The Walled Garden by Robin Farrar Maass (336 pages)
The Walled Garden Is About An American Grad Student on a Hunt to Solve a Literary Mystery
A long standing literary mystery is the topic of Lucy Silver’s dissertation. At the start of the novel, she arrives in England with letters from her grandma to the famous poet, Elizabeth Blackspear, who mysteriously disappeared for a year during her famed career in the 1950s.
Over the course of six months of research, she discovers coded messages throughout their correspondence spelling out a secret that has been hidden for decades. She also discovers an illicit plan to turn the poet’s historic gardens into a theme park.
What she doesn’t plan for is a handsome Scottish bloke who steals her heart. As Lucy slowly unearths the truth, she’ll discover things that will change her life, and everyone around her. Lucy has no time to be falling in love between her research and sleuthing but her heart blooms continuously in his presence.
A Novel To Savour On A Long Summer Afternoon
Lucy Silver’s research for her dissertation lands her halfway across the world. Armed with letters from her grandmother to a famed poet, she sets out to uncover what happened one fateful year to cause the poet to walk away from her thriving career.
Between her research and detective work, she finally begins to piece together the secrets and lies that have remained hidden in the world-famous gardens. Additionally, she finds that the curator of the facility is misleading its staff and investors so that he can sell it off to a development company that will destroy its grounds.
Lives are forever changed once truths are shared.
The Bottom Line: 4/5 Brookie Stars
The Walled Garden is a charming story that alternates between the past and present, and concludes with some shocking revelations. This novel is the perfect feel good story when you are looking for an escape from reality. The setting is a time and place you’ll cherish.
In the endnotes, the author shares her inspiration for Elizabeth Blackspear’s house and garden called Waterperry, just outside Oxford. She encourages everyone to visit to feel its magical pull.
This is a great book for anyone who enjoys stories set in England, lush gardens with exotic flowers, romance, with a little bit of mystery.
Love The Walled Garden review? Let us know what we should review bext by emailing us here.
Shannon K. Loar is a small town girl with a passion for reading. Books have played a significant role in her life since her youth where she’d spend hours in the local library where her grandma served as the librarian. In her free time, you can find Shannon reading or listening to a book, practicing yoga or binging a streaming show. Her most precious time is spent with her children ages 20, 18 and 15. Her new favorite fashion trend, athletic leisure.
