The Rose Garden: A Book Review

Another Susanna Kearsley novel, this one follows Eva who has come back to the Cornish coast, where her family used to come every summer before moving across the ocean, to spread her sister’s ashes. With no family let, Eva decides to stay the summer and see how things go as she helps her family’s old friends with a new project at their rose garden. But Eva soon discovers that the voices she is hearing are not in her mind and that there is something time bending about ley lines.

Again, so well written. However, unlike the other novels I have read by Kearsley, this one really does just focus on the main characters – and Fergal – to really focus on the love story and the people involved. In the other novels there was always something else going on. Here, it is a bit of whisper time travel and love.

I, again, adored this novel. The characters have depth and charm and the writing just flows. It is so pleasant to read a novel that doesn’t jar you constantly out of the story.

The love story, the center point, is so sweet and, honestly, simple. Simple in that there was no fighting, no faking, no lying. It just happened. And sweet, ever so very sweet.

Kearsley also does a great job of having love in her novels in the form of friendships that become like family.

And, ladies and gents, this one has pirates! (Okay, not that kind, but free traders. Still. Smugglers!)

Highly recommend this to anyone!

Those who may not like this novel include those looking for: horror, steamy romance. I think that might be it.

SPOILERS BELOW

Lets get to what you maybe really came for – what in the plot line is really interesting. Because these books, the way they are written are slow and leisurely and take their time. The answer is the romance.

Kearsley has called her novels “modern gothics”, and this is a novel that confirms that term. And it has a sweet romance.

This novel is also interesting because it is the first one, that I have read, where the modern character actually gets married in the novel. It has been pleasant to randomly move through her novels and see the similarities between them. The fact that marriage used to NOT have to be a big ordeal, you could marry yourselves, is so very interesting, and the fact that this novel really explores that is so nice.

The other thing that I think is terribly interesting is that Eva leaves for Daniel’s time forever, whereas Clair did not. But I am so happy for Eva. She has found an excellent husband and friend in Daniel, and an amazing protector and confidant in Fergal.

This was a novel that was easy to pick out who the love interest would be. While Oliver was interesting, it was always clear that he and Eva weren’t meant to be, just as it was clear that he and Susan were.

The twist with Clair I didn’t see coming at all, which was wonderful.