Montefiore describes the setting of the novel beautifully. Nearly every chapter comes alive with details of the characters’ surroundings. Which images are most memorable for you? Can you picture any of the gardens or buildings described? This was the first book I'd read by this author and I did find it quite enjoyable. It's quite a 'gentle' romance, telling the dual stories of two women who live in the same house decades apart. One, Ava, has a happy marriage, a beautiful garden and wonderful kids, but still falls for the young French gardener. The other, Miranda, finds out her marriage isn't as strong or as happy as she thought, and while struggling to adapt to life in the country, starts to feel attraction for the new gardener! It begins as Miranda and David Claybourne move into a country house with a once-beautiful garden. But reality turns out to be very different from their dream. Soon the latent unhappiness in the family begins to come to the surface, isolating each family member in a bubble of resentment and loneliness. I have in fact made this very same comparison myself, here in my review of The Swallow and the Hummingbird, when I recommended her writing to all lovers of romantic fiction, especially fans of Rosamunde Pilcher.

How do you feel about Miranda’s decision to forgive David and move forward in their marriage? Has he proven himself to be a changed man? Some of these are my own observations, others were given to me by Georgia Langton, a friend of my mother’s who’s a talented gardener. These are Ava’s words, because, on a deeper level, Ava’s spirit is still there in the garden – like nature we don’t die, but shed our bodies like leaves and flower again in spirit. Ava’s very much present, enjoying all the beauty of Nature. At the heart of the story are Miranda—whose blossoming from removed socialite to warm local is so subtle and real you fall in love with her the way the townspeople do—and Ava’s garden, which opens hearts and sustains generations through its enduring beauty. I did not guess the end of this story at all and relished every detail Montefiore gave me about the house and the garden and the people. On another whim last weekend, I tossed the book into my beach bag before heading out to Positano. I’m so glad I did! Using the book to shield out the too hot sun, I was easily lost in the story from the captivating prologue that sets the scene for this romantic tale in the English countryside. saulėlydis – tai tragedija, nuo kurios apima liūdesys, nes jo negali suturėti. Galbūt laikinumas ir yra grožis. Gal mūsų meilė tikresnė dėl to, kad ji be vilties. Jei kas pajėgtų suturėti saulėlydį ir nuolat gyventų nutviekstas gaisų, ar stebuklas išliktų?“

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I really do believe in the magic of love and in the magic of nature. Ava and Jean-Paul pour all their love into the garden and create something magical. Jean-Paul teaches Miranda and her children to love Nature and they flourish. Love makes ordinary things special, it’s all about perception and focus. The old cliché that love can change the world is the truest thing ever said! The only trouble with most of us is that we love conditionally. True love is unconditional. Readers are always interested in which character an author aligns herself with. Is Miranda’s job as a writer and aspirations as a novelist a hint? Do you find it easiest to write about characters to whom you relate, or ones you feel distant from? Miranda seems to be a city girl but finds her heart in the country. Where do you feel most at home? I really do believe in the magic of love and in the magic of nature. Ava and Jean-Paul pour all their love into the garden and create something magical. Jean-Paul teaches Miranda and her children to love nature and they flourish. Love makes ordinary things special—it’s all about perception and focus. The old cliché that love can change the world is the truest thing ever said! The only trouble with most of us is that we love conditionally. True love is unconditional.

Oddly enough, I didn’t identify at all with Miranda. I’m a country girl through and through! I identified with Ava a little, but I imagine some of me went into both. I write from my heart without really intellectualizing things a great deal. I write what feels right. I find it just as easy to write about someone like me as someone very unlike me – sometimes the characters who are least like me are the most fun! I can be anyone I want to be and for the duration of the book, live another life entirely!I love romance novels, gardening, handsome mysterious strangers, and anything to do with England and France. Throw in thwarted love, a mysterious notebook, a cheating husband, a selfish woman learning to love, a grand manor house, and quirky small-town characters and you had me at hello. Putting the infidelity to one side was not easy for me, but the portrayal of the magic of nature, and the garden in particular, was strong enough to keep me reading. The author obviously has a deep connection with the earth and countryside that shone through in her writing and resonated with my own love of the natural world. I liked how she understood the healing qualities of nature, especially with regards to Miranda’s children who blossom when they are allowed the freedom to explore the world around them. Simon gave me the idea for The French Gardener and our children inspired me to write about the simple pleasures of Nature as their DVDs and Nintendo’s gathered dust, replaced by a more wholesome desire to play outside. Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.