Julia Kelly is a new author to me and I appreciated this historical fiction novel set in England. Told from the perspectives of multiple women throughout history, it weaves together the story of one garden at Highbury House. From the origins of the garden developed by a woman named Venecia, to the present as the garden is reconstructed to the original designs, Julia Kelly weaves a tale of interconnected brave women.

The garden itself is a character, with many "rooms" and features. The descriptions of each character, the community and the social customs of the day are very accurate. Each woman made a bold choice that was at times surprising, but definitely true to the character development the author weaved. The men in this story were very accepting of these choices, which sometimes made me curious. Would men at that time have been so progressive in their thinking?

It's was a slow burn for me, and that is just as it should have been in order to take in the nuances of each character and watch their stories unfold naturally.

To say it is a love story is accurate, though it is also not primarily a romance at all. We move through the challenges of war and how women were forced into service in ways that weren't necessarily what they had dreamed of. The author doesn't spare us from grief, which was unexpected and raw.

I do plan to read more by this author in the future. I highly recommend this book and I am grateful for the advanced copy from Netgalley. My rating is a solid 4 stars.