Synopsis:
Amid the sun-soaked hills of southern Italy lies the Romano family olive grove, where Lara lives with her daughter Rose and her granddaughter Bea.
Lara has spent a lifetime trying to forget the traumatic events that led to her desperate escape from Dorset seventy years ago. But when she sees Bea – a passionate horticulturalist most at home in nature – being swept off her feet by Matteo, a handsome and charismatic restaurateur, Lara fears her granddaughter is in danger of making the same mistake as Lara did all those years ago.
Remembering a promise she once made, Lara asks Bea to travel to Dorset to restore her family’s long-lost garden. Bea is torn. She would love to find out more about the mystery of her beloved grandmother’s past. But if she leaves Italy, will Matteo wait for her? And when she arrives at the house in Dorset – what will she find?
Meanwhile back in Italy, an old flame from Rose’s past reappears, threatening to expose a secret that could tear the heart out of the Romano family for good.
https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-forever-garden/rosanna-ley/9781529413601
Why we loved it:
What we love about Rosanna’s books is their depth and The Forever Garden is another wonderful example. Exquisitely capturing the beauty of West Dorset and Southern Italy Rosanna has created a powerful story about three generations of women. Each has their own secrets, challenges and emotional relationships but at the centre is an enduring sense of love binding them all together.
Rosanna also pays homage to the Arts and Crafts Movement in the creation of a very special garden which has an important part to play in this story.
A wonderful summer read. Highly Recommended!