Helpful Score: 5
Seldom does a book come a long that you can just feel your body relax and you just melt away into the story. For me, this summer, The French Gardener did just that.
This book spins two tales that are brought together by a single French gardener and his story of love that could not be and a garden that hold the secret that is slowly told through a scrapbook read by a woman that has a similar story but is not the intended recipient. That may sound confusing but this gentle paced story unfolds in a way that you see the beauty but dont want the love story to come to an end.
Stuck in an isolated country house Miranda has the life that she though she would like; that is until she realizes that her high fashion life and mud dont always come together. Her husband is away at work if hes not with his mistress, her son is in constant trouble at school, she has no friends, no life, nothing but this rotten garden that was once a showplace.
So whats a girl to do, she hires a French gardener to put the garden to rights and with it a story that will bind them all together in a way that they never thought possible.
Montefiore creates wonderfully likeable characters each with a voice and a story of their own. You can feel the garden, the town, the people and the heartache that must be endured for there to even possibly be a happily ever after.
This book spins two tales that are brought together by a single French gardener and his story of love that could not be and a garden that hold the secret that is slowly told through a scrapbook read by a woman that has a similar story but is not the intended recipient. That may sound confusing but this gentle paced story unfolds in a way that you see the beauty but dont want the love story to come to an end.
Stuck in an isolated country house Miranda has the life that she though she would like; that is until she realizes that her high fashion life and mud dont always come together. Her husband is away at work if hes not with his mistress, her son is in constant trouble at school, she has no friends, no life, nothing but this rotten garden that was once a showplace.
So whats a girl to do, she hires a French gardener to put the garden to rights and with it a story that will bind them all together in a way that they never thought possible.
Montefiore creates wonderfully likeable characters each with a voice and a story of their own. You can feel the garden, the town, the people and the heartache that must be endured for there to even possibly be a happily ever after.
Helpful Score: 2
Seldom does a book come a long that you can just feel your body relax and you just melt away into the story. For me, this summer, The French Gardener did just that.
This book spins two tales that are brought together by a single French gardener and his story of love that could not be and a garden that hold the secret that is slowly told through a scrapbook read by a woman that has a similar story but is not the intended recipient. That may sound confusing but this gentle paced story unfolds in a way that you see the beauty but dont want the love story to come to an end.
Stuck in an isolated country house Miranda has the life that she though she would like; that is until she realizes that her high fashion life and mud dont always come together. Her husband is away at work if hes not with his mistress, her son is in constant trouble at school, she has no friends, no life, nothing but this rotten garden that was once a showplace.
So whats a girl to do, she hires a French gardener to put the garden to rights and with it a story that will bind them all together in a way that they never thought possible.
Montefiore creates wonderfully likeable characters each with a voice and a story of their own. You can feel the garden, the town, the people and the heartache that must be endured for there to even possibly be a happily ever after.
This book spins two tales that are brought together by a single French gardener and his story of love that could not be and a garden that hold the secret that is slowly told through a scrapbook read by a woman that has a similar story but is not the intended recipient. That may sound confusing but this gentle paced story unfolds in a way that you see the beauty but dont want the love story to come to an end.
Stuck in an isolated country house Miranda has the life that she though she would like; that is until she realizes that her high fashion life and mud dont always come together. Her husband is away at work if hes not with his mistress, her son is in constant trouble at school, she has no friends, no life, nothing but this rotten garden that was once a showplace.
So whats a girl to do, she hires a French gardener to put the garden to rights and with it a story that will bind them all together in a way that they never thought possible.
Montefiore creates wonderfully likeable characters each with a voice and a story of their own. You can feel the garden, the town, the people and the heartache that must be endured for there to even possibly be a happily ever after.
Helpful Score: 1
A well written novel. I enjoyed the author's use of language. I enjoyed the way the story was interwoven between two different times, and how the characters overlapped. I struggled with the overall theme of adultery and the acceptance of it. Personal preference, of course. I will be checking out other books by this author!
Helpful Score: 1
This was a lovely story. Very original plot. I couldn't put it down.
Helpful Score: 1
The only thing I could do upon finishing this beautiful book was to give a great-big contented sigh. Wonderful storytelling of two love stories separated by nearly 30 years yet intertwined. Well-defined characters that one could really care about. Lyrical writing....sigh...
Helpful Score: 1
Pat W. (3ladybug) - This is a novel I couldn't put down; I read continuously to the end. A mysterious Frenchman comes to tend the neglected garden for the Claybourne's country home. Miranda finds a diary about the gardener's past. This a love story well-written.
Helpful Score: 1
It keeps you reading until the end...
This is likely the best book I read in the last year. I recommend it unreservedly. The gentle and lovely generational story centered around the Frenchman who is hired to restore a neglected garden, a scrap book and a moving and affirming story of love and commitment.
Elaine K
Elaine K
This is the best book I have read in a long, long time. It was another world that I could emerge myself in and the characters were real and well-crafted. Recommend it highly.
