The Rose Garden by Marita Conlon-McKenna

review by Maryom

Her husband's sudden death has left Molly Hennessy adrift and alone in the large country house they were restoring. Her two daughters have grown up and left home, the bank is pressurising for loan repayments; it seems like the sensible thing to do is sell up and downsize. But Molly loves her home, Mossbawn, and doesn't want to leave. Meanwhile, her niece, Kim is down on her luck - she's lost her job, her boyfriend and her home. Mossbawn where she spent so many idyllic hours as a child seems like the perfect place to escape to. When Molly buries her grief in restoring a long-forgotten rose garden on the property, she might have found a way for them both to put the past behind them and move forward.

I thought this sounded like it would be an interesting read but sadly I found it a bit shallow and predictable - and above all 'nice'. The development of Molly's character was quite interesting, as she goes from someone who relied on her husband to organise almost everything in their lives, to an independent person, capable of standing on her own two feet.  I think mainly this just isn't my sort of book - I prefer them edgier - but I'm sure lovers of romantic fiction will enjoy it.

Maryom's review -  3 stars

Publisher - Transworld

Genre - adult fiction, romantic fiction, 

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