Reviewed by Emma Crowley
Perched on a hilltop in the Cornish countryside, with the sea sparkling in the distance, lies a garden, once forgotten but recently rediscovered. As the sun sets over its gently crumbling walls every evening, two figures appear and quietly tend the soil at dusk. This is a place that heals the soul.
Gemma is here to find the version of herself she lost long ago. What she hasn’t expected to find is someone who understands her heartbreak all too well.
Leo is also trying to rebuild his life. He knows how to fix things around him with nails and a hammer. But if he tries to mend Gemma’s heart as he mends the garden, could he heal himself too?
Working side by side to uncover long-forgotten flowers in the garden, Gemma wonders if she’s planting the seeds for a whole new future for herself too.
But then one evening, it’s clear somebody else has been to the garden. Someone intending to destroy what they’re creating. Someone who needs to be stopped….
Can Gemma and Leo save the tumbledown, magical place that has saved them? Or will they lose the twilight garden forever?
Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my copy of The Twilight Garden to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
Emma Davies’ latest book, The Twilight Garden has the most beautiful, calming and inviting cover. The story inside will transport you to a place and specifically a garden that time has long forgot but beneath the overgrowth are plants, flowers and shrubbery that are waiting to see the light once again. They just need someone with a magic touch to encourage them to spring back to life and that person is our main female protagonist Gemma. Her recent life has been all about caring for her mother and helping her through the illness that eventually took her from this world. This is a story of the healing power of nature, how troubled people can find solace, comfort and serenity being out in the open. New beginnings and second chances along with an abundance of hope are provided to Gemma as she navigates a new and uncertain world. This is a story written from the heart with the most beautiful passages in the first few chapters giving advice on grief and how you feel. There were paragraphs that I had to stop and reread several times to absorb their message and importance. The words were there to savour, digest, comprehend and take on board. They were inspirational and comforting and readers will take much from them.
Following the death of her mother, Gemma is preparing to step out once again into the corporate world of advertising. Her home has been leased out and this new job and new flat is the only thing that has kept her going through her grief. It’s a very difficult and emotional time for Gemma having retreated into a small bubble with her mother and all her time had been devoted to her. As she arrives to start her new job, once again disaster strikes and the rug is swept out from under her feet as the company has fallen into administration and the job is no longer there for her. I felt desperately sorry for her. Her confidence has taken a battering in so many ways and this new blow just adds to that problem. Due to a tenancy agreement she can’t get her house back for six months so with no home and no job and funds that will only go so far she has no clue where to turn to. But an advertisement seen in a magazine of a doctors office will change all that. A small holding run by Willow and Rowan in Cornwall is looking for help. Lodgings and food will be provided but there will be no pay. Something is calling to Gemma, and little does she realise when she answers that call that her life will be transformed in many ways.
Thistledown, the residence of Willow and Rowan, is not what Gemma expected once she arrives. The couple are a bit alternative and like to keep to themselves and never made much of an effort to connect with the local community for fear the residents would be against what they are trying to achieve. They wish to be self sufficient in as much as possible and use eco methods. The couple are lovely and I felt like Willow became like a sister figure to Gemma. She knew when to be with her and offer advice and to develop their friendship but yet she also was conscious when not to say anything or to pry to deep into Gemma’s emotional state and the reasons for her appearing at Thistledown. The small holding, gardens and farm dwelling become like a sanctuary to Gemma. One she didn’t fully realise that she needed considering she had been ready to jump straight back into the busy world that she had previously occupied. Taking the time to slow down and initially not being able to do much due to a busted ankle (an incident in which led to a very surprising turn in the story) she has no other option but to try and relax into this new way of life for six months and just go with the flow and see what magic Thistledown can work on her.
The incident fairly on in the book regarding Gemma’s ankle leads to her discovering that her ex-husband Leo is now helping out on the small holding. It’s twenty years since she has last seen him and this opens up a whole new can of worms on top of all the complications and issues she is attempting to work through. This all came as a bolt from the blur for both Gemma and the reader and I loved the way that Leo was introduced. I instantly had lots of questions considering he hadn’t been mentioned prior to him popping up again. There was something that clearly led to the breakdown of their marriage and I was dying to know what it was. To this end I felt this aspect of the story was very much a slow burner. Hints were given and I would have loved a bit more in-depth development of this throughout the story rather than coming near to the end. The pair blew so hot and cold with each other which is understandable and they let past grievances get the better of them but given so much time has elapsed was it right for Gemma to hold on to the tension, unease and unspoken words re the past or should she let things go?
Gemma is resetting and slowly finding the courage to change and given the title I did expect the garden to play more of a pivotal role than it did. Some research into the history of the land on which the small holding resides means that she uncovers a fascinating story. I would have loved a chapter or two from this period in history to bridge the gap between past and present but it sufficed without it. It was just the history lover in me coming out. As Gemma finds evidence of a once forgotten garden and is given permission to renovate it the countryside and sense of space and open air begins to rejuvenate her. The garden and discovering plants that have lain hidden gives her a focus in a sea where she had been floundering. She starts to realise several things and mentally, physically and emotionally the reader can see her growing stronger. Things with Leo fluctuate but the reader can see past hurts are making themselves known and perhaps with time, discussion, compassion and understanding many wrongs may be put right.
There was an underlying story regarding vandalism, destruction and unsettling events that I felt added some meat to the overall plot. I had a vague idea as to what was going and I was proven correct. But I felt it made Gemma spring into action more when Rowan and Willow were floundering. It gave her a great sense of purpose and I enjoyed how this element of the story played out. For me, The Twilight story was another success from Emma Davies. I have loved her books for a very long time, and I know I say this all the time but Amos from Merry Mistletoe is one character and it is one story I will never forget that will always hold a special place in my heart. But here the themes of finding oneself and security, providing second chances, letting go of the past, allowing yourself to heal and having the courage to initiate new beginnings all feature heavily and were deftly explored. This was a lovely atmospheric and charming read with a beautiful setting, well developed characters and packed full of hope, love, loss and healing.
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