After reading Barbara Josselsohn’s The Bluebell Girls, there was no way I would pass up on an opportunity to read The Lily Garden.
The Lily Garden
Caroline remembered how her mother would head to the garden as the first signs of spring approached, rolling up her sleeves and planting wildflowers as the sun set. But there was a lot she didn’t know about her mother, and the family secrets hidden in her hometown that would change everything…
When Caroline left Lake Summers thirty years ago, she thought she’d never go back to the place where she lost her parents. But when she finds out that the town’s lily garden lovingly built by her mother is going to be destroyed, she knows she must return from Chicago to save it.
Welcomed by the warm smile of her mother’s best friend Maxine, and piles of pancakes at her cozy little restaurant in town, Caroline and her daughter Lee immediately begin their campaign to save the garden. And Caroline soon learns that she isn’t the only person invested in their plan: handsome historian Aaron is new to town but he sees how special the garden is too. As Caroline gets to know him, strolling along the sparkling lakeshore, she can’t imagine anywhere else she’d rather be.
But then Caroline learns a terrible secret about the day her mother died. If she continues fighting to save the garden, she may uncover more painful truths that will affect her whole family. But if she leaves now, she will have to give up a future with Aaron, and the beautiful town that has always been in her heart…
An utterly uplifting and heart-warming story about forgiveness and family. Perfect for fans of Carolyn Brown, Debbie Macomber and Mary Alice Monroe.
Buy The Lily Garden on Amazon: https://bit.ly/39PgndH
My review
It was lovely to watch Caroline’s character emerge as she travelled back to the place she lived as a child, reconnected with the people she considered family and fought her best to save her mother’s garden. A very diffident woman, she begins to assert herself and go after her own happiness. In doing so, she discovers that her version of her childhood and family may not be what it really was. She also finds a way to let go of her daughter, Lee and give her the freedom to discover her place in the world.
Aaron, a lost soul, trying to come to terms with the past and some new and life changing information, is trying to settle into a new job when he meets Caroline and gets absorbed into her ‘family’.
As both of them fall in love, they also begin to heal from their past and work together with the lovely community to find a way to save the garden.
A sweet summer read – a slow romance, family drama, healing the past and a supportive community is the short summary of The Lily Garden.
Meet The Author
Barbara Josselsohn is an award-winning writer who loves crafting stories about strong protagonists facing a fork in the road. Her novels include The Bluebell Girls, The Lilac House, The Last Dreamer, and her newest release, The Lily Garden. She has published hundreds of articles about family, home and relationships in national and regional publications, and also teaches novel writing at the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. She lives just north of New York City and enjoys escaping to the beach or the mountains whenever she can. Other than writing, her biggest passion is her family: her husband, her three kids, and her indefatigable shih-poo!
Visit her website or connect on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook .
