In the Heart of the Garden

by Leah Fleming

Iris Bagshott strolls down the paths of her ancient garden, close to Lichfield in the heart of England, wondering if it is time to sell her house and land for development.

She is unaware that around every corner myriad family secrets from the past unfold.

From a Saxon clearing to a monastery, Tudor dwelling to the present day, this sacred plot has nurtured her ancestors. Generations of Bagshott women have found refuge and solace tending it through years of plague, civil war and beyond.

This is their story.

Genres: Historical Fiction

421 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 4, 2019

About the author

Leah Fleming was born in Lancashire and is married with three sons and a daughter. She writes from an old farmhouse in the Yorkshire Dales and an olive grove in Crete.

See more at: http://authors.simonandschuster.com.a...

Reviews

[Tracy Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I started listening to this book I thought it wasn’t for me as I was a little bored by the flower names etc but after a few pages I loved it. I’ve learned so much about history and fell in love with so many different characters. I didn’t want this book to end.

[Michele · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to the audio-version and it was long and tedious. This was not a normal dual timeline book as the time spent in the present day was minimal. Instead we follow mainly two families from the 900s to the present. I do not care for those earlier time periods in general and there was nothing in this book to grab my attention. I thought about abandoning the book many times but struggled on and now, I wonder why. Maybe it was my lack of attention due to the fact that I found the book uninteresting but there were many stories left incomplete. I do not recall any profanity but there were some unnecessary sex scenes ad talk. Do not think I will read anything else by this author.

[Rosalyn Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do like her writing, however personally I found besides it being well written & incredibly descriptive it rather dragged on. If you have an empty space of time & want to just chill with a book this is an ideal one. Tracing back through history to the origins of an open space with a running stream that becomes a home & growing area. Progressing through generations of 2 families & their involvement of the lands development , detailing the highs & lows of both characters & land until the present owner. Decisions to be made to stay or sell based on her failing health & being in her twilight years but are the attachments to the past & family history just to strong..

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got bored with this one. I think it was too far from my experience being set so long ago that I could not relate.

[Jenni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not your usual split-time story. Clever idea, but I found it hard to connect with the characters as they were constantly changing.

[Bethany Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure and beautiful! 😌👏💕

[Kami · Rating 2 out of 5]

I lost interest after a while. This will need to be a reread for me at some point.