My Favorite Books of 2022

I love December as a month to pause and reflect on the year that’s been. Being a voracious reader, I thought I would share my ten favorite books of 2022. Since I read everything from classics to new releases, the publication dates on these will vary dramatically, but I hope you find a new book or an old favorite here.

(Click through the images to see all of the books, and scroll down to read more about why I recommend these titles!)

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi 

My sister has begun to read more and more Japanese literature in translation, and after finishing this book and glowing about it, she managed to convince first my fiancé and then me to read it. A simple concept about the most modest of time travel, it is at once a cozy and completely devastating book that had me—someone who never cries while reading—sobbing on a train back to London after a conference.

The Bullet that Missed by Richard Osman

This is the first of two of Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club books that I read this year, and I’m so impressed with not only how the mysteries have developed but also how his deep affection for his characters is. I always want to hang out with the Thursday Murder Club gang, and I couldn’t be happier that we will be getting more of them in the years to come.

A Helping Hand by Celia Daley

I will admit to being completely persuadable when it comes to a great cover. The edition of A Helping Hand that I bought at my local Waterstones has a great handbag on the cover of it that manages to look stylish and unsettling at once. What I found when I read this book I’d never heard of before was akin to a British Shirley Jackson novel: at once completely domestic and utterly creepy. I loved it.

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

Between the title and the fact that I’m not a big celebrity memoir reader (despite two landing on this list), I was going to give this book that seemed to be absolutely everywhere on social media a miss. Then my sister and brother-in-law read and raved about it, and I’m so glad they did. This book is harrowing, difficult, and filled with trigger warnings. However, it’s also wonderfully written and completely compelling and will make anyone who reads it think twice about glamorizing Hollywood and the life of a child actor, in particular.

The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin

I’ve been reading less historical fiction this year because I’ve been writing so much. However, I couldn’t go without mentioning one of the best books that came out in 2022. Madeline Martin has a real talent for capturing the feel of a place because she puts in an incredible amount of on the ground and in the books research. (Madeline is a friend so I’ve been able to ask her about this.) The Librarian Spy is expertly crafted and, with part of the story set in Lisbon, tells the story of a different aspect of World War 2.

The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

As promised, there are two Richard Osman books on this list. I have no regrets about this. While I liked The Thursday Murder Club, I thought his sophomore offering was a stronger mystery that delved deeper into the lives of those characters I mentioned enjoying so much. From purely a puzzle standpoint, I think that this is his strongest mystery so far.

The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand

I am a sucker for a weaving, multiple POV whodunnit centered around the mad glamorous chaos of a Nantucket wedding. (I didn’t know this about myself before reading The Perfect Couple but I do now.) This was the perfect end of summer read for me.

Plain Murder by C.S. Forester

My fiancé took a flier on this book, picking it up for me as a gift from Foyles. That is a very romantic gesture to a reader—although the book itself, which focuses on a brutal murder where you already know whodunnit, is far from romantic. I loved the tensely wrought story of what happens after a murder. An underappreciated British noir.

Still Life by Sarah Winman

Full disclosure, this was a strong recommendation by my mother that I should have listened to far sooner. If I was forced to choose a favorite book from this year, Still Life would certainly be a serious contender. This historical novel explores joy, art, loss while telling an almost fairy tale-like story of English expat life in Italy after the war. I will admit that this book took a little while to open up for me, but if you are willing to put your faith in it, it begins to reveal itself after the first 100 pages.

Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci

I am firmly on the side of the wave of recent Stanley Tucci appreciation, and I picked up this book after watching the first season of Searching for Italy. I found this memoir that is peppered with recipes perfectly charming. Although there are some moments of name dropping (self-deprecatingly called out in the parenthetical), the book really is about family and culture, as well as the ways that an appreciation of and love for food can tie us to those in our lives, past and present.



Now on NetGalley! THE LOST ENGLISH GIRL is available to request!

eARCs of The Lost English Girl are now available for review!

I’m really excited that FINALLY after a lot of waiting, I can now send out news that eARCs of my March 2023 release The Lost English Girl are now available for request!

My sister is a BookTuber, BookToker, and blogger so I’ve seen all of the hard work that goes into preparing blogs, BookTube, and Bookstagram, so I thought I would make it a little easier on you by sending along links to The Lost English Girl:

You can also reach out to my publicist, Jessica Roth at jessica.roth@simonandschuster.com. if you have questions or would like to book interviews or events.

If you also want to use the #TheLostEnglishGirl on social media to help spread the word, I’d really appreciate that! You can also tag me on these social media platforms so I can promote your posts!

Happy reading!

With love from London,

Julia

The Last Dance of the Debutante is on sale for $1.99 for a limited time!

I wanted to be sure to let you know about a rare sale for The Last Dance of the Debutante! The ebook of my most recent historical novel is now a part of today’s Kindle Gold Box Deal, which means it’s only $3.99 for a very limited time!

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I don’t know when this sale will come around again, so be sure to snap the ebook up while you can and check out these other fantastic books on sale today too!

Your First Look at THE LOST ENGLISH GIRL

After many months of only half-talking about it, I’m very proud to say that I’m ready to announce my next book, The Lost English Girl! 

Set during and just after World War 2, this book follows the story of three people: Viv, Joshua, and their daughter Maggie. It’s a novel that’s particularly close to my heart because a true story from my own family inspired it. It’s also set in Liverpool, my mother’s hometown and a proud city with its own stories of World War 2, many of which are still waiting to be told.

Liverpool, 1935

Raised in a strict Catholic family, Viv Byrne knows what’s expected of her: marry a Catholic man from her working-class neighborhood of Liverpool and have his children. However, when she finds herself pregnant after a fling with Joshua Levinson, a Jewish man with dreams of becoming a famous Jazz musician, Viv knows that a swift wedding is the only answer. Her only solace is that marrying Joshua will mean escaping her strict mother’s scrutiny. However, when Joshua makes a life-changing choice on their wedding day, Viv is forced once again into the arms of her disapproving family.

Five years later

On the eve of World War II, Viv is forced with the impossible choice to evacuate her young daughter, Maggie, who will stay with the Thompsons, affluent strangers who live in the safety of the countryside. In New York City, Joshua gives up his failing musical career to serve in the Royal Air Force, fight for his country, and try to piece together his feelings about the family, wife, and daughter he left behind at eighteen for dreams that never came to be. However, tragedy strikes when Viv learns that the countryside safe haven she went her daughter to isn’t immune from the horrors of war. It is only years later, with Joshua’s help, that Viv learns the secrets of their shared past and what it will take to put a family back together again.

Telling the harrowing story of England’s many evacuated children, bestselling author Julia Kelly's The Lost English Girl explores how one simple choice can change the course of a life, and what we are willing to forgive to find a way back to the ones we love and thought lost.


Make sure you don’t miss out by pre-ordering your copy of The Lost English Girl wherever books are sold!

THE LOST ENGLISH GIRL IS AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER

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The Last Dance of the Debutante out now in the UK!

The day is finally here! The Last Dance of the Debutante has made its UK debut!

The wonderful people at Canelo have given The Last Dance of the Debutante a gorgeous cover makeover for the UK market, so be sure to keep an eye out for the debutante in the pale dress.

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If you want to add the book to Goodreads, you can click below.

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The Woman on the Book Cover

One of the most common questions I get as an author is whether I have any control over my covers. 

The short answer is no. 

I typically write up a brief on who the characters in my books are, including any distinguishing features, and any details about setting or theme that might appear in the book. Then, weeks or sometimes months later, I open my email one day to find a beautifully designed cover waiting for my feedback. 

This might seem like a very hands-off approach to a very important part of my book, especially when you consider how closely involved authors are with every other aspect of the production of a book. However, designers have a skillset that I don’t have. Where I work best with language, they are visual artists. 

I’ve been fortunate to have some beautiful covers in my time writing historical fiction, but there is something unique about the cover for my latest book The Last Dance of the Debutante, a novel about last debutantes presented at court to Queen Elizabeth II in 1958 and their triumphs and challenges. The woman in lilac and lavender draped over a lime-green sofa, gazing off at something we can’t quite see is the perfect embodiment of the glamor and ennui of a debutante’s Season that I tried to capture in this book. She is beautiful but also a little removed—perhaps even uncertain of what the future might hold for her. 

I always wonder about my covers, but it wasn’t until the Instagrammer @novels_with_narci posted a side-by-side image of The Last Dance of the Debutante and Pains, Parties, Work: Sylvia Plath in New York, Summer 1953 by Elizabeth Winder that I learned where the beautiful woman on my cover came from and the connection is has to one of the defining fashion models of the 1940s, ‘50s, and ‘60s.

The Woman Behind the Cover

Jean Pachett was one of the first great American models. Born in 1926 in Maryland, she was first signed to the Ford Model Agency in 1948 and quickly rose to prominence. She featured on more than 40 magazine covers including the iconic January and April 1950 Vogue covers, earning her the nickname the “Queen of Fashion Inc.” 

An arrestingly beautiful woman with delicate features, Jean became a darling of brands and fashion magazines alike. Her face graced advertisements for major cosmetic brands such as Max Factor and Revlon, and she modeled for such fashion icons as Chanel, Dior, and Charles James. 


The Photo Before the Cover

Once I learned the name of the model for the cover of The Last Dance of the Debutante, I wanted to know more. I began to dig online and found that the image used on my book cover did not stand alone. Instead, it is part of a series of photographs shot by the British photographer Norman Parkinson. 

Norman Parkinson, who would later go on to become the official photographer for the British royal family, was commissioned to shoot a series of fashion studies of Jean Pachett in Paris for that famous April 1950 edition of Vogue. In this series, she wears the diaphanous evening dress with a satin bow and bodice by French designer Jean Dessès for his spring collection. 

In some of the photographs, such as the one that became my cover, Jean Pachett looks wistfully away off camera. In another other, her head is cradled the arm that rests on the back of the sofa. There is a small but playful smile on her lips. She looks as though she has a secret all her own and it amuses her to keep it.

The fashion studies are, themselves, a story all their own. As an author, I always hope that my book covers will evoke a visceral reaction from a reader, tempting them with the promise of what might be inside those pages. 

The Last Dance of the Debutante is a book all about finding your place in the world and ultimately deciding what path will give you purpose and lead you to happiness. I love that, through its cover, the book is the link to a woman who, for decades, was at the top of her game.

The Last Dance of the Debutante is out now!

I could not be more excited to kick off the release of my latest novel The Last Dance of the Debutante! This book started because of a conversation over tea and grew into a fascinating story about change, tradition, duty, friendship, and loyalty. And because it’s a Julia Kelly book, you can be sure that there’s plenty of family secrets and a dash of mystery thrown in too!


If you would like to pick up your copy of The Last Dance of the Debutante, you can find it all fine retailers in print, ebook, and audiobook!

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If you see The Last Dance of the Debutante out in the wild—i.e. At your local bookstore—snap a photo, use #TheLastDanceoftheDebutante, and tag me on social media! As many of you know, I’m based in London, so I don’t always get to see my books in-store and in-person. It’s a real treat to get to see the book in readers’ hands!

Thank you all for what has already been an incredible release day, and I can’t wait to hear what you think of the book!

Read the First Chapter of The Last Dance of the Debutante

WINTER 1957

Lily felt the top book in the stack she carried slip slightly and hitched her arm to brace it so that it didn’t fall to the pavement. It was misting rain as it always did when the crispness of autumn gave way to London’s winter chill. She glanced down at the books. They should be in her worn leather satchel, but the copies of The Way We Live Now and Hard Times already stuffed in there next to her composition books made it too full.

A woman in a neat canary-yellow suit with her hair tied up in a scarf of blues and creams that gave the telltale shimmer of silk hurried by Lily. Across the road, a nanny stopped to fuss at her young charge, urging him to put his hat back on so he didn’t catch a chill.

This was not a neighborhood of housewives making dinner for hardworking husbands or young bohemians who considered the late afternoon a perfectly suitable time for breakfast. Belgravia was a quiet sanctuary for the elite who, at this time of day, would be taking tea in china cups as they considered whatever entertainment of dinners, dancing, or theater their evenings would entail.

Lily turned off Pont Street and onto Cadogan Place, its row of white houses decorated with columns and balconies like an iced cake facing the gated oasis that was Cadogan Place Park. Halfway down the road, she stopped, tugged at the hem of her navy school jacket, and smoothed a hand over her light blond curls. It was silly to check. She’d combed them in the ladies’ room of Mrs. Wodely’s School for Girls before taking the bus to Hyde Park Corner, and they’d been perfect because she’d set them in pin curls only yesterday night before bed, taking care when brushing them out that morning. However, she knew not to leave perfection to chance when it came to Tuesday tea with Grandmama.

Lily rolled her shoulder back, lifted her chin, and twisted the large brass key of her grandmother’s old-fashioned doorbell.

One . . . two . . . three . . . four . . . five . . . 

The heavy black door creaked open, revealing Grandmama’s tidy, wiry housekeeper, just as always.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Parker,” Lily said as the housekeeper stepped back to let her into the hall.

“Madam is in the drawing room,” said Mrs. Parker, no expression crossing her always-composed features.

As usual.

Lily placed her spare books on the entryway’s wide circular table that bore a crystal vase filled with flowers and handed her satchel to Mrs. Parker, impressed when the older woman did not flinch at the weight of the bag.

With one hand on the polished banister, Lily tried her best to float up the stairs as Grandmama had instructed her so many times before.

“A lady does not move with effort, Lillian,” Grandmama had said, watching her from a chair Mrs. Parker had brought to the base of the stairs just for the occasion.

Lily could still remember the rising frustration building in her like water trapped behind a dam as she “floated” again and again up and down the stairs. Finally, Grandmama had said, “That will have to be good enough, I suppose,” letting Lily know that it would never be enough.

At the top of the stairs, Lily turned to her right, knocking softly on the drawing room door and waiting.

“Enter,” came Grandmama’s rich, measured voice.

Lily twisted the brass handle to push open the heavy door and— 

Stopped.

Everything in the room was as it should be. Grandmama’s pure white hair was swept into the prim chignon she always wore, and there wasn’t a crease on her emerald dress with its long, slim sleeves that tapered to her wrists. As always, a silver tea tray sat next to Grandmama, the china cups painted with pale pink roses accented with turquoise ribbons and gold scalloped rims at the ready. But instead of just one seat angled to face Grandmama, there were two.

“Mummy?” Lily asked. It was Tuesday tea, not Friday dinner. Mummy never accompanied her to tea.

Mummy offered a weak smile, but Lily could see the way her hands shook in her lap.

“Good afternoon, Lillian. Your mother will be joining us today,” said Grandmama. “Please sit down.”

With careful steps, Lily crossed the room to her chair and lowered herself into it as she’d been taught. Ankles crossed and to the side. Back straight. Hands resting in her lap. After a full day at school, it took every inch of discipline not to slouch with exhaustion.

“Your mother is here because something has happened,” said Grandmama as she placed the silver strainer on top of one of the china cups and poured the first cup of tea.

Has something happened to Joanna?” Lily asked before she could stop herself.

Mummy stiffened, and the faint lines on Grandmama’s forehead deepened.

“We do not speak of that woman in this house,” Grandmama reminded her.

Mummy’s hands twisted over and over themselves, and guilt flushed Lily’s cheeks. She knew better than to ask about her older sister. No good could come of it.

“I’m sorry,” she said, directing the words mostly to Mummy. “Please tell me what’s happened.”

“Show her, Josephine,” said Grandmama, giving her daughter-in-law a crisp nod.

Mummy reached for her handbag that sat on the table next to her chair and pulled out an ivory envelope. She moved to open it, when Grandmama said, “Let Lillian read it herself.”

Lily took the envelope from Mummy and read the direction.

Mrs. Michael Nicholls

17 Harley Gardens

London

SW10

She slid her fingers through the slit made by Mummy’s letter opener and pulled the card out.

Her eyes went wide.

“Read it aloud,” said Grandmama, satisfaction playing at the corner of her lips.

She swallowed and began to read, “ ‘The Lord Chamberlain is commanded by Her Majesty to summon Mrs. Michael Nicholls and Miss Lillian Nicholls to an Afternoon Presentation Party at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, the 19th of March, from 3:30 to 5:30 o’clock p.m.’ ”

Mummy leaned forward in her seat. “You’re going to be presented at court, Lily.”

The breath left Lily’s lungs in a great whoosh. “Presented?”

“Just as your mother and I were presented, as were all of the women on your father’s side of the family,” said Grandmama.

“Your aunt Angelica, too,” said Mummy, her smile quivering with unshed tears.

“You’re going to be a debutante, Lillian,” said Grandmama. “One of the last.”

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Read an Exclusive Excerpt from The Last Dance of the Debutante

My latest novel, The Last Dance of the Debutante, is out now in Canada and will release to the rest of the world on January 4th! To celebrate, I’m releasing an exclusive excerpt from the book.

Lily stood and followed the stream of girls, her heart pounding as she reached the door of the Ball Supper Room. Just steps away, she knew Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh sat, waiting patiently as every debutante that day made her curtsy. All at once, everything she’d been taught since she’d left school to prepare to come out fled from her mind. She might have been petrified if it had not been for a stronger, baser knowledge that to freeze now would be to show weakness. Weakness that a roomful of girls all jostling and striving would surely scent.

When she reached the door where Lieutenant Colonel Terence Nugent, the lord chamberlain, stood, she held her “To Be Presented” card out.

“Thank you, Miss Nicholls,” the lord chamberlain said, reading her name from the card.

She dipped her head, preparing herself. A hand fell on her elbow. She looked behind her to find Leana, beautiful and glowing under the light of the thousands of crystals hanging from the chandeliers above.

“Good luck,” said Leana.

“And to you,” Lily whispered.

Turning back, Lily waited for the lord chamberlain’s signal. Then she began to walk.

Her eyes fixed on the figure of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, who sat high on a dais, their thrones topped by a brilliant red canopy. They looked every bit the handsome couple she’d seen in newspapers and on the television at Aunt Angelica’s home: her dignified and regal, him handsome and perhaps a touch roguish. Slightly to the side sat Princess Margaret, impossibly glamorous as she looked on with a cool expression.

“Miss Lillian Nicholls,” she heard her name announced.

Lily took a deep breath and stopped in front of the Queen on the little white dot on the carpet Madame Vacani had promised her would be there. Careful to keep her gloved hands to her sides and her heel out of her skirts as they pooled to the floor, she dropped into her curtsy. Down, down she sank, her eyes cast slightly low in obeisance. Her left knee locked behind her right and—miracle of miracles—she managed to make her sweeping curtsy without a wobble.

Delicately Lily rose, took three steps, and repeated her curtsy to the Duke of Edinburgh. This time she chanced a flicker of a glance up at the Queen and her husband. They sat, polite expressions frozen on royal faces.

Lily forced herself to walk with the same controlled grace that she’d exhibited when she entered the ballroom. But when she reached the open door and was at last out of the royal presence, she placed a steadying hand on her pounding heart. The ceremony had lasted only a moment, but it contained in it an eternity in which every possible thing could go wrong. Still, Lillian Nicholls had survived, and now she was out in the world. 

Order your copy of The Last Dance of the Debutante from these fine retailers!


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The Last Dance of the Debutant is in Canadian bookstores NOW!

I’m so excited that today kicks off the first of a series of exciting release days for my new historical novel The Last Dance of the Debutante!

Canadian readers, you can now find the paperback edition of this glittering look at the last days of English high society in your local independent bookstore or Chapters Indigo brand, as well as online at your favorite book retailer! 

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The ebook is coming, so if you’re a digital reader, you can still preorder the ebook at your favorite digital retailer:

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US and worldwide readers, don’t forget that The Last Dance of the Debutante is out for you in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook on January 4. You can still preorder the book at any of these places:

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And don’t forget, everyone can add The Last Dance of the Debutante to Goodreads!


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The Last Garden In England Readers Guide

A downloadble PDF version of The Last Garden in England readers guide is now available HERE.

Perfect for book clubs, the suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.

You can view reading guides for more of Julia’s works HERE.

The Last Dance of the Debutante Is Getting a New Release Date!

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I have a big update for those of you who are looking forward to my next historical novel The Last Dance of the Debutante. 

You probably have heard of all of the supply chain and distribution issues that have been hitting various industries. Well, publishing hasn't escaped. My US publisher has made what I think is the right decision to push back the publication of The Last Dance of the Debutante to make sure that there's plenty of time to get books printed and into bookseller's hands so that you can buy them.

So what does this all mean?

  1. The Last Dance of the Debutante will now be coming out January 4, 2022, in the US and worldwide except for Canada.

  2. Canadian readers, you will be able to pick up print copies of The Last Dance of the Debutante from November 23rd. (No change there!) If you read ebooks, you will have to wait until January 4th. 

I'm really sorry if anyone is disappointed by the pushed back release date, especially with holiday shopping coming. Trust me, if I thought that we could guarantee that books would end up in readers hands on December 7th as we'd planned, I know my publisher would be trying to make that happen. Unfortunately, it's just too much of a risk.

A lot of this supply chain issue is around how many books publishers need to print. One of the big ways that they figure that number out is through reader preorders! 

If you haven't preordered The Last Dance of the Debutante yet, here's a reminder of what you'll find. In this book, I’ll be inviting you into the glamorous, decadent world of the 1958 London Season—the last time that debutantes were presented to Queen Elizabeth II—and introducing you to Lily. She’s a young woman at a crossroads, with both tradition and progress pulling her in two different directions until she learns of a devastating family secret that changes everything.

Preorder The Last Dance of the Debutante

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The Last Garden in England is out in paperback!

Discover a garden lost to time and the story of five women whose lives are tied together by one special place...

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The Last Garden in England is now out in paperback at all fine retailers.

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Present Day: Emma Lovett, who has dedicated her life to breathing new life into long-neglected gardens, has just been given the opportunity of a lifetime: to restore the gardens of the famed Highbury House, designed in 1907 by her hero Venetia Smith. But as Emma dives deeper into the garden’s past, she begins to uncover secrets that have long been hidden from history.

1907: A talented artist with a growing reputation for her ambitious work, Venetia Smith has carved out a niche for herself as a garden designer to well-to-do industrialists, solicitors, and bankers looking to show off their wealth with sumptuous country houses. She is determined to make Highbury House a triumph, but the gardens there—and the people she meets—will change her life forever.

1944: When land girl Beth Pedley arrives at a farm on the outskirts of the village of Highbury, all she wants is to find a place she can call home, while cook Stella Adderton could not be more desperate to leave Highbury House pursue her own dreams. Diana Symonds, a widow and the mistress of the grand house, is desperately trying to cling to her pre-war life now that Highbury House has been requisitioned to become a convalescent hospital for wounded soldiers. But when war threatens the gardens at Highbury House, these three women are drawn together by a secret that will last decades.

The Last Garden in England explores the unexpected connections that can cross time and the special places that can bind us together in unbreakable bonds.

ADD THE LAST GARDEN IN ENGLAND ON GOODREADS

As a thank you for buying the book, I’ve created a map of the fictional gardens at Highbury House. This features all of the garden rooms that are described in the book, as well as other little highlights to help orient you as you read the book. 

Get the Map

Welcome to The Author's Garden

So many reader have been asking for an update on my garden journey, I wanted to put something together to keep you up to date on what's going on here. For those of you who don't know, I've recently purchased my first home (a flat in London), and with it comes ownership over the back and front gardens. I've been keeping a garden diary since day one, and now I'm making it available to you!

It's called The Author's Garden, and it's already full of posts detailing what I've been doing with my garden so far. Here are some highlights:

Designing the Gardens for The Last Garden in England

Writing any historical novel presents a challenge, but when I started The Last Garden in England, I never imagined what it would take to create the world of Highbury House and its fictional gardens.I grew up around gardens. My father is an excellent amateur gardener, creating incredibly lush English borders in the Los Angeles summer heat when I was a child. In those days, I would follow Dad around, digging holes and planting seeds and learning from him as best I could. 

Fast forward many years later to summer 2019 when I started writing the book. My English border-loving father was now a resident of the UK with a beautiful English garden of his own. I, however, lived in a second-story London flat (aka first floor for my fellow Brits). I had no garden except for a tiny collection of pots that live behind a wall where most people store their rubbish bins. I’d forgotten an embarrassing number of things that Dad taught me and was reduced to pointing at plants and asking, “What’s that called?” whenever we were in my parents garden.

Despite my lack of adult gardening experience, I jumped in to writing a book about three generations of women connected through an incredible historic garden feet first. Within the first chapter, however, I realized that I was going to need to do something drastic.

I was going to need to design my own fantasy garden.

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Creating the Gardens at Highbury House

It was fairly obvious that I needed a map. For one thing, this was a big garden I was writing about—big enough that it could conceivably take the better part of a year for a small contemporary restoration company to put the abandoned garden at Highbury House to rights again as Emma, my present-day heroine, does. Secondly, I knew that if I didn’t have a map I would lose track of where everything was. 

The first thing I needed to do was come up with a concept. I knew that I wanted different types of spaces in the garden. I also wanted them to tie into a significant meaning for the designer who creates the gardens in 1907, Venetia Smith. After doing some research, I decided that I would build the gardens around the idea of garden rooms or distinct spaces with their own themes. 

I listed the garden rooms that I thought would fit my theme best. (No spoilers on what the universal theme is.) First came the Lovers’ Garden, then the Bridal Garden, the Children’s Garden, etc. I tweaked and changed things around as I wrote, but one thing stayed constant: the WInter Garden. This unique space that was in full bloom when the rest of the garden was dormant would be the emotional heart of the book and also the place where the mysteries weaving the three timelines of my story would converge. 

Each garden room had to have its own set of plants. The Tea Garden where women would take tea and socialize in 1907 had roses and other “feminine” plants, while the Water Garden was full of lush aquatics. The Lavender Walk was full of different varieties of lavender—I now have very strong opinions about what lavender I would want to plant in a garden—and the Children’s Garden became anchored by four huge cherry trees that would provide a snowy, fragrant curtain to hide under in the spring.


Since I didn’t have a garden of my own to draw inspiration from, I poured over books about English borders and spent more time than I probably should admit on the Gardeners’ World and Royal Horticultural Society websites to make sure that my plant knowledge fit the climate I was writing about. (Growing up in Los Angeles meant lots of things I would naturally have written about wouldn’t be viable in the UK or would have grown a lot slower.) Since roses are significant in the 1907 storyline, I spent a lot of time looking up when varieties that I know well were first established. It turns out, a lot of our modern roses are actually not that old at all.

All of this came together in a hand-drawn map that I kept by my side while writing the book. I went so far as to have it transformed into a hand-painted map by a talented artist whose skills far exceed mine. After finishing The Last Garden in England, I told my family that I had created my dream garden. The place that I would create if I ever was lucky enough to have that much space. 

The dream of making the gardens at Highbury House reality might be a long way off, but I’ll be able to live out a little bit of my gardening ambitions this year. I’m moving out of that second-story flat and into a new home. It has a backyard that’s just big enough to let me get creative, and a little pond that I need to learn how to maintain. There’s room for an arbor and bench, a patio, and space for entertaining.

As I create my own garden, I plan to look to my old research for The Last Garden in England. Hopefully, friends and family who come visit might just notice a few favorites from the book growing happily in the borders in a few years time.

To see the full map of the gardens at Highbury House, click here.


The Last Garden in England is out now!

Discover a garden lost to time and the story of five women whose lives are tied together by one very special place…

The Last Garden in England is now out in bookstores and online!

Amazon US | Amazon CA | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | Indigo | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play

Present Day: Emma Lovett, who has dedicated her life to breathing new life into long-neglected gardens, has just been given the opportunity of a lifetime: to restore the gardens of the famed Highbury House, designed in 1907 by her hero Venetia Smith. But as Emma dives deeper into the garden’s past, she begins to uncover secrets that have long been hidden from history.

1907: A talented artist with a growing reputation for her ambitious work, Venetia Smith has carved out a niche for herself as a garden designer to well-to-do industrialists, solicitors, and bankers looking to show off their wealth with sumptuous country houses. She is determined to make Highbury House a triumph, but the gardens there—and the people she meets—will change her life forever.

1944: When land girl Beth Pedley arrives at a farm on the outskirts of the village of Highbury, all she wants is to find a place she can call home, while cook Stella Adderton could not be more desperate to leave Highbury House pursue her own dreams. Diana Symonds, a widow and the mistress of the grand house, is desperately trying to cling to her pre-war life now that Highbury House has been requisitioned to become a convalescent hospital for wounded soldiers. But when war threatens the gardens at Highbury House, these three women are drawn together by a secret that will last decades.

The Last Garden in England explores the unexpected connections that can cross time and the special places that can bind us together in unbreakable bonds.

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