women’s Land Army (WLA). The English Museum of Rural Life created an exhibit in 2020 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe and will allow you to read more about these women.

The Imperial War Museums and The Historic UK provides a rich and detailed history about Land Girls. These women took part in the war effort, not only in England but in other countries as well. No one believed originally that they could do the labor, but they proved that they could provide.

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