7/31/2024
“Each new garden is like an unread book, its pages brimming with possibility.” — Venetia Smith, 1907, garden designer in The Last Garden in England
The RCMG Book Club read and discussed The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly for the July discussion. Master Gardener volunteers thought the historical fiction book was perfect for the early summer months. It follows three women who experience the same garden in three time periods: 1907, 1944, and the present day. Venetia Smith, the garden designer in 1907, is based on Gertrude Jekyll (who created over 400 gardens) and Kitty Lloyd-Jones (a gardener who struggled to get work because of her gender). The discussion focused on garden access, who gardens (and who volunteers), and why, and there was a foray into class and culture in gardening and how much has changed over a 100-year time span.
Reader Poll
Enjoyable—4.6 out of 5 stars
Educational— 2.8 out of 5 stars
Recommended—4.6 out of 5 stars
Reader Comments
What the readers said about this book:
A wonderful story of a lasting garden conceived by a true master who couldn’t dream of how the next 100 years of garden characters lived, loved, and died.
It was interesting to hear about culture changes over the past 100 years or so through the lens of gardening.
The book was very approachable. A nice garden-centered summer read.
Loved the historical fiction aspect and being able to view women’s lives across different time periods. A great read!
“Excellent historical fiction that sheds a light on the history of women in the world of horticulture from 1907-present.
A well-developed plot threads the lives of three women from different eras with a single garden as their point in common.
A delightful novel about a formal English garden over three generations.
Next Book Club Discussion – September 2024
The September Book of the Month is Nature Obscura: A City’s Hidden World by Kelly Brenner.
With wonder and a sense of humor, Kelly Brenner aims to help us rediscover our connection to the natural world that is just outside our front door--we just need to know where to look. Through explorations of a rich, varied urban landscape, Brenner reveals the complex micro-habitats and surprising nature that exists in the middle of a city.