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The Unfinished Garden
James Nealy is haunted by irrational fears and inescapable compulsions. A successful software developer, he's thrown himself into a new goal-to finally conquer the noise in his mind. And he has a plan. He'll confront his darkest fears and build something beautiful: a garden. When he meets Tilly Silverberg, he knows she holds the key...even if she doesn't think so.
After her husband's death, gardening became Tilly's livelihood and her salvation. Her thriving North Carolina business and her young son, Isaac, are the excuses she needs to hide from the world. So when oddly attractive, incredibly tenacious James demands that she take him on as a client, her answer is a flat no.
When a family emergency lures Tilly back to England, she's secretly glad. With Isaac in tow, she retreats to her childhood village, which has always stayed obligingly the same. Until now. Her best friend is keeping secrets. Her mother is plotting. Her first love is unexpectedly, temptingly available. And then James appears on her doorstep.
Away from home, James and Tilly forge an unlikely bond, tenuous at first but taking root every day. And as they work to build a garden together, something begins to blossom between them-despite all the reasons against it.
After her husband's death, gardening became Tilly's livelihood and her salvation. Her thriving North Carolina business and her young son, Isaac, are the excuses she needs to hide from the world. So when oddly attractive, incredibly tenacious James demands that she take him on as a client, her answer is a flat no.
When a family emergency lures Tilly back to England, she's secretly glad. With Isaac in tow, she retreats to her childhood village, which has always stayed obligingly the same. Until now. Her best friend is keeping secrets. Her mother is plotting. Her first love is unexpectedly, temptingly available. And then James appears on her doorstep.
Away from home, James and Tilly forge an unlikely bond, tenuous at first but taking root every day. And as they work to build a garden together, something begins to blossom between them-despite all the reasons against it.
384 pages, Paperback
First published August 28, 2012
114 people are currently reading
2891 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Claypole White
5 books1,150 followersBestselling author Barbara Claypole White writes hopeful family drama with a healthy dose of mental illness. Originally from England, she lives in the forests of North Carolina with her beloved of thirty years, the Prof. She is passionate about her family, her garden, and chipping away at the stereotypes and stigma of OCD--a chronic illness her husband and son both battle. They are her real life heroes.
Barbara's novels include: THE UNFINISHED GARDEN (2013 Golden Quill Best First Book); THE IN-BETWEEN HOUR (Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Winter 2014 Okra Pick); THE PERFECT SON (Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee for Best Fiction 2015); ECHOES OF FAMILY (finalist for the Women's Fiction Writers Association 2017 Star Award); and THE PROMISE BETWEEN US, a 2018 Nautilus Book Awards Winner and 2019 American Fiction Awards Finalist.
She is currently hard at work on novel six, THE GIN CLUB.
To connect with Barbara, visit www.barbaraclaypolewhite.com.
Barbara's novels include: THE UNFINISHED GARDEN (2013 Golden Quill Best First Book); THE IN-BETWEEN HOUR (Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Winter 2014 Okra Pick); THE PERFECT SON (Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee for Best Fiction 2015); ECHOES OF FAMILY (finalist for the Women's Fiction Writers Association 2017 Star Award); and THE PROMISE BETWEEN US, a 2018 Nautilus Book Awards Winner and 2019 American Fiction Awards Finalist.
She is currently hard at work on novel six, THE GIN CLUB.
To connect with Barbara, visit www.barbaraclaypolewhite.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 252 reviews
July 24, 2019
4☆ A Heart warming, Poignant and Enthralling Women's Fiction.
This is my very first audio book read.
I have always been very intrigued to see what Audio books are about, I remember my Nan listening to them when she couldn't get large print!
So I was a little apprehensive, but I'm really glad I gave it a try, and The Unfinished Garden was a great introduction to Audio books.
The Unfinished Garden is a compelling, poignant and enthralling read that tackles emotion, mental health, OCD, Loss, Grief, Romance and Friendship and the coping strategies and effects.
Tilly is passionate about gardening and when James comes to her for help with a potential solution to his health she can't help feeling intrigued.
You see James has OCD and he has come to believe that gardening could help his condition and believes Tilly is the right person to help him.
But Tilly has her own deep rooted scars as she is grieving for her late husband and she is caring for her frail mother, who clearly needs her more than ever.
As Tilly and James become closer so does the obvious connection between them, but things are never easy in love. As Tillys old flame also turns up to put a spanner in the works.
I want to applaud Barbara for taking OCD and making it ok to talk about!
You can see how much dedication and research she has put into making it every bit Authentic and knowledgeable for her readers. So a big thank you!
The Unfinished Garden is a beautifully written and authentic women's fiction with a good dash of romance and complex subjects which Barbara handled with the right amount of sensitivity to still make an impact.
The Characters are likeable, complex, yet very well written.
The audio descriptions are wonderfully descriptive which I actually enjoyed as you truly get a different feel to when reading a book, your imagination seems to work differently and you picture things differently.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed The Unfinished Garden and my first audio book encounter.
I would definitely recommend this compelling read, whether you are into Audio books, paperbacks or digital it's an enthralling read!
Thank you to Rachel Random Resources for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
My Review is also on my Blog Website :-
https://dashfan81.blogspot.com/2019/0...
This is my very first audio book read.
I have always been very intrigued to see what Audio books are about, I remember my Nan listening to them when she couldn't get large print!
So I was a little apprehensive, but I'm really glad I gave it a try, and The Unfinished Garden was a great introduction to Audio books.
The Unfinished Garden is a compelling, poignant and enthralling read that tackles emotion, mental health, OCD, Loss, Grief, Romance and Friendship and the coping strategies and effects.
Tilly is passionate about gardening and when James comes to her for help with a potential solution to his health she can't help feeling intrigued.
You see James has OCD and he has come to believe that gardening could help his condition and believes Tilly is the right person to help him.
But Tilly has her own deep rooted scars as she is grieving for her late husband and she is caring for her frail mother, who clearly needs her more than ever.
As Tilly and James become closer so does the obvious connection between them, but things are never easy in love. As Tillys old flame also turns up to put a spanner in the works.
I want to applaud Barbara for taking OCD and making it ok to talk about!
You can see how much dedication and research she has put into making it every bit Authentic and knowledgeable for her readers. So a big thank you!
The Unfinished Garden is a beautifully written and authentic women's fiction with a good dash of romance and complex subjects which Barbara handled with the right amount of sensitivity to still make an impact.
The Characters are likeable, complex, yet very well written.
The audio descriptions are wonderfully descriptive which I actually enjoyed as you truly get a different feel to when reading a book, your imagination seems to work differently and you picture things differently.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed The Unfinished Garden and my first audio book encounter.
I would definitely recommend this compelling read, whether you are into Audio books, paperbacks or digital it's an enthralling read!
Thank you to Rachel Random Resources for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
My Review is also on my Blog Website :-
https://dashfan81.blogspot.com/2019/0...
September 10, 2012
About fifteen minutes ago I finished reading The Unfinished Garden. Coming to the end is bittersweet, really. For the last week, I've carried Barbara Claypole White’s novel with me everywhere, picking it up in spare moments, even if only to read a few sentences before moving on to my next task. I must admit that I attempted to race through each page, eager to uncover more and more of the saga between Tilly and James; however, I was constantly slowed down by the sheer beauty of the author’s words, the emotional depth of the characters, and the richness of the unfolding plot. I'm so grateful for all that Claypole White taught me about OCD through The Unfinished Garden. I've dreamed of being a writer ever since I was a little girl, and it is truly a joy to come across a book such as this - one that does more than entertain me... one that inspires me. As I was reading, I would often stop just to savor a scene, soaking in every ounce of the vivid description, imagining that I was exploring the Chase or lounging in a lush meadow. The author has an amazing ability to weave words together in a way that feels effortless, as if those exact words were always intended to be melded together into beautiful prose; although, I am sure that the author took great care in selecting each word, each phrase, each sentence of every paragraph, of every page, of every chapter... it certainly shows. Claypole White has created a work of art, a true masterpiece. I love how she eagerly invited me, her devoted reader, right into the thick of the story. Claypole White brought me into the complex minds of James and Tilly, sharing their deepest thoughts in a way that blended their reality with my own. Their honestly often made me laugh out loud, thinking to myself something like "that is so Tilly!" as if we've known each other for ages. The author has created characters that could not be more real if they were sitting with me now, sharing a cup of tea and enjoying the quiet of the evening. I am a voracious reader, and I can honestly say that The Unfinished Garden is a rare gem: well-written, witty, inspiring, heart-felt, emotional, thought-provoking, and magical.
After reading The Unfinished Garden, I only have one unanswered question: "is it too soon to read it again?"
After reading The Unfinished Garden, I only have one unanswered question: "is it too soon to read it again?"
September 29, 2012
This is a harlequin. I did not know that when I started. If you like romance novels, you will likely love it. It is atmospheric, there is good romantic tension, and there are interesting plot devices like OCD and unexplained guilt. That, however, was not what I was looking for.
My favorite line, un-ironically uttered by Our Hero: ""You're in danger, Matilda Rose, of becoming my greatest obsession." It pretty much sums the book up. If this book were a movie, that would totally be the tag line.
When I downloaded this novel (for free, granted) from Amazon, I thought that I was getting a regular novel about a guy with OCD (interesting) and a gardening widow dealing with their lives and growing as people through their interactions with each other while planting. What I got instead was a romance novel. No bodices were ripped, but the romantic relationship was the main (and possibly sole) focus of the book.
The only real nitpick I have with the book is that, well, I don't know a lot about OCD, but I was really looking forward to reading a novel in which the disorder is thoughtfully and thoroughly described (see Lisa Genova's novels as an example of this being done well). While I am told that the OCD in this novel is correctly portrayed, it is treated mainly as a plot device. The attention that is paid to it seems to intensify and wane as needed to forward the action and relationship between the two main characters, and isn't dealt with in any real, thoughtful way. For me, that was a disappointment.
I realize I'm rather alone right now in posting a less-than-glowing review of this book, but I'm always interested in hearing what people were disappointed with in books as well as what they liked, and I hope others feel the same.
My favorite line, un-ironically uttered by Our Hero: ""You're in danger, Matilda Rose, of becoming my greatest obsession." It pretty much sums the book up. If this book were a movie, that would totally be the tag line.
When I downloaded this novel (for free, granted) from Amazon, I thought that I was getting a regular novel about a guy with OCD (interesting) and a gardening widow dealing with their lives and growing as people through their interactions with each other while planting. What I got instead was a romance novel. No bodices were ripped, but the romantic relationship was the main (and possibly sole) focus of the book.
The only real nitpick I have with the book is that, well, I don't know a lot about OCD, but I was really looking forward to reading a novel in which the disorder is thoughtfully and thoroughly described (see Lisa Genova's novels as an example of this being done well). While I am told that the OCD in this novel is correctly portrayed, it is treated mainly as a plot device. The attention that is paid to it seems to intensify and wane as needed to forward the action and relationship between the two main characters, and isn't dealt with in any real, thoughtful way. For me, that was a disappointment.
I realize I'm rather alone right now in posting a less-than-glowing review of this book, but I'm always interested in hearing what people were disappointed with in books as well as what they liked, and I hope others feel the same.
September 6, 2019
Ms. Clements is a wonder to listen to! Her performance of all of the characters is diverse and passionate.
Read full review in the 2019 May issue of InD'tale Magazine.
Read full review in the 2019 May issue of InD'tale Magazine.
September 28, 2012
I just closed the pages of this beautiful book with tears in my eyes and hope for humanity.
Set in the US and the UK, The Unfinished Garden is the story of a widow and her son trying to make a new place in the world. Tilly can either choose to recreate her past with an old love, Sebastian, or forge ahead with a new future, and James; neither choice is easy, but one will save her.
Dealing with family issues of caring for ailing parents, raising children well, OCD, and physical ailments, The Unfinished Garden takes on multiple life challenges with honesty and clarity. The characters face real dilemmas, and when the novel is complete--though resolution isn't always tidy--it is fulfilling.
I will miss these characters, and I will be a lifelong fan of Barbara White. I highly recommend this novel.
Set in the US and the UK, The Unfinished Garden is the story of a widow and her son trying to make a new place in the world. Tilly can either choose to recreate her past with an old love, Sebastian, or forge ahead with a new future, and James; neither choice is easy, but one will save her.
Dealing with family issues of caring for ailing parents, raising children well, OCD, and physical ailments, The Unfinished Garden takes on multiple life challenges with honesty and clarity. The characters face real dilemmas, and when the novel is complete--though resolution isn't always tidy--it is fulfilling.
I will miss these characters, and I will be a lifelong fan of Barbara White. I highly recommend this novel.
October 3, 2013
I finished this most readable book a month or so ago and have been dilly-dallying about writing a review. Why? I felt guilty.
This well-written story had enough psychological tension to inspire me to pick it up over and over to see how single mom Tilly reconciles her present widowhood in North Carolina with her formative past in England, as represented by new-yet-complicated possibility James, and the Englishman who was her hot-yet-unresolved first love.
The only thing that keeps me from a five-star rating was Tilly's ever-present and constantly swirling inner monologue, that sometimes had her contradicting herself. I'm all for the type of inner conflict that drives a story like this, and this book had plenty of it, but this inner roiling sometimes had the effect of obscuring rather than defining that conflict.
Here's where the guilt sets in: this book is about appreciating the goodness in someone's heart despite individual differences. James, a beautiful character who suffers from OCD, teaches this. And Tilly is as good as they come, keeping an open mind and letting curiosity and the desire to learn trump all.
So, she talks to herself a lot. That's her thing. One month out from reading this book, I still think about her, and James, and this "individual difference" is fading from view as the novel's strengths, and message that we all need nurturing so we can continue to grow, grow ever brighter.
Well worth reading.
This well-written story had enough psychological tension to inspire me to pick it up over and over to see how single mom Tilly reconciles her present widowhood in North Carolina with her formative past in England, as represented by new-yet-complicated possibility James, and the Englishman who was her hot-yet-unresolved first love.
The only thing that keeps me from a five-star rating was Tilly's ever-present and constantly swirling inner monologue, that sometimes had her contradicting herself. I'm all for the type of inner conflict that drives a story like this, and this book had plenty of it, but this inner roiling sometimes had the effect of obscuring rather than defining that conflict.
Here's where the guilt sets in: this book is about appreciating the goodness in someone's heart despite individual differences. James, a beautiful character who suffers from OCD, teaches this. And Tilly is as good as they come, keeping an open mind and letting curiosity and the desire to learn trump all.
So, she talks to herself a lot. That's her thing. One month out from reading this book, I still think about her, and James, and this "individual difference" is fading from view as the novel's strengths, and message that we all need nurturing so we can continue to grow, grow ever brighter.
Well worth reading.
September 8, 2019
"The Unfinished Garden" is full of deep, richly developed characters that are as beautifully diverse in personality as the garden.
Read full review in the 2019 September issue of InD'tale Magazine.
Read full review in the 2019 September issue of InD'tale Magazine.
January 11, 2018
"The English author H. E. Bates said that a finished garden is a dead garden." She held his gaze and sensed the ebb and flow of her breath matching his. "It'll take a lifetime. A garden's a work in progress without end."
I'm seriously going to have to stop underestimating books that masquarade as cookie cutter chick-lit offerings. You know, the ones in laminated paper back on the library shelf with a cute cover. First, it was Heartstone, most recently it was The Unfinished Garden .
Meet Matilda Rose. You can call her Tilly for short. Born and raised in a small village in England, she moved to the United States with her husband as a young adult. They settled in the North Carolina countryside, and had a son, Isaaic. Then disaster struck--her husband, David, lies critically ill in an intensive care unit, intubated. Tilly must decide whether to honor her husband's wishes and inact his living will. Her decision leaves her widowed...and racked with both grief and guilt. She turns to gardening as a panacea for both herself and her son.
Fast forward three years, and James moves to North Carolina in an attempt to navigate his difficult past. He battles Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and is hoping to enrole in a clinical trial at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He wonders if gardening might give him the mental help he needs while waiting for the clinical trial to begin. His search for a gardening center leads him to Tilly's growing business.
Tilly is sympathetic to James, but feels she has too much on her plate to help a needy customer design his entire home landscape. Her mother (still in England), took a tumble thanks to her dog, and broke her leg. It's suddenly clear to Tilly that her mother is aging, and needs her there until the cast comes off. Returning to England brings her back in touch with her childhood best friend...and her first boyfriend. Then James OCD brings him to England (a serious stretch of plausability to be sure), and Tilly finds unexpected comfort rehabilitating an old garden with James.
Bottom line: As mentioned before, this is a Harlequin romance. While a serious step above most books in the genre, it still follows the predictable plot format to a degree. Also, like most genre books, this is told in first person POV, and Tilly keeps up an internal monologue which is exhausting at times. Claypole White managed to infuse enough humor to keep me turning the pages though. So what elevated it to 3 stars? First, OCD is portrayed quite well, and I loved how White brought attention to the disease. I loved even more that she fully developed James, and didn't just focus on his OCD. People with a mental disorder are so much more than their diagnosis...just like someone with diabetes, or leukemia. Second, she handles the subject of learning to love after grief expertly as well. I loved the following quote:
"I will always love your father. But I also believe that the human heart is like a pie."
Isaac yawned. "What do we do with our pies?"
"Slice them up and share the pieces. You can never reclaim a piece, but there's always more to give. I gave you and Daddy the biggest slices, and one day I might give away more..."
"Will you give James a slice of your pie?"
"Why would you ask that?"...
"When you walk away, James watches you go. And then he watches for you to come back. He watches you a lot. Haven't you noticed?"
Finally, she did a great job showing more than just a romantic relationship. She explored the love between a mother and her daughter, the daughter and her son, and best friends. Know going in that there is some cussing (it didn't bother me, but is a tad bit unusual for the genre). Given 3 stars or a rating of "Good". Recommended as a library checkout!
"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under the sun. A time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted...A time to more on...and a time to say goodbye."
I'm seriously going to have to stop underestimating books that masquarade as cookie cutter chick-lit offerings. You know, the ones in laminated paper back on the library shelf with a cute cover. First, it was Heartstone, most recently it was The Unfinished Garden .
Meet Matilda Rose. You can call her Tilly for short. Born and raised in a small village in England, she moved to the United States with her husband as a young adult. They settled in the North Carolina countryside, and had a son, Isaaic. Then disaster struck--her husband, David, lies critically ill in an intensive care unit, intubated. Tilly must decide whether to honor her husband's wishes and inact his living will. Her decision leaves her widowed...and racked with both grief and guilt. She turns to gardening as a panacea for both herself and her son.
Fast forward three years, and James moves to North Carolina in an attempt to navigate his difficult past. He battles Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and is hoping to enrole in a clinical trial at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He wonders if gardening might give him the mental help he needs while waiting for the clinical trial to begin. His search for a gardening center leads him to Tilly's growing business.
Tilly is sympathetic to James, but feels she has too much on her plate to help a needy customer design his entire home landscape. Her mother (still in England), took a tumble thanks to her dog, and broke her leg. It's suddenly clear to Tilly that her mother is aging, and needs her there until the cast comes off. Returning to England brings her back in touch with her childhood best friend...and her first boyfriend. Then James OCD brings him to England (a serious stretch of plausability to be sure), and Tilly finds unexpected comfort rehabilitating an old garden with James.
Bottom line: As mentioned before, this is a Harlequin romance. While a serious step above most books in the genre, it still follows the predictable plot format to a degree. Also, like most genre books, this is told in first person POV, and Tilly keeps up an internal monologue which is exhausting at times. Claypole White managed to infuse enough humor to keep me turning the pages though. So what elevated it to 3 stars? First, OCD is portrayed quite well, and I loved how White brought attention to the disease. I loved even more that she fully developed James, and didn't just focus on his OCD. People with a mental disorder are so much more than their diagnosis...just like someone with diabetes, or leukemia. Second, she handles the subject of learning to love after grief expertly as well. I loved the following quote:
"I will always love your father. But I also believe that the human heart is like a pie."
Isaac yawned. "What do we do with our pies?"
"Slice them up and share the pieces. You can never reclaim a piece, but there's always more to give. I gave you and Daddy the biggest slices, and one day I might give away more..."
"Will you give James a slice of your pie?"
"Why would you ask that?"...
"When you walk away, James watches you go. And then he watches for you to come back. He watches you a lot. Haven't you noticed?"
Finally, she did a great job showing more than just a romantic relationship. She explored the love between a mother and her daughter, the daughter and her son, and best friends. Know going in that there is some cussing (it didn't bother me, but is a tad bit unusual for the genre). Given 3 stars or a rating of "Good". Recommended as a library checkout!
"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under the sun. A time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted...A time to more on...and a time to say goodbye."
September 10, 2012
This is a great first book by a local author. I loved reading about a gardener as the main character since I am a gardener myself. It takes place in two places that I love: North Carolina and England. Ms. White does a great job of telling the tales of a widow who is recovering from her husband's death and a man who is dealing with OCD. I have had experience with both and she does a wonderful job writing about the characters emotions and actions. I am looking forward to more from Ms. White in the future.
August 1, 2012
I received an early review copy of The Unfinished Garden from NetGalley. This was truly a lovely story. Major characters, Tilly and James, and minor characters, Isaac, Rowena, and Sebastian, effectively play off each other's strengths and foibles to explore their feelings of loss and grief, and in turn, their joy and rediscovery of hope and trust. Readers will enjoy the lush setting details in both venues--North Carolina and rural England, as well as Claypole White's use of gardening as metaphor. I found the writing style in The Unfinished Garden reminiscent of both Rosamunde and Robin Pilcher, though perhaps leaning more toward Robin from the standpoint of the love story. As a fan of both, I truly enjoyed the book and look forward to many more from Barbara Claypole White.
September 7, 2012
Barbara Claypole White gifts the reader with a lush setting, a heartbroken heroine, and a hero with a crippling disability in this unusual and lovely novel. The author describes the beauty of North Carolina and England, the two primary settings, with vivid details that transport the reader. Some of my favorite passages are the descriptions of the landscape and the gardens. Tilly is trying to keep herself and her young son together following her husband's premature death and is a compelling character. OCD has wrecked the hero's life and James is intent that Tilly and her garden hold the key to his freedom from the disability. Fascinating insight in to OCD and the dynamics of a family trying to cope with it.
July 16, 2014
The book is at it's best when the author just lets it flow. I like the characters of Tilly, her family, and friends, I love the way Jame's OCD is handled, I even liked the stuff about gardening, which isn't normally a topic to draw me. An enjoyable story with some meat to it, and a pleasing romance. I look forward to more from this author.
***
Updated 10/11/2012: Attended a reading/talk last night with the author, in recognition of OCD awareness week. She was amazing, charming, forthright, and engaging. If you get a chance to see hear, you really should.
***
Updated 10/11/2012: Attended a reading/talk last night with the author, in recognition of OCD awareness week. She was amazing, charming, forthright, and engaging. If you get a chance to see hear, you really should.
October 3, 2012
The Unfinished Garden is a beautiful story. I don't read romance but the writing here is so textural and the voice is so rich that I fell into it and couldn't put it down. The story and the relationships have substance and it is the characters' enduring faults and strengths that make them so lovable. An absolutely lovely book, a memorable one.
August 13, 2012
A Recommended Read! A women's fiction novel that brilliantly contradicts uniformity with quirky characters in need of stability amongst their inner chaos. Tilly and James are uniquely flawed individuals whose friendship encompasses more than just a boy meets girl story. This novel unabashedly dives into psychological fears created by death, guilt and OCD, testing friendships beyond the normal range with humor, vivid emotion and understanding.Full review also available at the TBR Mountain Range, courtesy of Romance Junkies.
Tilly Silverberg began gardening to work through her grief after she lost her husband, left to build a new life as a widow with their young son in tow. She hadn't planned to start a business of her own, but eventually, her wholesale perennial business became her livelihood. Her gardens in North Carolina speak of her passion for color and not surprisingly, draw the attention of someone who wants to hire Tilly as his garden designer. Can she let a man into her life and consider a change in direction for a business that she's satisfied with as it is? It has been three years since her husband's death. Is it really time for her to move forward? So far, avoiding people as a plant wholesaler has suited her just fine.
James Nealy has hidden his OCD fears and compulsions from everyone in his life until now. Having sold his successful software company and his home in Chicago, he moves to North Carolina with the hope of finally beating his demons into submission. He wants to build a garden to offset his fear of dirt. Once he sees Tilly Silverberg's gardens of chaotic color, he knows she's the one to help him. After meeting Tilly, James is sure she is the answer to everything he wants in his future.
James and Tilly are wonderfully damaged characters who will snag your heartstrings from the very beginning of their story. Tilly's son, Isaac, enhances the hilarity of their first meeting and continues to be a catalyst for Tilly's every thought in their future. When Tilly has to rush back to England to help her mother, James follows uninvited, pursuing his wishes without thought about what kind of chaos he's bringing to Tilly's already strained friendships from the past. Will Tilly's friends and family push James away, or see the truth that Tilly refuses to acknowledge?
I'm easily drawn to books with "garden" in the title or gardening as a theme. I've always felt the healing properties of being one with the soil and creating something so very unique with nature's help. Naturally, being drawn to THE UNFINISHED GARDEN was inevitable and instantaneous, but I never expected to be enraptured by every emotion this novel evokes.
At first, you don't realize how damaged Tilly is emotionally, or how much she needs James in all his self-professed, flawed glory. The humor is what enamored me in the beginning, but it was curiosity and caring generated by the characters through author Barbara Claypole White's unique style that made me race to the end. Tilly and James aren't the only ones grieving for one reason or another. Sebastian, Tilly's teenage love, as well as Rowena, Tilly's lifelong best friend, have almost as many issues to overcome, which Tilly slowly discovers as she tries to figure out just where she and her son belong.
For those who understand the longing for your childhood home, a time when memories glow bright and vivid, even if you've made a new place or a different country your home, THE UNFINISHED GARDEN will tease some of those cherished memories to the surface. You can't help but love Woodend and Bramwell Hall estates in England, including their gardens, as Tilly relives her past while trying to heal her future. Landscapes come alive, teaming with nature, vibrantly portrayed by Tilly's observations and memories.
The character development in THE UNFINISHED GARDEN is superb, quirky, heartrending and enchanting. The language used is oftentimes raw, but completely appropriate for the times, as well as creates some hilarious laugh-out-loud moments. For gardeners, this novel is pure nirvana, coaxing the rebellious cottage gardener within out to play. I loved this book, filled with imperfect people struggling to find the quiet within their emotional storm. Beautifully written, THE UNFINISHED GARDEN blooms with intensity and a riotous wit perfectly suited for the survival spirit within us all. A fabulous debut novel, THE UNFINISHED GARDEN easily earns Romance Junkies' highest rating of five blue ribbons and a recommended read status for its unpredictable originality! So good!
September 15, 2012
The garden is the perfect metaphor for the change, growth, potential and obstacles the characters within An Unfinished Garden encounter. Ever changing with the seasons, growing, blooming, resting. All transferable to our lives.
"The English author H.E. Bates said that a finished garden is a dead garden. ... It'll take a lifetime. A garden's a work in progress without end." (page 363)
But then again, so are life and love works in progress. And as satisfying a thought that is, so is An Unfinished Garden.
See my full review at: http://shirley-mybookshelf.blogspot.c...
Some language, adult situations
"The English author H.E. Bates said that a finished garden is a dead garden. ... It'll take a lifetime. A garden's a work in progress without end." (page 363)
But then again, so are life and love works in progress. And as satisfying a thought that is, so is An Unfinished Garden.
See my full review at: http://shirley-mybookshelf.blogspot.c...
Some language, adult situations
February 21, 2021
Interesting group of characters, and the way they come together with some twists and turns and garden insights. A compassionate look at OCD.
October 5, 2012
The unfinished garden is a contemporary romance filled with characters that are certainly not flawless, they have issues in life and within.
We are shown well detailed and in-depth insight into the characters, as well as broaching the subject of mental illness and grief.
Tilly lost her husband three years prior and now is now getting on with life the best she knows how and looking after their eight year old son Issac. Tilly is self employed running a nursery and doing what she loves best, being a mum and tinkering around in her garden.
However – Life is not like it use to be. She is guilt ridden and feeling somewhat empty.
James Neally suffers from OCD – and he has decided that it’s time to take back control of his life or add some normality to it. His Obsessive – compulsive disorder controls his life, and he hopes after meeting Tilly that they both can build a garden and help James get over his phobia.
James is successfull in his business, but in life he wants it to steer in a different direction and by meeting Tilly that is not only what he has to deal with. Fixing his phobia - learnig to trust, and learning to overcome the obsticles in life that are challenging him.
Upon Meeting Tilly – James feels nothing he has ever felt before within any friendship - Tilly’s Acceptance, and trust easy attitude and ways, James is finds that they form a friendship and closeness like no other he has ever had.
After a turn of events Tilly and her son are homebound for England, and here she is confronted with her first love. She is thrown into an emotional rollercoaster and finds out that her also a few truths of her own. As perfect as her ex love may have been her didnt come across as a character I felt compelled to.
James follows her, and asks her to help him create a garden or teach him how to. They embark on a friendship confronted upon by their fears, and woes. James wants something Tilly is not sure she can offer him. The guilt she feels stands in her way and fear of loving and losing again.
Both are challenged by their state of mind, with emotions and fears entwined throughout the author did a great job of giving us characters that were certainly not flawless but very realistic.
I was very surprised that I enjoyed this book so much with the underlying storyline, but I found that it certainly had me intrigued to find out how the story ended and I wasn’t at all disappointed.
A fluent flowing storyline that will encapture your heart, mind and have you thinking past the last page.
Barbars - the author has given us James, a flawed character, hot, attractive but with issues, kind of freaky – creepy at times. But James Neally was a character with depth and definition despite his issues and despite his ways Tilly accepted him the way he was.
Tilly a widowed wife whom is filled with guilt after the death of her husband. She is an easy going character , un affected by James and his creepy ways, taking him with each day as it came , with no judgments what so ever.
The Unfinished Garden has two characters with issues, but I enjoyed the way in which the author put forth the storyline.
It is a well told story of two people affected by grief, fear, loss, and fear of Failure . She gives the reader insight into someone who suffers mental illness , and acceptance within. Characters that find love amongst each other, while hurdling over many obstacles to find life , love and meaning. A heartfelt storyline, that will have you questioning how meeting someone so flawed can not only save you from yourself but give meaning to three lives.
January 25, 2013
Through "The Unfinished Garden," Barbara Claypole White brings an uncommon depth and elegance to a beautiful love story. The protagonist, Tilly, struggles to move past the death of her husband by throwing her energies into her son, Isaac, and her North Carolina gardening business.
When a wealthy and somewhat dashing James Nealy offers an exorbitant fee to landscape his new home, Tilly flatly refuses. But the quirky software developer shows a remarkable persistence, even following her to her childhood home in England when Tilly’s mother becomes ill. There, Tilly reconnects with Sebastian, her first love, who has also returned home.
Both men are attractive and vulnerable. James Nealy is a sweet man who confesses to Tilly his OCD which he hopes gardening can alleviate. Sebastian is struggling to find himself after a nasty divorce, still determined to be a great father to his young children.
When reading this book, I was engrossed by Tilly’s love interests because they were real, flawed human beings striving to overcome their weaknesses. Unlike many other novels in this genre, I was not sure whom Tilly should or would choose. I was sympathetic to both. To me, that’s how real life is. Nothing is ever so cut and dried.
Also, I found both settings—humid, somewhat dangerous North Carolina and the crisp gardens of the English countryside—to be characters of their own. Barbara Claypole White’s descriptions drew me in and have made me hungry for more.
I love this book. It is a tender story that has stayed with me, and has me praying for a sequel.
When a wealthy and somewhat dashing James Nealy offers an exorbitant fee to landscape his new home, Tilly flatly refuses. But the quirky software developer shows a remarkable persistence, even following her to her childhood home in England when Tilly’s mother becomes ill. There, Tilly reconnects with Sebastian, her first love, who has also returned home.
Both men are attractive and vulnerable. James Nealy is a sweet man who confesses to Tilly his OCD which he hopes gardening can alleviate. Sebastian is struggling to find himself after a nasty divorce, still determined to be a great father to his young children.
When reading this book, I was engrossed by Tilly’s love interests because they were real, flawed human beings striving to overcome their weaknesses. Unlike many other novels in this genre, I was not sure whom Tilly should or would choose. I was sympathetic to both. To me, that’s how real life is. Nothing is ever so cut and dried.
Also, I found both settings—humid, somewhat dangerous North Carolina and the crisp gardens of the English countryside—to be characters of their own. Barbara Claypole White’s descriptions drew me in and have made me hungry for more.
I love this book. It is a tender story that has stayed with me, and has me praying for a sequel.
September 10, 2013
I absolutely loved this book, by the very talented Barbara Claypole White. As a recipient of many awards - all of which are well deserved! - The Unfinished Garden is a beautiful love story set in the idyllic English countryside. The characters are wonderful and genuine, each of whom I would love to spend an afternoon. They are all flawed in their own way, but none more than James Nealy, one of the two protagonists in The Unfinished Garden, who battles often disabling OCD throughout the pages of the novel. Barbara Claypole White uses her own familial knowledge of the disease to create a spot-on portrayal for the reader, and help one understand how difficult it is to function day to day with crippling OCD. The book delves into various family relationships, friendships and romances but most of all pulls you in with the delightful characters who keep the reader rooting for their success time and again throughout the novel. A fantastic book!
January 27, 2014
This book grabbed my heart from the start and didn’t let go until it set me gently down at the end. I loved how the two characters, James and Tilly, danced around each other, came together, drew apart and gradually built connections strong enough to sustain a relationship. The author has a fresh easy writing style and understands the culture of the South as well as the rural English culture of her childhood. The supporting characters are interesting in their own right and the subplots weave a perfect background to the main story.
This is a quiet, thoughtful book, which keeps you turning pages with the depth of the characters and the compelling plot. It’s the kind of book you can’t stop thinking about, long after you’ve turned the last page, my favorite kind of book. Author Barbara Claypole-White has a new book out now and I can’t wait to read it.
This is a quiet, thoughtful book, which keeps you turning pages with the depth of the characters and the compelling plot. It’s the kind of book you can’t stop thinking about, long after you’ve turned the last page, my favorite kind of book. Author Barbara Claypole-White has a new book out now and I can’t wait to read it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 14, 2012
What an incredible journey into the life and mind of a person with OCD as well as the pain and healing of grieve. I could not put the book down!
I'd recommend it to everyone I know. The spot-on descriptions of how it feels to be OCD, as well as those about being grief-stricken make it clear that this is a story about people who are incredibly difficult to love. Love, love, love this book!
I'd recommend it to everyone I know. The spot-on descriptions of how it feels to be OCD, as well as those about being grief-stricken make it clear that this is a story about people who are incredibly difficult to love. Love, love, love this book!
May 19, 2022
Yes, in my next life I will rewrite my debut, but James is the love of my writing life. Always will be.
October 2, 2017
Have you ever read a book that made perfect sense and hit you in all the right places? Barbara Claypole White’s, THE UNFINISHED GARDEN, did just that for me. This is a wonderful romantic story about James Nealy and his OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder), panic and anxiety issues and how he finds Tilly Silverberg, a widow who harbors guilt and fears of her own.
Tilly is the nursery owner of Piedmont Perennials located in North Carolina, a business that had “sprung out of the infertility of grief.” James sold his software company in Chicago and made enough money to retire to North Carolina at age forty-five. He’s looking for a landscaper for hire and feels she holds the key in helping him with his obsession with dirt and how it will kill him. In fact, she tells him quite frankly, no, she can’t help him. Unbeknownst to her, he’s immediately captivated by her. As his love for her grows, he thinks she’ll never truly understand him. She has no idea what he goes through every single day with his rituals, checking and rechecking, etc. He thinks she will never accept him as a love interest just as all his other love interests failed, but Tilly is different.
She grew up in England, and when there’s a family emergency, she and her son, Isaac, return to care for her mother. She’s glad to get away from James. However, he’s persistent and follows her, even though he’s petrified of flying across the pond. Everything is the same when Tilly returns to her childhood home, so she thinks, until her best friend, Rowena, her former teenage boyfriend, Sebastian, and her mother keep secrets from her.
Tilly’s feelings for Sebastian are still unresolved after all these years. Even though she’s forging a new friendship and bond with James, she’s still confused about her feelings for Sebastian. Little by little, she manages to get James to peel his layers, they share their insecurities and make each other face their fears head on. As their relationship develops, they learn they can trust each other and what they truly mean to one another.
There were a few quotes that really captured me in this book, such as, “People who need each other, find each other” and “After all, when you cared about someone, you couldn’t rush the learning. It took ten years of watching…” However, Claypole White sums up her whole story with this quote: “The English author H.E. Bates said that a finished garden is a dead garden. It’ll take a lifetime. A garden’s a work in progress without end.” That quote made me realize what the unfinished garden is.
Claypole White’s book really resonated with me. It made me think about James’ day-to-day issues and how he strives to resolve them. She captures his episodes with realism, and I identified with what he endures. It’s not easy writing about mental health issues and throwing in a romantic and touching story that just melts your heart. I felt such warmth and understanding for these characters. This is a book that will remain on my nightstand so I can refer to it quite often, and it also falls into another top book I’ve read. Thank you, Barbara Claypole White, for writing this story, and I look forward to reading more of your work. I highly recommend reading this book.
Tilly is the nursery owner of Piedmont Perennials located in North Carolina, a business that had “sprung out of the infertility of grief.” James sold his software company in Chicago and made enough money to retire to North Carolina at age forty-five. He’s looking for a landscaper for hire and feels she holds the key in helping him with his obsession with dirt and how it will kill him. In fact, she tells him quite frankly, no, she can’t help him. Unbeknownst to her, he’s immediately captivated by her. As his love for her grows, he thinks she’ll never truly understand him. She has no idea what he goes through every single day with his rituals, checking and rechecking, etc. He thinks she will never accept him as a love interest just as all his other love interests failed, but Tilly is different.
She grew up in England, and when there’s a family emergency, she and her son, Isaac, return to care for her mother. She’s glad to get away from James. However, he’s persistent and follows her, even though he’s petrified of flying across the pond. Everything is the same when Tilly returns to her childhood home, so she thinks, until her best friend, Rowena, her former teenage boyfriend, Sebastian, and her mother keep secrets from her.
Tilly’s feelings for Sebastian are still unresolved after all these years. Even though she’s forging a new friendship and bond with James, she’s still confused about her feelings for Sebastian. Little by little, she manages to get James to peel his layers, they share their insecurities and make each other face their fears head on. As their relationship develops, they learn they can trust each other and what they truly mean to one another.
There were a few quotes that really captured me in this book, such as, “People who need each other, find each other” and “After all, when you cared about someone, you couldn’t rush the learning. It took ten years of watching…” However, Claypole White sums up her whole story with this quote: “The English author H.E. Bates said that a finished garden is a dead garden. It’ll take a lifetime. A garden’s a work in progress without end.” That quote made me realize what the unfinished garden is.
Claypole White’s book really resonated with me. It made me think about James’ day-to-day issues and how he strives to resolve them. She captures his episodes with realism, and I identified with what he endures. It’s not easy writing about mental health issues and throwing in a romantic and touching story that just melts your heart. I felt such warmth and understanding for these characters. This is a book that will remain on my nightstand so I can refer to it quite often, and it also falls into another top book I’ve read. Thank you, Barbara Claypole White, for writing this story, and I look forward to reading more of your work. I highly recommend reading this book.
November 14, 2023
More a 3.5
I liked it in general, especially for the OCD the male protagonist has and how this was portrayed.
The romance is naturally cautious and slow but I wish there was more to it anyway.
I liked it in general, especially for the OCD the male protagonist has and how this was portrayed.
The romance is naturally cautious and slow but I wish there was more to it anyway.
July 2, 2019
A first for me by this author and my first audiobook! I must say I was very impressed! I loved the real and relatable issues these fabulous characters had. It really sheds light on many health issues many suffer from every day. Very well written or should I say said in this audiobook version! I definitely want to read more from this author and thank her for the perfect first audiobook as she leaves me wanting more!
August 6, 2012
The Unfinished Garden is a beautifully written, heart wrenching love story. The novel centers on Tilly Silverberg, a young widow raising her son Isaac. She has a successful business that demands her attention, and which she uses as an excuse to hide from the world, and to escape the guilt she feels over her beloved husband’s death.
And then James Nealy, an attractive man who has retired young from his successful business as a software developer, shows up one night at Tilly’s house. James suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder, and after years of therapy, is determined to face his fears and create a beautiful garden. He immediately is drawn to both Tilly and her stunning, wild garden, and knows that she must be the one to create his.
Although Tilly sell plants, she doesn’t design gardens. And she does not want to deal with clients. But James will not take no for an answer. When Tilly and Isaac rush to her beloved home in England to deal with a family emergency, Tilly is confronted with her first love, Sebastian, who is going through a divorce and clearly never stopped loving Tilly, and Tilly discovers a lump in her breast.
In the midst of all of this, James unexpectedly appears at her childhood home. Their relationship is tenuous at first, but as they work together to create a garden, their love also blossoms.
As in life, there are no simple characters in this novel, each is layered and flawed, but all are beautifully crafted by the immensely talented author, Barbara Claypole White. In short, I would highly recommend The Unfinished Garden. It will appeal to all hopeless romantics, and to those who just love a beautifully written book with wonderful characters.
And then James Nealy, an attractive man who has retired young from his successful business as a software developer, shows up one night at Tilly’s house. James suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder, and after years of therapy, is determined to face his fears and create a beautiful garden. He immediately is drawn to both Tilly and her stunning, wild garden, and knows that she must be the one to create his.
Although Tilly sell plants, she doesn’t design gardens. And she does not want to deal with clients. But James will not take no for an answer. When Tilly and Isaac rush to her beloved home in England to deal with a family emergency, Tilly is confronted with her first love, Sebastian, who is going through a divorce and clearly never stopped loving Tilly, and Tilly discovers a lump in her breast.
In the midst of all of this, James unexpectedly appears at her childhood home. Their relationship is tenuous at first, but as they work together to create a garden, their love also blossoms.
As in life, there are no simple characters in this novel, each is layered and flawed, but all are beautifully crafted by the immensely talented author, Barbara Claypole White. In short, I would highly recommend The Unfinished Garden. It will appeal to all hopeless romantics, and to those who just love a beautifully written book with wonderful characters.
December 6, 2013
Damaged people make for a rich read.
I was first drawn to Barbara Claypole White’s debut novel by two things: She writes about damaged people, something I can relate to, and it took her years of hard work and dedication to get her novel published by a traditional house, something else I respect as an author who’s been on a similar journey.
What I didn’t expect was to empathize and connect so well with the male protagonist, James Nealy, who suffers from OCD. Although I found Tilly a likeable character – I loved how she views the world through the eyes of a protective mother - I found myself rooting for James over all the other characters in the story. I also appreciated how the author embedded OCD into the narrative without resorting to clinical info dumps about the disorder. This takes great skill and helped keep the story from bogging down.
“The Unfinished Garden” is both entertaining and educational and kept my interest until the end. James and Tilly are the kind of characters that live in your head long after you’ve finished the book. I look forward to reading Ms. White’s second novel, “The In-Between Hour.”
I recommend “The Unfinished Garden” for readers who prefer stories that deal with real life issues and characters who feel like real people.
Kathleen M. Rodgers ~ author of “The Final Salute”
I was first drawn to Barbara Claypole White’s debut novel by two things: She writes about damaged people, something I can relate to, and it took her years of hard work and dedication to get her novel published by a traditional house, something else I respect as an author who’s been on a similar journey.
What I didn’t expect was to empathize and connect so well with the male protagonist, James Nealy, who suffers from OCD. Although I found Tilly a likeable character – I loved how she views the world through the eyes of a protective mother - I found myself rooting for James over all the other characters in the story. I also appreciated how the author embedded OCD into the narrative without resorting to clinical info dumps about the disorder. This takes great skill and helped keep the story from bogging down.
“The Unfinished Garden” is both entertaining and educational and kept my interest until the end. James and Tilly are the kind of characters that live in your head long after you’ve finished the book. I look forward to reading Ms. White’s second novel, “The In-Between Hour.”
I recommend “The Unfinished Garden” for readers who prefer stories that deal with real life issues and characters who feel like real people.
Kathleen M. Rodgers ~ author of “The Final Salute”
September 10, 2012
A lively British voice, a satisfying tangle of interconnected relationships, and, above all, a marvelous rendering of the most unconventional hero I've recently encountered in fiction. I'm not a regular reader of love stories, but this is anything but a garden variety tale of boy meets girl. (Mea culpa for the godawful pun.) A valiant and successful effort to portray a complex character who happens to be battling a punishing behavioral disorder and to make that character, rather than the disorder, what the reader remembers. The author gives us a human being, not a DSM IV stereotype, and, in so doing, reminds us that OCD--or any mental health issue--is something a person has, not who that person is.
September 14, 2012
The Unfinished Garden is so much more than a romance: White writes about two "damaged" people who find each other but must battle their own demons before they find a happily ever after. Tilly has lost her husband but loves her gardening business, and James is struggling with OCD and sees gardening as his shot at redemption.
Both good and bad reside in Tilly and James, two very real characters who aren't perfect and know it. Guilt and grief, change and redemption kept me turning the pages of this book.
White has an admirable grasp of family dynamics and friendships as well as a haunting sense of place. From North Carolina to England, the land plays its own starring role in The Unfinished Garden.
I enjoyed this book from start to finish.
Both good and bad reside in Tilly and James, two very real characters who aren't perfect and know it. Guilt and grief, change and redemption kept me turning the pages of this book.
White has an admirable grasp of family dynamics and friendships as well as a haunting sense of place. From North Carolina to England, the land plays its own starring role in The Unfinished Garden.
I enjoyed this book from start to finish.
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