The Rose Garden

Tracy Rees

02 September 2021
9781529046397
780 pages

Synopsis

The Rose Garden is a richly imagined historical novel full of intrigue and secrets, spanning the luxury and poverty of Victorian England. Perfect for fans of Dinah Jefferies and Rachel Hore.

Every house has its secrets . . .

For twelve-year-old Ottilie Finch, London is an exciting playground to explore. Her family have recently arrived in Hampstead from Durham, under a cloud of scandal that Otty is blissfully unaware of. The only shadow over her days is her mother’s mysterious illness, which keeps her to her room.

When young local girl Mabs is offered the chance to become Mrs Finch’s companion, it saves her from a desperate life on the canals. Little does she know that all is not as picture-perfect as it seems. Mabs is about to become tangled in the secrets that chased the Finches from their last home, and trapped in an impossible dilemma . . .

‘Tracy Rees is a natural storyteller . . . What a treat it is!’ – Rachel Hore, author of A Gathering Storm.

'In this engrossing novel Tracy Rees takes the reader directly into the drama and action . . . the roles and attitudes to women at the end of the Victorian period and the emerging women’s movement were riveting. Totally unputdownable' – Dinah Jefferies, author of The Tea-Planter’s Wife.

In this engrossing novel Tracy Rees takes the reader directly into the drama and action, her writing bringing every scene to sparkling vivid life. The rich use of language meant I was fully immersed in the Victorian world of the main women protagonists and didn’t want to leave. Written with empathy and revealing differing sides to even more minor characters, the roles and attitudes to women at the end of the Victorian period and the emerging women’s movement were riveting. Totally unputdownable.
A warm, original and upbeat novel. Tracy Rees is a natural storyteller and I couldn’t stop turning the pages. I loved the setting of Victorian Hampstead and its vivid range of characters. What a treat it is!
Tracy Rees has a rare gift for creating characters you are rooting for from the first page. The writing is fresh and engaging, with a gentle humour...the research is meticulous, and the women’s stories are told with immense compassion. This is a novel that immerses you in its world as if by magic, and keeps you enthralled till the very end.