How Many Copoies Of Rhys Bowen's The Victory Garden Sold

The Victory Garden by Rhys Bowen
Pub. Date: February 12, 2019
Source: e-ARC via netgalley (Thank you, Lake Union Publishing!)
Summary: As the Great War continues to take its toll, headstrong twenty-one-year-old Emily Bryce is determined to contribute to the war effort. She is convinced by a cheeky and handsome Australian pilot that she can do more, and it is not long before she falls in love with him and accepts his proposal of marriage.

When he is sent back to the front, Emily volunteers as a "land girl," tending to the neglected grounds of a large Devonshire estate. It's here that Emily discovers the long-forgotten journals of a medicine woman who devoted her life to her herbal garden. The journals inspire Emily, and in the wake of devastating news, they are her saving grace. Emily's lover has not only died a hero but has left her terrified—and with child. Since no one knows that Emily was never married, she adopts the charade of a war widow.

As Emily learns more about the volatile power of healing with herbs, the found journals will bring her to the brink of disaster, but may open a path to her destiny.
Genre: Historical Fiction

Last year's The Tuscan Child, was one of my favorite reads of the year. I loved it so much in fact, that it appeared on my Top Reads of 2018 part 1 list. The year before saw my introduction to Bowen's novels with The Ghost of Christmas Past (which was also a Top Read of 2017 and kickstarted my love of Rhys Bowen. To say I've been dying for The Victory Garden is a bit of an understatement – I've practically been counting down the days until its release and was beside myself with joy when I scored an early copy.

Emily Bryce is bored. As the daughter of a judge, Emily lives a privileged life where the hardest moment for a young lady is deciding which dress to wear. Then the world went to war. Instead of officially making her debut into society (and claiming an eligible bachelor), Emily suffered the loss of her brother, killed shortly after being called to serve. Her best friend volunteered as a nurse in France and Emily longs to do her part – unfortunately, her parents can't stand the thought of losing another child, no matter how safe she'll be.

A young, wounded Australian pilot catches Emily's eye and it isn't long before she's hopelessly in love. His injuries heal all too soon, however, and he's called back to action – and Emily is determined to follow, ultimately volunteering as a land girl where she'll work on caring for the grounds of a grand old estate in the country.

When Emily is dealt two devastating blows – her beloved Robbie has been killed and she learns she's pregnant – she realizes she can't go home. There's no place in high society for unmarried, pregnant ladies and as Emily unearths old diary on the estate's grounds, she discovers her life eerily parallels another woman's.

All that excitement in the beginning of this review? Sadly it turned to confusion and apathy by the time I finished The Victory Garden. It felt very much like a first draft – one that was in dire need of a good edit and tightening up of storylines. It seemed that Bowen had too many things she wanted to accomplish within these pages, many of which ended up being completely abandoned (Emily swore to herself more than once that, when the baby was born, she'd write to Robbie's parents, mail them a picture…then the baby was born and it was never brought up again).

I loved the land girls, especially the tight-knit group that Emily found herself a part of. If the story focused solely on them I would have been delighted. Lady Charlton was a fascinating character and I could have easily devoured an entire novel devoted to her (especially given that wink toward the end as to who she really was)! The village and all of its residents were wonderful and brought to mind Bowen's cozy mysteries (small towns always have a full cast of characters – in real life AND in books).

What I really hoped for more of – and honestly expected, based on the blurb and, you know, title – was the herb garden and the diary. I was reading this on my Kindle and was shocked when I noticed that Emily didn't find the diary until over 60% of the way through the book. Going in, I expected this to be the driving force behind the novel and instead it wasn't introduced until over halfway through and then was only mentioned sporadically.

What started out as a most anticipated read of 2019 quickly spiraled into disappointment. I was counting down the days until The Victory Garden's release but, sadly, it didn't live up to my expectations. Instead of being the gripping, engaging historical I was looking forward to, I found myself thrown into several plots that went nowhere or were abandoned. The arcs that did remain seemed hastily written, as though there was a deadline that needed met and was approaching faster than Bowen first thought. The Victory Garden could have been a fantastic read and I hate to say I wasn't in love with this one. I'm chalking it up to a fluke however, and will absolutely be looking forward to her next book.