Book Review: The Garden of Memories by Amanda James
Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Garden of Memories by Amanda James is an uplifting story that revolves around themes of friendship and community, self-discovery and personal growth, new beginnings and the therapeutic power of nature.
Widowed after her husband Glen passed two years ago and with her daughter Bella busy with her own family, sixty-two-year-old Rose Lanyon is trying to figure out how to fill her days after retiring from her nursing career of forty years. Rose finds herself drawn to her garden, which used to be Glen’s pride and joy. As she begins to tend to her garden, she is comforted by happy memories and soon her garden begins to attract the attention of friends, neighbors and new acquaintances – among whom are her childhood friend Daisy, her former colleague Sally and her neighbor Flora, a retired schoolteacher - who share their own memories and/or knowledge of gardening with her. With Rose’s encouragement, they begin to participate in the care of the garden, planting flowers/decorating the garden in ways that they associate with their own significant memories. Soon, her “memory garden” becomes a sanctuary for those looking for friendship, solace, or a safe place to ponder over their own life difficulties.
Widowed after her husband Glen passed two years ago and with her daughter Bella busy with her own family, sixty-two-year-old Rose Lanyon is trying to figure out how to fill her days after retiring from her nursing career of forty years. Rose finds herself drawn to her garden, which used to be Glen’s pride and joy. As she begins to tend to her garden, she is comforted by happy memories and soon her garden begins to attract the attention of friends, neighbors and new acquaintances – among whom are her childhood friend Daisy, her former colleague Sally and her neighbor Flora, a retired schoolteacher - who share their own memories and/or knowledge of gardening with her. With Rose’s encouragement, they begin to participate in the care of the garden, planting flowers/decorating the garden in ways that they associate with their own significant memories. Soon, her “memory garden” becomes a sanctuary for those looking for friendship, solace, or a safe place to ponder over their own life difficulties.
As the narrative progresses, we follow the characters as they build a supportive community around their memory garden and how the same inspires them to effect positive changes in their lives.
The narrative, shared from multiple perspectives, is slower-paced yet immersive with characters you would want to root for - relatable and well thought out with backstories as distinctive as their personalities. The author addresses several important issues such as loneliness, addiction, dysfunctional family dynamics, infidelity, emotional abuse and mental health, among others, realistically and with compassion. I loved the vivid descriptions of the garden and the stories behind the personal connections between the characters and their favorite flowers. Full of heart, with splashes of humor and romance, this is a beautifully penned, evocative story that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend. I also must mention that I loved the cover art!
Many thanks to HarperCollins UK /One More Chapter for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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