15 Sept 2024

Book Review / The Memory Garden by Rachel Hore


 

From the Sunday Times  bestselling author of  Last Letter Home,  the 2018 Richard & Judy Book Club pick, comes a breathtaking story of family secrets and forbidden love.

Idyllic Cornwall, a lost garden, a love story from long ago . . .

A hundred years ago, Lamorna Cove, a tiny, picturesque bay in Cornwall, was the haunt of a colony of artists. Today, Mel Pentreath hopes it will be a place she can escape the pain of losing her mother and a broken love affair, and gradually put her life back together.

Renting a cottage in the enchanting grounds of Merryn Hall, Mel embraces her new surroundings and offers to help her landlord Patrick restore the overgrown garden. Soon she is daring to believe her life can be rebuilt. Then Patrick finds some old paintings in the attic, and as he and Mel investigate the identity of the artist, they are drawn into an extraordinary tale of illicit passion and thwarted ambition from a century ago, a tale that resonates in their own lives.

But how long can Mel's idyll last before reality breaks in and everything is threatened?


Published:  1st January 2007 
Publisher:  Simon & Schuster
Goodreads :  Click Here 
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Bought
Genres:     Historical Fiction, Romance and Mystery
Pages:  432 pages, Paperback




MY REVIEW


What I liked about this story...  Historical romance, split narrative and a mystery.  What more could I want.  I just can't get enough of these.  We follow two timelines, one from 100 years ago and the present day around Lamorna Cove in Cornwall.  A lot of weaving between the two timelines and at some point they pull together in an unexpected way.   A very laid back historical fiction.

What I didn't like about this story...  If I had to be picky I would have loved a few more surprises in the twists and turns.

Would I recommend...  Most definately.   A slow read which is worth picking up.  



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