The Memory Garden

by Rachel Hore

From the million-copy Sunday Times bestseller comes a breathtaking story of family secrets and forbidden love. Idyllic Cornwall, a lost garden, a love story from long ago . . . A hundred years ago, Lamorna Cove, a tiny, picturesque bay in Cornwall, was the haunt of a colony of artists. Today, Mel Pentreath hopes it will be a place she can escape the pain of losing her mother and a broken love affair, and gradually put her life back together. Renting a cottage in the enchanting grounds of Merryn Hall, Mel embraces her new surroundings and offers to help her landlord Patrick restore the overgrown garden. Soon she is daring to believe her life can be rebuilt. Then Patrick finds some old paintings in the attic, and as he and Mel investigate the identity of the artist, they are drawn into an extraordinary tale of illicit passion and thwarted ambition from a century ago, a tale that resonates in their own lives. But how long can Mel's idyll last before reality breaks in and everything is threatened?

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Historical Fiction, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Historical, Roman

430 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Rachel Hore worked in London publishing for many years before moving with her family to Norwich, Norfolk and turning to writing fiction.

Rachel is the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Dream House (2006), The Memory Garden (2007), The Glass Painter's Daughter (2009), which was shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists' Association Novel of the Year 2010, A Place of Secrets (2010), which was a Richard and Judy Bookclub pick, and A Gathering Storm (2011), which was shortlisted for the RNA Historical Novel of the year, 2012. The Silent Tide was published in 2013, A Week in Paris in 2014 and The House on Bellevue Gardens in 2015.

Her new novel, Last Letter Home, will be published on 22nd March 2018.

Reviews

[Kirstie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was frustrated with this book. It could have been brilliant but it just lacked in so many ways
It was a bit cheesy in how it was written, how Mel was meeting Patrick’s parents after a few weeks together, how all the men fell in love with her and she had to make a choice. It was as though there were too many stories - Aimee and her pupils dad, Irina and her daughter.
I would have much preferred to hear about Pearl’s side of things. The flash backs were too short and the time in the present linking to the past was made up of letters found and tenuous links to people she stumbled across

[Wiltshire Hermit · Rating 3 out of 5]

This held such promise for me at the beginning - Cornwall, artists' lives, beautiful scenery - but Ms Hore turned it into a bog standard love story around halfway through and seemed to lose her way. I couldn't identify with the lead character, Mel, as she turned out to be a self-absorbed whiner, and by the end of it I didn't care what happened to her. Ms Hore took the predictable route with the historical story thread, which was disappointing as it looked a promising premise from the cover blurb, and should have taken precedence over the bland, modern day girl-meets-boy thread imo. 3 stars is generous, and based on her observational minutiae, which was swamped by mediocrity but still well written in places.

[CLM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mel takes a semester off from teaching and goes to stay in Cornwall, partly to research local artists from the turn of the 20th century and partly to escape from a bad love affair. While living in what used to be the gardener's cottage of an estate now falling in disrepair, she becomes interested in Pearl Treglown, a long ago housemaid, who had unexpected artistic talent but little opportunity to pursue it. Like Pearl, Mel becomes enamoured of a man attached to Merryn Hall: for Mel, it is Patrick, the current owner, with whom she works to restore the Victorian gardens. Both are abandoned by their lovers, although eventually Mel gains the self-confidence to make the relationship work.

I enjoyed this book, which moved gently back and forth from the present to Cornwall, before WWI, but got tired of Mel's and other characters' deep depressions.

[Belinda Vlasbaard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 sterren - Nederlandse paperback
Gevonden in een mini bieb. En tijdens het toeren op mij scootmobiel heerlijk gelezen aan de Maas. Beide, boek en Maas, kunnen/ konden mij zeer bekoren. Het las makkelijk weg maar het had zeker ook inhoud. De verwerking van verdriet doet iedereen anders en de ontdekking van de schilderijen en de geschiedenis is daarvan waren voor mij en extra laag in het verhaal die ik waardeerde.

[Dinah Jefferies · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I know Lamorna Cove and have always been fascinated by its history, so that was a plus. The main character, Mel, is juxtaposed against, Pearl - a character in the past. Despite Mel's indecisiveness, I found her equally engaging, and the balance between the early 1900s story and the modern one worked for me.

[Els · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I read from this author, and it will not be the last time.

[Maggie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I bought this book plus The Glass Painters daughter at the same time and decided to read them one after the other. The story has really the same format in both setup and with its mixture of past and present mingling. The main female character is quite insecure and extremely needy. She is expectant and dependent on the male to solve all her problems and make the world a better place.
In this novel the Newlyn and Lamorna artists are discussed. The descriptives of Cornwall sound lovely. There are side characters who are described within the story that are perhaps just padding as really their stories pan out and go nowhere. I felt the character of Pearl from the past had more ‘back bone’ and strength than Mel from the present.  
I think this novel had so much potential in that it could have described life for the artist in the early 1900’s in more depth as well as the research Mel was undertaking. Instead the story in the present really goes nowhere, consisting of Mel (supposedly a mature adult of advancing years) wittering on and on about Patrick her current love interest and if he loves her or not! The story of Irina the Bosnian immigrant and her relationship with the father of her child was an interesting twist that went nowhere fast. I feel overall that this was an opportunity missed for the author and feel it was a very average easily forgettable read. 

[Paula Sealey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful tale that expertly weaves the past with the present.

Mel flees to Cornwall in search of some space to recover from the death of her mother and to begin working on her book about artists. She finds herself strangely drawn to the wildly overgrown gardens at Merryn Hall where she is staying in the old gardeners cottage. She also admires paintings hanging in the cottage, and research leads her to believe they were painted by a servant from the hall many years ago.

New owner of Merryn, Patrick, also begins to take an interest in the gardens, and in Mel, and as they start to revive the garden, they also unearth the servant Pearl's story and begin a story of their own.

I loved the depiction of the garden here, in some ways it became a character itself as parts of it were discovered and connected to past events, it really was beautifully described. The simmering romance between Mel and Patrick was good, if a little too overblown towards the end, but it was a really enjoyable read on a hot summers day.

[Diane Croad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story. I love how Rachel weaves her stories from the past to the present.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book very disappointing. I had read another book my Rachel Hore and adored it. I thought this book would be very interesting about an illicit love affair. But sadly it focused more on Mel’s life which I found dull. The parts about Pearl were interesting and it was a shame it was not at the center of the book but more of a passing anecdote than a main plot. Mel’s story i found very dull and at times very cheesy. For me it had no depth to her life it was only about finding love and less about her future and ability to grow as a person.

[Keri-Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a generous rating for a book of two connected stories, one set in the past and one in the present. The "present" story started out well but fell apart in the middle with poor characterization and dialogue. It got better at the the end, thankfully, and deserves about 2 stars. The story set in the past was much better, hence the 3 star rating.

[Toast · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought I was on to something here as it was regarding one of the few period Cornish painting schools, particularly the women eg Dame Laura Knight, but it wasn't really; and about uncovering and reestablishing a garden, well in a way. All background, useful devices to bring about emotional disjointedness of the highest order. Shame, I thought more of RH.
A disappointed Toast

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like this book as well as other books I've read by this author but it was still an okay read. If you have never read any books by Rachel Hore, don't start with this one. Other books I've read by her are much better.

[Ingrid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heel aardig verhaal, maar de vertaling liet wat te wensen over. Ik heb bijvoorbeeld nog nooit iemand gorgelend horen lachen.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Memory Garden by Rachel Hore is a delightful dual timeline novel set about 1914 and 2007 in Cornwall.
Both time periods are linked by a house and garden, and a love of painting. In present day there is a research project into the painters of Newlyn. In the past we meet some of these painters.
There is a search for an elusive painter as paintings are found with initials on them but the artist remains a mystery. As the search begins, so the past expands bit by bit as we see the parallels between the two time periods.
A house and garden have been forgotten in time, both need to release their secrets. The reader witnesses parts of the past that were buried and subsequently uncovered in the present. The artefacts hold secrets to the past events.
The Cornish house and gardens are peaceful and tranquil. The reader feels soothed as we read. It is a place of outstanding natural beauty.
I adored The Memory Garden. It was a serenely beautiful book.

[Lydia Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have several books by this author on my tbr but this is the first one I’ve actually read- oops! I alternated between the book & the audio. Read by Jenny Bond the audio really brought the story to life & I enjoyed it all the more because of that. I really enjoyed how Pearl’s sections were interwoven into the present day ones rather than in separate long chapters more usual in dual-timeline reads. I also really loved the setting - I live half an hour or so from Lamorna; a beautifully atmospheric cove & well described in this book. The rebirth of the Memory Garden is also beautifully depicted. Certainly Mel is a slightly irritating & indecisive character but that didn’t take away from the storyline & her unravelling of Pearl’s history & the relevance of the Gardener’s Cottage were really absorbing.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a charming but a little bit of a slow read.
I love that it was set around the area of Lamorna and newlyn , stunning places to visit .
The story of Mel and Patrick was utmost in the book and thought it was lovely , I felt there was more needed about Pearl . The ending for Pearl wasn’t enough for me , though it seemed that she had a happy life.
I liked Mel and her relationship with her dad , it added so much to the story which I thought was a very nice touch by the author . The story with Jake too was good in the way it worked with the storyline of Mel heading to Cornwall and her realisation of what she really wanted in her life later in the book.

[Tonia Mitsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Όμορφο, ανάλαφρο, χαλαρό, ένα βιβλίο που διαβάζεται ιδανικά κάτω από μία ομπρέλα σε καλοκαιρινές διακοπές. Ειδυλλιακά τοπία, έρωτες,φιλίες, σχέσεις που δοκιμάζονται και όλα αυτά σε συνδυασμό της αναζήτησης του παρελθόντος.
Η αλήθεια είναι πως αν και το διάβασα πολύ εύκολα και σχετικά γρήγορα, δεν είναι από τα βιβλία που με συγκλόνισαν. θεωρώ ότι η συγγραφέας εστίασε πολύ περισσότερο στο παρόν ενώ θα ήθελα πιο πολλές αναδρομές στο παρελθόν.
Υ.Γ. Για τυχόν παρεξηγήσεις, γιατί και εγώ την πάτησα έτσι, δεν είναι ιστορικό βιβλίο τέχνης πάρα έχει ελάχιστες ονομαστικές κυρίως αναφορές σε κάποιους από τους ζωγράφους της εποχής.

[Christina Rochester · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the Rachel Hore book that I've least enjoyed so far with my favourite being The Silent Tide.

I'm not entirely sure why but I struggled to warm to any of the characters in this book, both with the past and present day stories. For me it's a shame because Hore writes beautifully and always fills her work with wonderful descriptions.

However for anyone who enjoys Hore's writing I would still recommend this one.

[HM Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely read.

[Karen Jarvis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably more a 3.5

[Monique Slokker · Rating 4 out of 5]

In de stijl van Santa Montefiore geschreven maar wel voorspelbaar althans voor mij.

[Laura JC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in the Penzance area of Cornwall, where I recently travelled. Interesting from that point of view and about the artists in the area. A romance, a mystery, but not compelling characters.

[Mariana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not some extraordinary, but really enjoyable book.
The beautiful garden and Cornwall nature - connection between present and past - were too important part of this calm and relaxing story.
I liked the past story in the same way I liked present.

[Jenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting. The characters are very flat and the fact that there is no mystery made this a difficult book to get through. The writing was good but the overall plot was highly lacking and could have done with more work.

[Mummy Loves Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rachel Hore has made it her speciality to write books which seek to tie together stories from the past with those of today. Writing characters who find solace in their modern lives and dramas through the actions of her characters in the past living similar lives.

In The Memory Garden this formula is used to explore the life of Mel, an art history lecturer who takes a sabbatical to write her first book. Travelling to Cornwall she rents a cottage on the estate of Merryn Hall and meets it's handsome owner Patrick. Working together they begin to restore the gardens of the hall and in doing so discover the paintings and stories of a mysterious new artist.

The book then flashes back to the days of pre WWI and the life of servant at the hall Pearl who leads us through the story of the paintings. It was these parts of the book that I fell in love with and longed for them to be longer and more frequent. They were beautifully written and so evocative of that pre war world.

Hore has written another wonderful book which ties together the worlds of both Mel and Pearl. Using the flashback technique can be tricky though if not one of your stories holds up to the other. You can find yourself longing for more of one whilst feeling tepid about the other. Whilst I could have spent more time with Pearl this wasn't a reflection upon the story of Mel and Patrick, my only criticism being the sight long winded ending. We seemed to take a long time to conclude Mel's story going round one or two too many houses before reaching her end. This was a shame and was where I wishes Pearl could have been more prevalent.

It was a lovely setting for the book, on the Cornish Coast and looking at the world of artistry in the area at that time was wonderful. Hore has again proven she has the capability to enrapture and fully immerse her readers in the past. A wonderful read.

[Kiki · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed while reading this book; it's just not up to the standard of other earlier Rachel Hore novels. Far from honing her writing over the course of many books, she seems to have rather lost her spark. I used to be really drawn into Rachel Hore's early novels from the first few chapters and from then on they were gripping and a real pleasure to read. Not the case at all with The Memory Garden or most of her recent books to be honest. I found it hard to really engage with or care about any of the characters, especially Mel. Rachel Hore's skill and what she's known for is skilfully weaving together historical with contemporary storylines and usually the present day is mainly a vehicle for linking through to the past, where the really interesting plot and characters usually are found. For the most part this focused almost wholly on Mel and Patrick with hardly any time or love spent on Pearl's story. Which is such a shame given how completely dull Mel and Patrick's relationship and everyday lives and concerns were. Patrick especially felt very two-dimensional and 'cardboard'. Even Cornwall and the artists of Lamorna and Newlyn didn't really become an additional character in the way that great settings like that often do in really good novels - which again is why I found it hard to feel immersed. If you're new to Rachel Hore's work, I certainly wouldn't recommend this book - instead do read A Place of Secrets or A Gathering Storm instead.

[LindyLouMac · Rating 3 out of 5]

The lives of two women, Melanie Pentrath and Pearl Treglown , born in different centuries and the interweaving of their stories as they face similar challenges.
Melanie retreats to Cornwall on a sabbatical to write a book about painters from the region. She hopes that being there will help heal a broken heart.
A garden that holds clues to the past helps Mel and her landlord Patrick learn the secrets of Merryn Hall and the story of Pearl.

This is a light romantic read and although the story is similar in many ways to the style of Kate Morton’s novels it is in my opinion not written in the same literary vein and therefore I do not think destined to become a literary classic.
Nevertheless it is well worth reading if you do not expect more than just an enjoyable read. Rachel Hore’s atmospheric descriptions of Cornwall and the garden at Merryn Hall are excellent and actually much stronger than the plot itself which might be considered rather weak if you were expecting a literary read.

However, I enjoyed this enough to say that I will definitely look out for more novels by this author.

[Anneleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uitgelezen september 2012

Ik herinnerde mij het boek als 'best wel goed', vooral dan de terugkijk-stukjes vond ik daar best romantisch aan. Maar blijkbaar hebben mijn herinneringen het beeld een beetje vervormd (of ik heb in de tussentijd vergelijkbare, maar betere boeken gelezen :p). Nu ik het namelijk heb teruggelezen heb ik er best wel veel op aan te merken. Sommige zinnen in het boek staan helemaal verkeerd (alsof de schrijfster iets nodig had als eindzin, en dan dat er maar aan plakte), de terugstukjes waren eigenlijk helemaal niet zo memorabel als ik ze mij herinnerde (maar sindsdien heb ik ook de boeken van Kate Morton gelezen, die duidelijk veel beter zijn...). Ook het hele Jake/Melanie/Patrick/Bella verhaal is een beetje overdreven.

Achja, het is inderdaad zoals de achterflap zegt: "Ideaal voor op het strand." Of, met andere woorden: je moet er niet al te veel bij nadenken.

[Edel Waugh Salisbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first time reading something by this writer and I was not disappointed.The story is based in Lamorna Cove in Cornwall.The story is told from two sides.By Mel Pentreath in the present day and a woman named Pearl in 1912.They both have connections to a cottage in Lamorna Cove . Through work Mel finds herself there in a cottage that Pearl once lived in. The story tells of the relationships of both women and it is very interesting and at times heartbreaking story of love lost and gained. A beautiful story perfect to read over a weekend or just any old time. I could not put it down once I started.Looking forward to reading more books by this writer.