Jennifer Ochman: A friend suggested the book to me. I am a big fan of historical fiction, so I was eager to read this, although being set during the First World War, I was afraid it would end on a sad note, but I was pleasantly surprised. An excellent read.
United States on Jun 20, 2023
Aban: I purchased this book based on the reviews and was sorely disappointed. There is a good story here but the writing doesnt do it any justice. Like watching a badly directed soap opera. I ended up abandoning it half way. I’m a huge fan of Kate Morton this book nor its author are anywhere close to KM’s books, stories and writing. Would give it a complete miss.
India on Mar 20, 2023
walli: Im Jahr 1916 gehen schon viele junge Männer zur Armee. Deshalb ist es für die Kew Gardens schwierig, gute Gärtner zu finden. Mac, verantwortlich für die Einstellungen, hat allerdings nicht mit den Frauen gerechnet. Gärtner sind schließlich Männer, das sagt ja schon der Name. Er hat aber auch nicht mit seinem Lehrling Jim gerechnet, der das anders sieht und der seinen Mentor überzeugt, seiner Freundin Ivy und der etwas älteren Louisa eine Chance zu geben. Eine gute Wahl, wie sich herausstellt. Nicht nur für die Kew Gardens, sondern auch für die Frauen, die eine enge Freundschaft schließen.
Auch wenn die raue Wirklichkeit nicht an den Kew Gardens und ihren Gärtnerinnen vorbei geht, so ist ihre Tätigkeit und ihre Freundschaft doch ein Hort des Wohlbehagens. Eng arbeiten Ivy, Jim, Louisa und Bernie, der eigentlich als Lehrer tätig war, zusammen. Doch die Auswirkungen des Krieges rücken näher. Immer mehr junge Männer melden sich freiwillig und auch Jim wird bald zum Militär gehen, während Bernie als Pazifist, sich vorsehen muss, nicht unfreiwillig rekrutiert zu werden. Über dieses Thema gehen auch die Meinungen im Volk auseinander. Auch die Freundschaft der...
Germany on Apr 02, 2022
Veronica H: This book hooked me immediately. The stories of the characters and their personalities really come through in the writing. It was enjoyable to see how the characters relate to one another; forming close friendships with one another and yet how each person’s opinions and actions can harm those friendships even if the person believes they are doing the right thing (white feather movement). The writer did a marvelous job giving each character great quality traits while still showing their weaknesses. How true friendships can withstand the “uglier” moments in life. I loved seeing how the each character changed through the story and how captivating the whole book was. I look to more books from the author and definitely highly recommend reading this book. It was AMAZING.
United States on Mar 10, 2022
Amazon Customer: We are living in a time when intolerance of peoples' differing skin color, political views, and religious beliefs has increased to the point of violence. I liked this book because these girls (and a few men) come from differing backgrounds and belief systems, yet they put aside their differences, and learn to accept and show love to each other. They were all willing to examine themselves and make changes to become more caring people. The book is based on some actual historical events and people, which makes the story believable.
United States on Mar 03, 2022
awr1949: Living in England in my youth, I visited Kew Gardens, so enjoyed this read very much. It's not just about the Gardens of course, but about the war and how women helped out so much then while the men were away. They did the jobs that the men would have done and fought for the same pay cheque.
United States on Sep 01, 2021
cityrose: Light reading, not very well written. Disappointing, light on background and historical insight to Kew Gardens. Thought it would be more sophisticated and believable.
United States on Jun 03, 2021
Jasmine: As soon as I started reading the sample I knew I was going to enjoy this book. It is set during World War 1. A number of women were working in Kew Gardens as many men had to enlist. Louisa who was one of the main characters, was estranged from her abusive husband. She found solace in her new life in London and job in Kew Gardens. There are some really likeable characters in the story. I think my favourite would have been Ivy, the teenager who worked along with Louisa. She came across as being so kind and caring. Both belonged to the suffragettes. The story gives an insight into the suffragette movement which I found informative and interesting. The women workers in Kew Gardens were very brave to take action in their fight for equal pay in them days. Ivy was so knowledgeable about the various flowers and plants even though she had difficulty with reading and writing. I enjoyed reading about the strong bond and friendship between most of the characters. I have never been to Kew Gardens but I could almost draw up a picture in my mind of all the pleasant greenery.
United Kingdom on Jul 31, 2020
Tree Hugger: Admittedly, I bought this book more for the Kew element (being a huge gardening, plant, and indeed Kew fan). Though there isn't as much emphasis on Kew as I thought, I can't deny that the storyline is one you can fully immerse yourself in.
I love the many individual characters, both men and women, and I applaud how well both the good parts and questionable elements of the character's personalities are drawn. The result is a story that encourages you to consider your stance on war and those who did or indeed didn't physically fight.
Yet, what I find makes this book all the stronger is the author's insistence on presenting both the endearing and not so quite endearing qualities of the suffragettes. I had no knowledge of the white feather girls until reading this and had to look it up to find out if it was true (unfortunately, it was).
Sometimes, I feel we have a slightly more romanticized ideal of the suffragettes but though I do not doubt or diminish their fight (with some obvious results many years later because of it) some of their tactics were downright ugly - and the white feather movement was a prime example of that. I love however that Posy charts both the good and...
United Kingdom on Jul 29, 2020
"Posy Lovell Kew Gardens Girls' Dress - A Floral Delight for Your Little Princess" | Rhys Bowen's Novel "The Victory Garden": A Story of Triumph and Resilience | "The Victory Garden: A Novel of Love, Loss, and Hope" by Rhys Bowen | |
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B2B Rating |
88
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98
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97
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Sale off | $5 OFF | $7 OFF | |
Total Reviews | 82 reviews | 1 reviews | 1 reviews |
Best Sellers Rank | #130 in World War I Historical Fiction #2,032 in 20th Century Historical Fiction#17,712 in Literary Fiction | #3,749 in 20th Century Historical Fiction#11,008 in Women's Domestic Life Fiction#38,435 in Literary Fiction | #346 in 20th Century Historical Fiction#908 in Family Life Fiction #2,668 in Literary Fiction |
World War I Historical Fiction (Books) | World War I Historical Fiction | ||
Dimensions | 5.42 x 0.68 x 8.24 inches | 5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches; 1.05 Pounds | 5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches; 12.8 Ounces |
20th Century Historical Fiction | 20th Century Historical Fiction | 20th Century Historical Fiction | 20th Century Historical Fiction |
ISBN-13 | 978-0593328231 | 978-1542040129 | 978-1542040112 |
ISBN-10 | 059332823X | 1542040124 | 1542040116 |
Customer Reviews | 4.3/5 stars of 1,396 ratings | 4.4/5 stars of 47,830 ratings | 4.4/5 stars of 47,830 ratings |
Literary Fiction (Books) | Literary Fiction | Literary Fiction | Literary Fiction |
Publisher | G.P. Putnam's Sons; Reprint edition | Lake Union Publishing; First Edition edition | Lake Union Publishing; First Edition Thus edition |
Item Weight | 8 ounces | ||
Paperback | 320 pages | ||
Language | English | English | English |
Elaine Andrews: Came in good have now read both book can reccomend
United Kingdom on Sep 11, 2023