Ebook The Victory Garden A Novel edition by Rhys Bowen Literature Fiction eBooks

Product details File Size 5210 KB Print Length 347 pages Publisher Lake Union Publishing (February 12, 2019) Publication Date February 12, 2019 Sold by  Digital Services LLC Language English ASIN B07FDDPFPN

The Victory Garden A Novel edition by Rhys Bowen Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews

• What a pleasure it is to read a novel by someone who really
  knows how to write, and who moreover is expert at mixing the ingredients of a good story an appealing protagonist, a dramatic background (World War I in this case), a setting guaranteed to push my own personal hot buttons (English countryside, herb gardens, mystery, danger), and an ending that made me want to stand up and cheer. I devoured this book—received it Monday afternoon and finished it 24 hours later. This novel gets my own personal accolade, that of A Rattling Good Read.
• Rhys Bowen has written a lovely standalone piece of historical fiction set during the last months of World War I. I spent a wonderful afternoon immersed in her story and living with her characters. My favorite wasn't Emily, as might be expected, but the octogenarian Lady Charlton, who is a mass of contradictions and more than capable of surprising all those around her. However, there are enough characters in the book for readers to each have their favorite.
  
  Over many years of reading, I have found that I don't care much for static characters and complete predictability in my series fiction, but I don't mind it at all when I read a standalone novel. There's really nothing new under the sun in The Victory Garden. I knew what was going to happen before it did, and there was only one bit of shocking news. But I didn't care. It is very enjoyable to read a story in which good things eventually happen to good people who have faced great adversity. Sometimes your heart needs to be fed more than your mind, and The Victory Garden is a satisfying main course.
• Having read several of the Royal Spyness Mysteries, and loved them, I was looking forward to reading The Victory Garden. For one thing, I was interested in the setting and time period, But after reading the first six chapters of this book I have to be blunt and say I'm not even sure I can finish it, Not only is it difficult to get into, but the writing feels like a less experienced writer has written it, which Rhys Bowen is anything but. I couldn't bond with Emily, thought the Australian boyfriend was less than well-drawn and the mother was very cliché. Overall, a big disappointment.
• The description on the back of this book was on point, nothing else to this story. So, I am going to review my likes and dislikes.
  
  This follows the fictional life of the main character Emily during WWI. The story does include her life among the Women's Land Army, albeit not into much detail. Since the book covers the very end of the war, the land girls and Emily's life there were only given about one fourth time of this novel. I was disappointed. Next, the story tries to then focus on the main character using natural herbal remedies as the next chapter in her life, but this aspect just seemed tacked on. Emily's herbal remedy potions had little to do with what she learned being a land girl. It was like the story needed somewhere to go. I kept reading waiting for everything to piece together, but it was weakly done.
  Something I found interesting and was hopeful about was the pregnancy of the main character. Refusing to go to a home where she can have the child placed for adoption, she was determined to have the child on her own and make ends meet. She has the child out of wedlock during a time period where this was unacceptable, so this is what kept me reading. Yet, I found her unrelenting ability to always prevail and meet her challenges successfully during the pregnancy far-fetched and romantical rather than historical.
  
  Not as impressive as The Tuscan Child, which I was a huge fan of. I didn't feel like I was immersed into another society or culture. BUT a quick and very easy read. I would say 2.5 stars. Although some things were very predictable, it was entertaining at times.
• While much has been made of the battlefield and diplomatic maneuvering during the Great War on its centennial, not much has been written recently about the home front experience.
  
  Now that has been remedied by Rhys Bowen’s 2019 “The Victory Garden”, an entertaining novel about the experiences of a few British women who find themselves unexpectedly thrown together in Devon and Cornwall supporting the war effort during its last year.
  
  The tale is related through the perspective of a determined young woman, Emily Bryce, who comes from a comfortable home in Torquay with parents aspiring to upper middle class and keeping close rein on their daughter, particularly after losing a son during the war. However, Miss Emily has different ideas, no doubt “headstrong” in the eyes of her parent, about her future.
  
  Her twenty-first birthday becomes unexpectedly the occasion for her first flight – leaving home, meeting an injured Australian pilot, Robert Kerr, and entering the Women’s Land Army to do something to support the troops by way of helping local farms without manpower.
  
  Events move swiftly as Emily makes friends with a variety of women from different walks of life, learns sadly the love of her life has been killed after returning to the war, and she is pregnant.. After attempting to return home but intimidated by her parents, she strikes out again with support from her new women friends.
  
  Eventually, Emily is living in a small cottage on a larger estate owned by a grumpy older woman, Lady Charlton, who comes to appreciate and admire the young woman’s grit. As they spend time together, Lady Charlton’s housekeeper, Mrs. Trelawney, is jealous and suspicious - a sort of Mrs. Danvers, the housekeeper in Daphne DuMaurier’s “Rebecca.”
  
  It is here that Emily restores an herb garden based on old diaries and notes. Before long the locals see her as the return of “the wise woman” who used to care for the garden. As you might expect from the novel’s title, the garden becomes symbolic of Emily’s ambitions, skillfulness and tenderness for her community – not without drama before the novel’s end.
  
  Bowen weaves not only the mindset of women at home during World War I but also the sudden impact of the Spanish influenza pandemic during 1918 – 1919. It is estimated 228,000 British people died during this outbreak. Interesting though, she does not mention the 1918 Parliamentary Qualification of Women Act giving many women the right to vote –in large part propelled by women’s contributions during the Great War.
  
  Many will find comfort in Bowen’s talent for describing cozy meals, camaraderie and small details in home and garden. However, as I have found with her other books, its pleasant resolve seems a little too much and more in the style of 1930s and 1940s film endings.
  
  That said, I am sure many will be refreshed by this herbal bouquet.