Irish Fiction Week Review: Marita Conlon-McKenna - The Rose Garden

Molly’s perfect life comes crashing down following the unexpected death of her husband David. She is left alone with a big old house to maintain, finances in disarray and her hopes for happiness in a heap. But Molly is a survivor. Despite objections from her two daughters, Molly fears that the only solution will be to sell their beloved home. But as she finds herself drawn to the old neglected and overgrown walled rose garden and the dilapidated gardener’s cottage attached, she suddenly sees a future as she decides to restore them. 

As the rose garden takes on a new life and starts to bloom again, Molly finds that she can look to the future with new confidence and hope.

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I'm actually ashamed to admit how long overdue this review is as The Rose Garden has been sat on my Kindle for what feels like forever as when I first signed up to NetGalley I was very trigger happy and requested loads.  So when I decided to do this Irish Fiction feature week it was perfect timing for me to include this book.

Recently widowed Molly finds herself struggling to keep hold of her beautiful home, Mossbawn House, so it's looking likely that the only option she has is to downsize and sell even though that's the last thing she wants.  But whilst she's considering her options she at least has the restoration of the walled garden that had been neglected to take her mind off things.

Gina has been practically running Cassidy's the local cafe for years but when her boss is taken ill suddenly it looks like her life could be turned upside down.  How will she be able to support her young family if the cafe is closed? 

Kim, Molly's niece, has always loved coming to stay with her aunt at Mossbawn House so when she finds herself single, jobless and homeless, it seems like the perfect place to stay whilst she plans her future.  She can see how much her aunt is hurting but is there anything she can do to help her but she also needs to decide what does she want to do with the rest of her life...

The Rose Garden is very much a story about new beginnings as Molly, Gina and Kim, three generations of women who are all at various stages in their lives, find themselves thrown together on a joint project which will be a fresh start for all of them. It might seem strange to say this was a feel-good read when it clearly revolves around a lot of change but I loved how the idea came about and how they all worked together to achieve their dream. 

An enjoyable read from start to finish so I'm looking forward to reading more of her books in the future.