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Kissing Garden
A romantic tale set in the English countryside and featuring childhood sweethearts who are attempting to rekindle their love for each other after World War I.
- GenresFictionRomanceHistorical
610 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 5, 1999
5 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte Bingham
75 books75 followersThe Honourable Charlotte Mary Thérèse Bingham was born on 29 June 1942 in Haywards Heath, Sussex, England, UK. Her father, John Bingham, the 7th Baron Clanmorris, wrote detective stories and was a secret member of MI5. Her mother, Madeleine Bingham, née Madeleine Mary Ebel, was a playwright. Charlotte first attended a school in London, but from the age of seven to 16, she went to the Priory of Our Lady's Good Counsel school in Haywards Heath. After she left school, she went to stay in Paris with some French aristocrats with the intention of learning French. She had written since she was 10 years old and her first piece of work was a thriller called Death's Ticket. She wrote her humorous autobiography, called Coronet Among the Weeds, when she was 19, and not long before her twentieth birthday a literary agent discovered her celebrating at the Ritz. He was a friend of her parents and he took off the finished manuscript of her autobiography. In 1963, this was published by Heinemanns and was a best seller.
In 1966, Charlotte Bingham's first novel, called Lucinda, was published. This was later adapted into a TV screenplay. In 1972, Coronet Among the Grass, her second autobiography, was published. This talked about the first ten years of her marriage to fellow writer Terence Brady. They couple, who have two children, later adapted Coronet Among the Grass and Coronet Among the Weeds, into the TV sitcom No, Honestly. She and her husband, Terence Brady, wrote three early episodes of Upstairs, Downstairs together, Board Wages, I Dies from Love and Out of the Everywhere. They later wrote an accompanying book called Rose's Story. They also wrote the episodes of Take Three Girls featuring Victoria (Liza Goddard). In the 1970s Brady and Bingham wrote episodes for the TV series Play for Today, Three Comedies of Marriage, Yes, Honestly and Robin's Nest. During the 1980s and 1990s they continued to write for the occasional TV series, and in 1993 adapted Jilly Cooper's novel Riders for the small screen. Since the 1980s she has become a romance novelist. In 1996 she won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award from the Romantic Novelists' Association.
In 1966, Charlotte Bingham's first novel, called Lucinda, was published. This was later adapted into a TV screenplay. In 1972, Coronet Among the Grass, her second autobiography, was published. This talked about the first ten years of her marriage to fellow writer Terence Brady. They couple, who have two children, later adapted Coronet Among the Grass and Coronet Among the Weeds, into the TV sitcom No, Honestly. She and her husband, Terence Brady, wrote three early episodes of Upstairs, Downstairs together, Board Wages, I Dies from Love and Out of the Everywhere. They later wrote an accompanying book called Rose's Story. They also wrote the episodes of Take Three Girls featuring Victoria (Liza Goddard). In the 1970s Brady and Bingham wrote episodes for the TV series Play for Today, Three Comedies of Marriage, Yes, Honestly and Robin's Nest. During the 1980s and 1990s they continued to write for the occasional TV series, and in 1993 adapted Jilly Cooper's novel Riders for the small screen. Since the 1980s she has become a romance novelist. In 1996 she won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award from the Romantic Novelists' Association.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 18, 2016
A lengthy read but worth time spending !!! War, romance. enchanting lands... couldn't ask for more :) !!! Beautifully described !!! Don't go by the title !!!
November 24, 2020
One the best Charlotte Bingham yarns to date. Mainly set between the wars, beginning straight after WW1 with the return of the troops to the UK.
The first chapter brought to mind the song called 'And the band plays Waltzing Matilda', in particular the following lines, quote "So they gathered the crippled, the wounded, the maimed, And they shipped us back home (to Australia), The legless, the armless, the blind, the insane". So many shell shocked men and that's about all about the main male character I will disclose.
I especially liked to 2 mysterious characters who 'hovered' around through the story and brought a spookiness to the story - in a very good way. Don't miss this one, highly recommended if you like a bit of the mysterious in your novels.
The first chapter brought to mind the song called 'And the band plays Waltzing Matilda', in particular the following lines, quote "So they gathered the crippled, the wounded, the maimed, And they shipped us back home (to Australia), The legless, the armless, the blind, the insane". So many shell shocked men and that's about all about the main male character I will disclose.
I especially liked to 2 mysterious characters who 'hovered' around through the story and brought a spookiness to the story - in a very good way. Don't miss this one, highly recommended if you like a bit of the mysterious in your novels.
June 8, 2020
Um good start.
I really wanted to like this book but got fed up 60% in. I really wanted the author to expand the initial story and like the idea of the garden but then... I’m sure some would loved this story and how it unravelled but just not for me.
I really wanted to like this book but got fed up 60% in. I really wanted the author to expand the initial story and like the idea of the garden but then... I’m sure some would loved this story and how it unravelled but just not for me.
October 1, 2017
Loved it, an unconventional quirky story ,especially the magical secret garden, would recommend
February 2, 2020
Wow I loved it I couldn't put it down. Although I felt the ending could of been better
July 1, 2024
This is an enchanting , magical story. Hard too describe but a lovely read set between 1st and 2nd world war v
May 17, 2021
I wasn't sure about this book when I started it, I thought it was going to be an old fashioned love story about a returning soldier coming home to marry his childhood sweetheart, and while it was a little like that to start with, it turned out to be far more interesting.
George returns from WWI with psychological problems from his time away but Amelia is patient and caring and willing to take things slowly, which is just what George needs. They do marry, and are somehow "led" to an old Priory deep in the heart of England, with wonderful gardens and a special secret Garden that changes their lives! They buy the house with it needing lots and lots of work and is just what they want. But is a magical place with a spirit of its own! There are lots of twists in the story and you are never quite sure where it is going or what is going to happen, but you just have to keep on reading to find out! A very unusual and intriguing page turner, that offers so much more than is expected.
George returns from WWI with psychological problems from his time away but Amelia is patient and caring and willing to take things slowly, which is just what George needs. They do marry, and are somehow "led" to an old Priory deep in the heart of England, with wonderful gardens and a special secret Garden that changes their lives! They buy the house with it needing lots and lots of work and is just what they want. But is a magical place with a spirit of its own! There are lots of twists in the story and you are never quite sure where it is going or what is going to happen, but you just have to keep on reading to find out! A very unusual and intriguing page turner, that offers so much more than is expected.
July 3, 2014
The main reason why I bought this book was it's cover. They say never to judge a book by it's cover but I took the risk, and it was worth it. I love to read books on nature (look at the cover again), English country side, woods etc.. so this book's a love story written around a very greenish, enchanting surrounding. I enjoyed the surrounding more than the love story itself. Not a fan of romantic novels anyway, but this book has some supernatural elements on top of it's romantic story line. The core of the story's the "Kissing Garden", a magical, enchanted little garden. It was the place where these two lost souls found love, and overcame the barriers taking them apart. And I really liked that bottomless black river, now that was really wired and spooky. Too bad the author didn't concentrate more on that place. Charlotte Bingham had some really good stuff scattered here and there but failed to connect them together. But still, not a bad read at all
July 24, 2008
I was given this book by a friend to read since she enjoyed it.
I found the writing style to be good and the dialog excellent.
But I disliked the plot and the fantasy element the author added to the story was cheesy.
I think I'll pass this one on to the cottage.
I found the writing style to be good and the dialog excellent.
But I disliked the plot and the fantasy element the author added to the story was cheesy.
I think I'll pass this one on to the cottage.
June 14, 2011
A good read about a pre WWII couple who take over a ruined priory in Sussex and restore the house and garden. There is more than a little magic here along with good descriptions of what was in the garden. To top it off there is romance and mystery and a fight for good and evil.
January 31, 2013
The story was fairly interesting but I wouldn't say I enjoyed it thoroughly. The ending, however, was rather captivating. Overall, it was a good book but requires patience on some level to finish it.
March 4, 2014
Light easy read
April 4, 2015
Good book enjoyable very romantic
December 10, 2024
This great story set between WWI and WWII will take you on journey through life's up's and down's.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews