The Restoration Garden (by Sara Blaydes)

I selected The Restoration Garden by Sara Blaydes during an Amazon First Reads offer. I love gardening, especially growing flowers, so the book title immediately caught my attention. The book cover is absolutely gorgeous too.

In this dual-timeline historical fiction novel, landscape architect Julia Esdaile is hired to restore the overgrown, neglected grounds of Havenworth Manor to their former splendor — a task commissioned by the estate's enigmatic 92-year-old owner, Margaret Clarke, who is driven by a promise made long ago and a vow to keep it before she dies. The story weaves between the present day and 1940, when Margaret's half sister Irene — an aspiring artist whose only escapes are her sketchbook and a handsome RAF officer named James — follows love to London and faces an unimaginable choice amid the chaos of the Blitz. As Julia digs into the estate's past alongside Margaret's godson Andrew, the physical restoration of the garden mirrors a deeper excavation of family secrets, wartime sacrifice, and long-buried truth.

I liked how the story was structured. The dual timeline didn't come into play until the present-day story was fairly well established. Only as Julia began trying to learn more from Margaret about what the gardens looked like in her youth did Irene's story begin to surface. I became obsessed with Irene's part of the story — I couldn't wait for each chapter to switch back to her. I was so focused on the garden aspect going in that I was pleasantly surprised when a mystery emerged around what happened to Irene.

I had no idea that garden restoration was even a thing. I loved the images Blaydes' descriptions conjured in my mind. I was also impressed by Irene's artistic talent — her flower drawings from the garden are a delight — and the language of flowers woven throughout was a lovely touch.

I very much enjoyed The Restoration Garden and am grateful for the free Kindle book through the Amazon First Reads program. I'm definitely open to reading more from Sara Blaydes.

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