Love In an English Garden: The Jacobs family has lived at Orley Court for generations. But when Vanessa Jacobs's husband dies and leaves the property to her, she finds costs spiraling out of control. In order to stay in their beloved home, she and her daughters will have to sell part of it off-a decision that drives a wedge between Vanessa and her live-in mother-in-law. The new owners of the north wing are Laurence Sturridge and his father, Marcus. Laurence wants to escape the constant pressure of his corporate job in London, while Marcus longs to heal from the grief of losing his wife. Could the beauty of Orley Court offer them a fresh outlook on life? As the two families embark on a challenging new chapter over the course of a glorious English summer, secrets are revealed and relationships tested. But as Orley Court begins to weave its magic over them, will it be love, above all, that brings the two families together? When Bubby and I were in the English countryside last October (I still can't believe we did that!) we saw many stately manors and beautiful gardens. You can imagine how easy it was for us, then, to completely immerse ourselves in the beautifully described setting of Love in an English Garden.
I've heard people talk about "genetic memory" before and I wasn't sure what I thought about it, but when we were in England, the home of almost all of our ancestors, it truly felt like home. Especially when we were in the Lake District - I could have bought a house and moved my family in and lived there happily for all time.
Me too! And the gentle, peaceful feeling we felt there is mirrored in Love in an English Garden. It is an easy paced, yet very satisfying tale of change and relationships. There are several little interesting stories going on all at once but it never seems too much. I immediately connected with and truly liked the main characters (quite liked the side characters too!). It is a read that induces the utmost in relaxification!
Now hold on a minute. There's at least ONE character you didn't like - the Mother-In-Law/Grandmother, Dolly. Even though at the end she does offer a bit of an explanation for her awful behavior, I still think she's a big stinker. I loved everyone else, though, even the reforming delinquents that helped out with the garden upkeep.
O.K., you're right. Dolly was a stink. And her explanation was stupid. People should not be allowed to behave that badly! It's too bad that there isn't some type of system where when we looked in the mirror, it could give us an evaluation of our behavior - "You are being a wretched poop-noggin. Stop it." It should include some video proof of your poop-noggin-ness too.
I agree. Let's invent this and make a bazillion dollars, shall we? And then we can go back to England and buy ourselves a lovely little manor house with a delightful garden, just like in the book. And then I'll be relaxed and calm and happy and nice ALL the time. I promise.
Hmm. Could I have that in writing? We didn't give you much of the storyline in our review, (you can find that elsewhere, I suppose), but I guarantee you will fall in love with the owners, previous and current, of Orley Court. You will be so happy with the bonds formed between surprising people and the ending is just delightful. Love In an English Garden - go get it!
I'm always looking for that perfect summer beach read that fills my daydreams with fancy and sets my heart to sighing. Love in an English Garden is just that. I wish that I'd been able to read it on a beach somewhere, but even though I was physically stuck in my living room, my soul was in merry old England. Perfect.
