THE LAST GARDEN IN ENGLAND

From the author of The Light Over London and the "gripping, moving" (Kelly Rimmer) The Whispers of War comes a poignant and heartwrenching tale of five women in three eras, whose lives are tied together by one very special garden.

Present Day: Emma Lovett, who has dedicated her career to breathing new life into long-neglected gardens, has just been given the opportunity of a lifetime: to restore the gardens of the famed Highbury House estate, designed in 1907 by her hero Venetia Smith. But as Emma dives deeper into the gardens' past, she begins to uncover secrets that have long been hidden from history.

1907: A talented artist with a growing reputation for her ambitious work, Venetia Smith has carved out a niche for herself as a garden designer to well-to-do industrialists, solicitors, and bankers looking to show off their wealth with sumptuous country houses. When she is hired to design the gardens of Highbury House, she is determined to make them a triumph, but the gardens -and the people she meets- promise to change her life forever.

1944: When land girl Beth Pedley arrives at a farm on the outskirts of the village of Highbury, all she wants is to find a place she can call home. Cook Stella Adderton, on the other hand, could not be more desperate to leave Highbury House to pursue her own dreams. And Diana Symonds, the mistress of the grand house and a widow, is desperately trying to cling to her pre-war life now that Highbury House has been requisitioned to become a convalescent hospital for wounded soldiers. But when war threatens Highbury, the three women--despite their differences--are drawn together by a secret that will last decades.

In this sweeping novel reminiscent of Kate Morton's The Lake House and Kristin Harmel's The Room on Rue Amelie, Julia Kelly explores the unexpected connections that can cross time and the special places that can bring us together forever.

Julia Kelly is the award-winning author of books about ordinary women and their extraordinary stories. In addition to writing, she's been an Emmy-nominated producer, journalist, marketing professional, and (for one summer) a tea waitress. Julia called Los Angeles, Iowa, and New York City home before settling in London.