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We can see how much work and dedication that must have gone in to this book. This book has alot of sadness and the author expresses emotion well. We felt anger at how certain characters were treated and empathy for the sadness experienced by the characters. Harriet Evans is an accomplished romance writer, but she also writes chilling characters terrifyingly well from the evil childhood nurse, to the weak father and the selfish, manipulative husband. Humour also shines through with the recognisable tribes of primary school mothers and the sheer insanity of coping with small and strong minded children and troubled teens. I loved both timelines, rooting for both Liddy and Juliet as they dared to reach out for happiness despite the many obstacles in their way.
This book has taken me nearly two months to read, which is totally shameful for me, despite the fact I didn't love the book, I usually wrap things up faster than that. The Garden of Lost and Found is a book I bought on a whim, purely because of the beautiful cover, and, because I adore books set around gardens, and even grand old buildings. blogtour Adventure Ancient Egypt Art History Australia Book Blogger Bookliterati Book Recommendation Book review Contemporary Fiction Crime Del Rey Doubleday Emmeline Kirby and Gregory Longdon Mystery Fantasy Festive Reads Florence Folklore Harper 360 Harper Collins Harper Voyager Historical Fiction History Independently Published Italy Karen Swan Literary Fiction Magic Mantle Books Melville House Murder Mystery Myth Orenda Books Pan Macmillan Penguin Random House Psychological thriller Romance Secrets Simon and Schuster Supernatural Suspense thriller Women's Fiction Zaffre Books Book title Search for: Search Search Recent Comments Nightingale House was the Horner family’s beloved home – a gem of design created to inspire happiness – and it was here Ned painted TheGarden of Lost and Found, capturing his children on a perfect day, playing in the rambling Eden he and Liddy made for them. One magical moment. Before it all came tumbling down… When Ned and Liddy’s great-granddaughter Juliet is sent the key to Nightingale House, she opens the door onto a forgotten world.
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A major theme throughout the novel is that of the ideal family and the ideal home, as depicted in the painting. Do such things actually exist? Do we only appreciate them when they might be, or are, lost? How have the challenges and attitudes to family life changed over the past 100 years? All these prompted rich discussion at our meeting. When Ned and Liddy's great-granddaughter Juliet is sent the key to Nightingale House, she opens the door onto a forgotten world. The house holds its mysteries close but she is in search of answers. For who would choose to destroy what they love most? Whether Ned's masterpiece - or, in Juliet's case, her own children's happiness. Something shattered this corner of paradise. But what? My copy of the book was full of typos and badly formatted. One word on a line and then when conversations were going on, both on the same line. Confusing, but maybe that will be sorted for the production copy. Another big bug bear is lots of use of Italics. Very difficult to read for some people. The book also finished rather abruptly, and felt very odd. Engrossing and clever and funny and beautifully observed . . . I recommend it wholeheartedly’ Clothes in Books blog
Nightingale hHuse, it was felt was meant to be another character in the story like Mandelery in Rebecca and the women’s obsession with it: Lyddie, Stella and Juliet was meant to convey that. It's mostly set in two times and from two points of view although there are letters and chapters which span the intervening years and characters. Liddy and her great grand daughter, Juliet are the main narrators, Liddy the wife of a great Victorian painter, Juliet an art historian, specialising in late Victorian and Edwardian painting. After her marriage breaks down, Juliet takes her children to Nightingale House, Liddy's beloved home and that of her mother's before her, to recuperate. But the house is full of ghosts and secrets. Why did her great grandfather burn his greatest painting? What caused the rift between her grandmother and father? And how did her life take such a wrong turn?The theme of forgiveness was not fully explored in the novel a lot of characters were cut out of lives e,g Mary & Lyddies’s relationship, Stella and Juliet’s relationship with little exploration of the reasons why, impact and of possible resolutions Nightingale House, 1919. Liddy Horner discovers her husband, the world-famous artist Sir Edward Horner, burning his best-known painting The Garden of Lost and Found days before his sudden death. Buy this book from hive.co.uk to support The Reading Agency and local bookshops at no additional cost to you. This magical, historical adult contemporary tells the story of two different characters on two different timelines and their families. I felt absolutely captivated and thoroughly enjoyed reading this brilliant book! The novel follows the generations of a family from 1880-1918 and then in present day. The bonds between a granddaughter and a grandmother are strong, surviving the grave.