The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley
Review by Mirah W. (mwelday)
I have read a few Kearsley novels and I never know how to label them. Fiction? Supernatural? Romance? Historical Fiction? Kearsley’s novels seem to have a bit of everything and The Rose Garden was no exception.
Eva and her sister Katrina had a very close relationship. When Katrina dies, her husband asks Eva to take Katrina’s ashes to a place Katrina loved and where she felt like she belonged. Eva settles on Cornwall, where she and Katrina spent their childhood summers and shared many happy moments.
Eva hasn’t been to Cornwall in many years, but when she arrives at Trelowarth House it was like she had never been gone. Her friends embraced her, and she was able to say her final goodbye to her sister Katrina. But one morning she hears voices in an adjoining room, only there is no one there. Not long after, Eva finds herself slipping through some sort of time shift and she is taken back to the eighteenth century at Trelowarth House. She meets Daniel Butler, his brother Jack, and Fergal O’Cleary and in her shifts back and forth between the present and past, Eva gets to know these men and becomes a part of their lives. When she realizes she has fallen in love with Daniel she is at a loss of how they can possibly have a life together. What Kearsley develops is a story with connections from the past that impact the family who lives at Trelowarth House in the present. With the help of a trusted confidant, Eva comes to understand her place in both of those times.
As I mentioned at the start of this post, I am unsure of how to label this novel. There are elements of several genres and Kearsley finds a way to merge them all together to create a novel that has a little of everything without it seeming unfocused. Additionally, the characters are likeable and as the reader I wanted them to be happy. While I did enjoy The Rose Garden, I don’t think it felt as streamlined as some of Kearsley’s other novels. When the mystery of how Eva is able to shift through time is answered, it’s not covered as deftly as I would have expected based on other Kearsley novels I’ve read; however, I still think the story was lovely and worth a read.
Tags: book recommendation, book review, Fiction, historical fiction, Romance, supernatural
