Present day, Eva Ward leaves her job and home in California. Checking out of her stressful life, this trip is personal. Traveling to the Cornish coast in Britain stay with childhood friends. Arriving at the estate, memories come flooding back to Eva, happier times when she visited with her family. Eva learns that the estate is in financial trouble. On a mission, she works to help her friends save their business and home.
When Eva hears noises, footsteps and voices in the night. She struggles to find where the voices are coming from and who is talking. This is where the time travel begins. Eva goes back and forth from present day to another world far from reality. Scared by her travels she seeks answers.
The story unfolds through mystery, history, and time travel. The time travel didn’t flow well for me. It seemed awkward and clunky. I found the characters to lack depth. A few nights I dreaded opening my kindle and seeing the next chapter staring me in the face. By the end of the book I needed a family tree or organization chart to figure out who all the characters were, what their relationships were and what their role was in the story.
I finished the book before our book club event and looked forward to where the hostess would take the party, and she didn’t disappoint.
Once you read the book some of this will make more sense, I will do my best to explain as we go.The menu for the evening was was very British, bringing the book to life.
On the Menu:
Scrumpy, a type of hard cider was consumed throughout the book. We started with a small taste to toast our evening. I was pleasantly surprised, it is quite tasty.
Fish and Chips, with British Vinegar
Coleslaw
For dessert, we had traditional, buttery Walker’s Shortbread Cookies
The table was covered in miniature rose bushes, each one a gift to us from the hostess.
The evening was sadly coming to a close, we had one last toast with Cream Sherry. I will keep it a secret as to where this comes in to play in the story, let me know when you find it. What a fun evening.
Book Club questions were not easy to find, so our hostess created questions as she read. The one question that we seemed to discuss for most of the evening was “If you could travel back in time where would you go and why?” We learned so much about each other with this one simple question.
The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley was the second book that our book club chose to read by this author. I enjoyed the Winter Sea very much. I wanted to love this book too. Unfortunately, I didn’t and was disappointed. Based on several reviews I read, I am th minority. I don’t enjoy time travel and this was just very hard to follow.
I am curious if I am the only one that didn’t enjoy this book, so when you have a chance please share your thoughts on The Rose Garden.
Bee Readin’
Terri Bee
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