The Victory Garden: A Novel

It’s 1918 and Emily Bryce cannot wait to turn twenty-one. Her parents have barred her from any wartime volunteering short of handing out cakes to the officers at the convalescent home next door. She knows that on her birthday they will no longer be able to tell her what she must do, and she plans to volunteer as soon as possible. What she doesn’t plan on is falling in love with a handsome and injured Australian pilot.

After her fiance is killed in action, Emily masquerades as a war widow and is given the use of a small cottage. There she discovers the journals of a healer containing herbal recipes that she replicates and modifies. These journals, and their connection to the strong woman who wrote them, help Emily face difficult challenges in her own life and create a better future for her child and those she has adopted as family.

The Victory Garden is a perfect read for a snowy winter’€™s day. Tucked up by my fire with a cup of tea, I am transported to Emily’€™s little cottage on the estate thanks to Bowen’s marvelous descriptions. Having enjoyed The Tuscan Child so much, I knew that I would not be disappointed.