Gardens of Delight

by Erica James

The Gardens of Delight brochure promises the opportunity to visit some of the most beautiful and enchanting gardens in the Lake Como area of Italy. For Lucy, the chance to go to Italy offers more than just gardens. Lake Como is where her father lives and the last time she saw him was when she was just a teenager. Recently married Helen and her wealthy husband have just moved into the Old Rectory. With her husband spending so much time away from home, Helen throws herself into caring for the garden that was the pride and joy of its previous owner. But Helen needs help, and friends, and so decides to take the plunge and join the local Garden Club. Conrad isn't the least bit interested in gardening. Widowed for five years, his life revolves around work and humoring Mac, his curmudgeonly elderly uncle who lives with him, and who has expressed a desire to go on the Gardens of Delight tour. But only if Conrad will accompany him. Reluctantly, Conrad agrees. "Anything for a peaceful life," he concedes. But a peaceful life is the last thing any of them are in for.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Chick Lit, Roman, Contemporary, Italy, Audiobook

417 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

With an insatiable appetite for other people's business, Erica James will readily strike up conversation with strangers in the hope of unearthing a useful gem for her writing. She finds it the best way to write authentic characters for her novels, although her two grown-up sons claim they will never recover from a childhood spent in a perpetual state of embarrassment at their mother's compulsion.

The author of nineteen bestselling novels, and the winner of the 2006 Romantic Novel of the Year Award, Erica divides her time between Suffolk and Lake Como in Italy.

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

An ok read, nothing special. It's a zero-concentration required book and not very engaging, would probably be ok as a sunbed read.

Two stars.

[Helena · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 and a half stars, really. A little too drawn out at some stages to my liking.

[Margaret P · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely read during these troubled times

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first few days I wasn't able to read as much as I wanted, because of my exams (I had reached page 80 at the end). But yesterday I finally found the time read and once I was plunged into the story I could not stop. 'Gardens of Delight' is as hauntingly beautiful as 'Summer at the lake' (which is the first Erica James book that I've read and made me buy more, this being the third). Even though it didn't turn up entirely as I had hoped, I still loved it.

The story takes you into the lives of Conrad, Mac, Lucy, Orlando, Helen and Savanah - and many other, but smaller characters. Each character has its typical quirks and habtits - even though not every character is as loveable as the other (some are downright annoying) they still keep you hooked on the book. The different plotlines are beautifully interwoven and make you yearn for the next chapter.

I would defintely recomand it to everyone who either likes Erica James' writing style or loves those happy-dappy beautiful romans with a strong background and its very own unique character.

[Linda Hogg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good xxx

[Rosie Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gardens of Delight is contemporary fiction with strong family themes and an undercurrent of romance.

The book has two settings, one in Cheshire and the other in Italy near Lake Como. Early in the book we are introduced to several characters. Lucy and Orlando are best friends who share a house and a love of gardening. Helen is the third wife of business tycoon husband Hunter and they have recently moved into the village. Finally there are Uncle and Nephew duo Mac and Conrad.

A gardening theme runs throughout the book; the villages meet regularly for gardening club meetings. Lucy works at the local garden centre, while Orlando is breaking into the garden design business. Helen needs help to manage her new garden and Mac offers his advice based on his friendship with the previous owner.

As the story progresses there is an opportunity for the garden club members to go on a garden themed tour to Italy. Away from home new dramas surface for more than one character.

It took a while to get to know the main characters, there were also several strong secondary players who fought for attention. I enjoyed the gardening themes and the relationship dramas played out well, with a couple of surprises thrown in too.

[Prafula · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice storyline all round set on a small town community.
Illustrates their love of luscious gardens that steer them through grief, unity, enlightment, love with a tingle of romance embalmed in contrasting the behaviour of the powerful rich to the subtle caring town folk.
The authors delightful style of descriptions painting lake sceneries and enchantment of gardens together with the applauding emotions characters undergo were overwhelming and captured me from the start.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

“There was nothing as infectious as other people’s happiness. It was the best tonic in the world”

Another gem of a book from Erica James. Lovely easy read and kept me hooked from the beginning. Perfect bit of escapism

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy holiday read

[Wendy McManus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, a great summer read!

[AnnKristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

En fin sommerbok om kjærlighet, vennskap, å bære på bagasje, nye muligheter og vakre hager. Et galleri av personer over tre generasjoner, og vennskap hvor alder er ingen hindring. Og mange trekantdramaer ...

Lucy - den en gang så vanskelige tenåringen som fikk en sjanse på et hagesenter og dermed en retning i livet, men har kanskje ikke åpnet helt hjertet for å kunne elske noen skikkelig etter foreldrenes skilsmisse

Marcus - pappaen til Lucy, som har levd med savnet etter datteren etter skilsmissen

Orlando - Lucy beste venn, men kan han bli noe mer

Helen - relativt nygift og nyinnflyttet, som mister litt den hun er for å tekkes den rike ektemannen - og misliker det

Savannah - Helenes stedatter som får øynene opp for Orlando, og aldri har noen sagt nei til henne før

Mac - en gammel ungkar som fortsatt drømmer om sin første kjærlighet, som ikke ble som han ville

Conrad - nevøen til Mac og sorgtung enkemann, kan tiden være inne for en ny kjærlighet

Alle elsker hager, hagearbeid eller noen som jobber i hager -så de reiser til Italia og Comosjøen på en organisert hagetur. Her bor også Lucys pappa. En tur som forandrer alles liv på en eller annen måte.

[Carla Hostetter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very British but very delightful as the reader meets three unlikely couples, a nephew and his stroke-afflicted uncle, Orlando and Lucy who have lived together for nine years strictly as friends, and Helen, third wife of an obnoxious wealthy businessman, Hunter. When Hunter's spoiled daughter, Savannah, shows in in Swanmere and begins to stir the pot of trouble out of sheer boredom, all three couples are brought in contact. Only half the group cares about gardens, but all sign on for a Gardens of Delight tour to Lake Como in Italy, one I wouldn't mind taking myself. There, each must come to terms with secrets in their lives. Lucy meets her estranged father. Helen learns she cannot endure the marriage she made to care for her elderly grandmother, and nephew and uncle reveal some startling truths about themselves. The ending is perhaps not quite what we want for everyone concerned, but fans of the late Maeve Binchy would surely enjoy this author.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is just what I needed at this time. I do not read a lot of this these type of chicklit romances, but actually, it did me the world of good to read.

This novel is certainly not without its flaws. The characters’ actions and decisions were iffy a bit too often and parts of it were very predictable. There were a few plot devices as well that I could have done without, but on the whole it did not bother me too much. It is what it is and I enjoyed the read.

There a couple of romantic story lines at the heart of this book; a younger couple and a more mature one, and I kind of liked that. It stopped it from getting boring. One of the romances went pretty much exactly as expected and the other took a turn I actually really appreciated.

It was a little long, but I sped through the second half. On a whole I enjoyed it and I would read something by this author again if I was in the mood for this type of story.

[Redfox5 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't have any high exceptions for this book and the cover is fairly dull but like most chick lit, I ended up loving it.

Lots of characters with tangled storylines, I really liked how the author didn't take the easy way out in the end with one of the love stories. I was expecting predictable and was pleasantly surprised when it wasn't. Also had me laughing one minute and sobbing the next. I will look out for more books by Erica James.

[Evelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story, it was pure escapism for me. I liked the eclectic mix of characters and the friendships they formed. As it is spring here and everything is starting to grow, it was timely to read about gardens. I think I would like to go on a trip like this to tour beautiful gardens in a beautiful area of the world. Some (all?) of the romantic relationships depicted were sappy, or unrealistic, or just lame - but that could just be me as this is not my usual genre.

[Marion · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this Erica James novel. If you love all things British, especially their fantastic way with gardens, you will enjoy this story. The characters are well written, and each person's story is interwoven with others as the story builds. Without giving anything away, I was a bit disheartened how one character was left hanging at the end of the book. You'll have to read it to find out who I am referring to! Enjoy!

[Philippa · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of, if not the first Erica James book I read and have been a fan ever since. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Light, refreshing, escapism, characters so real. I only wish she could write faster as I cannot get enough of these books.

[Trewen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audio

I bypassed this audiobook many times because the synopsis didn't grab me.

Well....

I loved this story. So engaging and smooth with a few unexpected twists.
The reader of the audio version was excellent and I couldn't have read it better.

[Linda Louch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story with twists and turns starting in a village in Shropshire and ending in beautiful Lake Como. A group of people brought together on a garden club trip to Lake Como to visit the Italian gardens and for some a life changing trip. Another Erica James delightful read.

[Lyndsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the way Erica James writes and bring things very much to life could not put this book down.

Also I like her because she comes from near where I live in Cheshire.

[Angie Swain · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a chick lit reader. Same predictable plot - detectable by page 35 which is when I stopped reading

[Hitesh Luthra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel sad for Orlando :(

[Marie Cope · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second outing with this book—a reread due to me interviewing Erica at Wrexham’s Carnival of Words in April—but it’s been so long since I read it, it felt like I was experiencing it for the first time. And what a pleasure it was! The novel tracks the stories of four main characters—Mac, Conrad, Lucy and Helen. Helen has recently moved to Swanmere with her rather unpleasant husband Hunter, and she is keen to make friends. Following an unfortunate near miss, Mac and Helen strike up a flirtatious friendship, the age gap keeping it amusing rather than a cause for concern. Mac lives with his widower nephew Conrad who, since his wife’s death, has buried himself in work. That is until he claps eyes on Helen. Lucy shares a house with gardener Orlando and they’ve been best friends since his father gave her a job at the garden centre. The two have flown close to becoming an item, but it never happened, nor was it a serious possibility (despite the whole of Swanmere believing otherwise) until Orlando started dating Hunter’s obnoxious daughter Savannah. It was then the green-eyed monster reared its head within Lucy and she began to believe she was in love with Orlando and had to make him see how wrong Savannah was for him. When the local busybody organised a trip to Lake Como to view the multitude of stunning gardens, the cast saw the opportunity for more than just a holiday. It was under the sultry Italian skies that Mac, Conrad, Lucy and Helen found more than they ever thought possible. This is a thoroughly enjoyable novel of relationships and friendships, and how things aren’t always what they seem.

[Bookguide · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and will definitely be keeping my eyes open for more books by Erica James, as she seems to be quite prolific. The last book I read before this was 'The Keys to the Garden' by Susan Sallis, which was also romantic fiction; I was not impressed! When I started reading 'Gardens of Delight', my heart sank, as I realised that both authors had written many books, there were similarities in the plot and themes, and even that the main character's name was Lucy. I was wondering if Erica James had plagiarised the earlier novel. Fortunately I continued reading, and this was so much better! The characters are well-drawn and believable, and what's more, I find (the majority) more sympathetic. Over the course of the story, more is revealed about each of the characters, and although nothing earth-shattering happens in the plot, I was captivated until the end. It also had the added bonus (for me, an enthusiastic gardener) of descriptions of plants and gardens which I could imagine very vividly, and it has now made me long to go to Lake Como and visit the gardens there. I would unreservedly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the books of Madeleine Wickham, for a touch of intelligent romance, and it would make a wonderful film, too.

[Poorvi · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Out of gardens grow fleeting flowers but lasting friendships”. – Beverly Rose Hopper

The Gardens of Delight book is leisure and holiday story kind of read where you can escape your tedious and monotonous endeavour. It is a very light and refreshing story to read. There are many plots and twists in between the story but are interwoven till the end nonetheless. In between it will lead you from curiosity to bewilderment as the characters described in it are very vibrant, caring, mature and lively.

“Friendship is a sheltering tree”. – Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Description of Italy place, Lake Como and other places in the book is described splendidly and is so picturesque that you can imagine it for real at that very moment. The description of the garden and love towards the gardening and simultaneously nurturing it is described flawlessly. Last but not the least it speaks about the blooming friendships, trip to significant memory lane, fondness and warmth for each other among the close-knit group of people. It also speaks about affection, love, infatuation, lust and passion. The story and the characters are so lovable that it will make you crave for more to read and won't disappoint you for sure.

[Heather Copping · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main characters are Lucy who has had a troubled and disruptive childhood, her mother Fiona, and Helen who has recently remarried to Hunter, only trouble is he comes with spoilt stepdaughters Savanna, Kim and stepson Clancy. Lucy is living with friend Orlando, they are both interested in gardening. Helen relies on money from Hunter to pay for care home fees for her grandmother Emma.
Mac Truman lives in a converted chapel with his nephew Conrad, Conrad is looking after Mac after his recent stroke. Mac is a completely different person to what his father had been and this is what Conrad likes in him. At a village gardening club meeting, a trip to Italy, and Lake Como to see the gardens is suggested. Then secrets and family stories come to a head as everyone is put together and they have to put their differences aside and somehow get on, but will they be friends or enemies once they return to England. A lovely romantic story of families and friends drawn together in England and Italy. This is one of those books that draws you in and doesn't let you go until the very last page has been turned. A 5☆ read from me.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book very quickly, so it was obviously engaging enough and the plot points riveting enough, but….

At the start of every chapter (or paragraph, when that was where the point of view changed again), I found myself always having to take a minute to recall just who this new narrator was, and/or who the other characters they were discussing were. In other words, the characters never come alive enough to claim places in my mind.
Unfortunately this persisted for the entirety of the 300+ pages, despite my taking few breaks from reading it….

The plots were reasonable enough, there were a few twists and turns (though some seemed a bit too artificially constructed), and the stories tied up nicely for the ending.

A very, very light read. I have one more Erica James tale to try, as this one came in a set of 3.
If the last isn’t quite a bit more impressive, it will indeed be my last.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

.

💕Gardens of Delight, is a descriptive novel that paints pictures of beautiful scenery for the reader, which makes the read enjoyable. As the characters are introduced, the author sets firmly in the reader's minds which ones to love, and which to loath. The story travels from an English, small town to the beautiful lake Como in Italy, as the reader is swept along on the journey.
At times the pace is too slow, which almost had me setting it to one side for a while. But the story interested me enough to pick the book up again and continue. Sometimes predictable, but a pleasing, easy, holiday read.

[Sophie Karn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have ended up DNF’ing this book as I just couldn’t get into the story.

With all the other Erica James’s that I have read, the story made me want to keep going and find out what was happening whereas this one just didn’t captivate my interest and I felt like the 100 pages I did read (as I use that as my base as to whether I want to finish a book or not), they just dragged and I don’t want to waste my time on books that I won’t enjoy

This was a disappoint for me and not one I would recommend.

[Gillian Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gardens of delight

I chose this rating because I enjoyed the story. All of the books that I have.read written by this author have been interesting stories. Usually.many complex and different characters to involve one. I usually find it difficult to work out where each haracter fits in to.the story at least at.the.beginning. The plot is complex enough to make me continue tidying up the bits and pieces that the author couldn't fit in without going on for ever.
It is also a pleasure to read a book that.is free from grammatical errors! Unlike this review I expect.