Reviewed by Emma Crowley
It hides a family secret that could change the course of the war.
Italy, 1930s. Tina lives in the crumbling castle of Montesecco with only her strict father and their maid, Allegra, for company. She’s never been allowed to ask questions about her mother, who died in childbirth. But the day Tina discovers a hidden, crumbling door, everything changes.
Inside is an overgrown garden. Ivy and roses adorn the stone walls. Fresh water springs from a fountain and the scent of wild herbs fills the air. How did she never know this beautiful place existed? Excitedly begging Allegra for answers, the elderly woman’s face turns pale. ‘You must never mention this to your father. It’s not safe. You’ve found your mamma’s garden.’
The Count believes Tina’s mother died because of the garden: but Allegra refuses to say more. Certain she can feel her mother watching over her, Tina secretly tends to the garden herself. And when war breaks out, Tina’s encounters with local resistance fighters mean the garden becomes a place of refuge, a place of hope – and a place of great danger when Tina must prove where her loyalties lie once and for all…
Will Tina ever discover the truth about her mother? Or was the garden, with all its secrets, never meant to be disturbed?
Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my copy of The Lost Garden to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
The Lost Garden, the latest book from Angela Petch has the most beautiful cover which draws you in and has you curious as to the origins of the lost garden of the title. Set in Italy, during World War Two, there is an incredible sense of time and place with rich and vivid descriptions throughout as the author takes her time and builds to a heartbreaking and impactful climax. I’ll admit I did find the first half of the book quite slow as plenty of time was taken for the reader to get to know the main character Tina. Her background, her current situation and what she soon finds herself embroiled in are all carefully explained and the reader is given more than ample time to become familiar with everything. But when the story does get going, things really do ramp up in terms of both plot and character development. This is a story of a young woman coming of age and finding her place in a world full of turmoil, devastation and heartbreak. She emerges from her fathers shadow and control but a catastrophic event threatens to destroy everything she has tried so hard to establish.
A brief prologue provides the reader with an intriguing opening which raises more questions than answers and the answers will not be found until the final few pages, but the ending does come full circle and connects credibly with the prologue. Then we move back to 1939 and meet Contessa Ernestina (Tina) di Montessco who lives in a castle above the Italian village of Saint ‘Agnes with her father the count. Hers a lonely and isolated life because of her father’s control and superiority over her. She is rarely of ever allowed to venture from the castle and has a governess for her schooling. Her mother died in childbirth so the only female figure she has in her life is the housekeeper Allegra, who is like a surrogate mother to her. Allegra is a stalwart of support and discretion throughout the story for Tina and she too can play the game that develops when required to do so.
Tina has a restless spirit and longs to find her place in the world, to break free from the shackles surrounding her all of her father’s making. Her father is a strict fascist and a firm supporter of Mussolini. Tina does not hold these views at all but the townspeople will tarnish her with the same brush as her father in the future no matter how much she helps them in their hours of need. Of course, Tina is dutiful because as time progresses she is clever enough to know that this duty can be played to her advantage as war breaks out and she becomes involved helping the partisans within the local area.
The discovery of a hidden door in the grounds of the castle sets in motion a chain of events that will alter the course of Tina’s life forever. The Lost Garden that is discovered becomes her inspiration to forge her own path but not to do so in a way that would mean her father discovers where she disappears to so often. She keeps this little secret to herself and the garden becomes symbolic the further the plot develops and on reflection it became the catalyst of change for Tina but also a source of comfort and a place of healing for those who need it. The garden is overgrown and neglected but with Tina’s due diligence it is brought back to life and a further discovery will prove essential to a subplot in the later half of the book. The descriptions of the garden were breathtaking. I could visualise everything so clearly in my head and the research the author must have done into flowers, trees, shrubs and medicinal properties of plants must have been extensive. I felt like I was getting a lesson in botany but in a good way as it was very informative. I did feel the focus on the garden and its role diminished as the book progressed as events took an abrupt turn but maybe the book needed this as I have said the first half was slow and it had me questioning in which direction the book was going to venture.
The chapters are interspersed with Tina’s mother Fiametta’s viewpoint and this take on a magical/mystical quality and some belief does have to be suspended but this aspect did add a lot to the overall story and learning about Fiametta helped me understand more about Tina. The similarities between the pair were striking. Tina like her mother was kept penned up within the castle walls and unable to share or form her own opinions or experience anything that life could truly offer. She was stunted in her personal development but with the discovery of the garden and meeting new friends in Luisa, Olivio, Antonio and Sergio a wealth of new experiences were opened up to her. I felt she underwent a complete transformation with the outbreak of war which led to vast changes in the lives of the villagers as hunger, war and death came to their doors. Tina became like a tigress, strong and proud and wanting to do her bit to help anyone that she could whilst at the same time maintaining a façade regarding her father so she could gleam information. The relationship she develops with her friends and in particular Luisa felt real and strong but as the war caused a scattering of this group lots of twists and turns start to emerge some of which will very much throw the reader off track.
Tina’s life starts to find meaning and I loved how she became involved with the partisans but this was doesn’t in an overly ambitious way rather it slotted perfectly into the routine she has established for herself and the connection with the garden became apparent again for a short time. There are a few baddies in this story which are sent to test her and one in particular I thought I had it all figured out but I was proven wrong. The last quarter or so of the book was perhaps the best as the climax was reached and although brutal in its description of its events and the repercussions it needed to be for the reader to feel the full force of everything and a path of revenge was set upon. The most crucial scene of the whole book was like observing the table at The Traitors so tense and magnificent was it.
Resilience, forgiveness, compassion, strength, duty, fortitude and heartbreak are all emotions that surface over the course of the book. Tina becomes a woman who you really root for. She matures, grows and blossoms like the flowers in her mothers garden that are now restored and as she does so an important story in the history of the war although fictional some aspects are based on a similar event means that things really do hit home for the reader. The Lost Garden is beautifully written and an emotional, atmospheric read packed full of acts of quite bravery and of course there is some romance thrown in as well. It’s well worth a read especially as the nights draw in and you need to escape from the world.
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