The Garden of Lost and Found
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'I can't remember the last time I was so enthralled and affected by a story and its characters' Red 'My top book of 2019' Dinah Jeffries 'If you are reading this letter it means the sketch has been sold ... Nightingale House is now yours. It has long concerned me that you do not know the truth of it all and that at last I must right a wrong.' England, 1918. To the millions around the world who queued to see it, 'The Garden of Lost and Found' is an exquisite painting of childhood innocence. To Liddy, whose children play in that painted garden, it is a portrait of all she has lost. For her great-grand daughter Juliet, it's an inheritance of secrets and loss which she must try to understand. And Ned Horner, the genius who painted it? He only wanted to create a refuge from the outside world... but in so doing set his family on their path of destruction. The unputdownable new novel from Sunday Times bestseller Harriet Evans is a tale of love at its most powerful and of family bonds tested to the limit, told by three generations of extraordinary women. Readers love The Garden of Lost and Found 'Utterly gorgeous' Veronica Henry 'This sweeping tale is by turns painfully sad and heart-lifting, with characters that stay with you' Good Housekeeping 'Evans' storytelling feels both authentic and satisfying. An immersive mystery' Woman & Home 'Evans tells a poignant tale of the Horner family and their magical, mysterious country home' Woman 'This epic, absorbing novel is full of intrigue, emotion and characters who'll really stay with you' Fabulous 'Engrossing and clever and funny and beautifully observed ... I recommend it wholeheartedly' Clothes in Books blog
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Beautifully written and intricately plotted dual narrative novel which is told partly from the perspective of Juliet, an unhappy mother of three and from the previous generations of her family. When Juliet, an art historian inherits a house unexpectedly from her grandmother, she decides to separate from her husband and move into the dilapidated house with her disgruntled children. Domestic life is very well portrayed, almost painful to read. Juliet is related to the famous artist Ned Horner, creator of The Garden of Lost and Found, a painting of his children that has subsequently disappeared. The historical parts tell the story of Lydia, his wife, her sister Mary and their children. This begins with Lydia's dreadfully unhappy young adulthood after the death of her mother and its effect on her life. I thought the plot was gripping with both stories as the secrets of Lydia and Mary's lives unfold alongside Juliet coping with domestic tribulations and her new job with an old university adversary. Her grandmother is is a rather complicated character with secrets and the Juliet parts of the narrative are added to with her diary entries giving advice about the house and garden. Juliet finds herself renewed by working on the garden and there are lovely descriptions. Overall, a really enjoyable book that got me hooked.
