The Forbidden Garden
A Novel
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4.5 • 15 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
“Captivating [...] Herrick weaves a rich tapestry of family lore, dark secrets, and love.” —Brunonia Barry, New York Times bestselling author of The Lace Reader and The Fifth Petal
Perfect for fans of Kate Morton and Sarah Jio, comes a lush imaginative novel that takes readers into the heart of a mysterious English country garden, waiting to spring to life.
Every garden is a story, waiting to be told…
At the nursery she runs with her sisters on the New England coast, Sorrel Sparrow has honed her rare gift for nurturing plants and flowers. Now that reputation, and a stroke of good timing, lands Sorrel an unexpected opportunity: reviving a long-dormant Shakespearean garden on an English country estate.
Arriving at Kirkwood Hall, ancestral home of Sir Graham Kirkwood and his wife Stella, Sorrel is shocked by the desolate state of the walled garden. Generations have tried—and failed—to bring it back to glory. Sorrel senses heartbreak and betrayal here, perhaps even enchantment. Intrigued by the house’s history—especially the haunting tapestries that grace its walls—and increasingly drawn to Stella’s enigmatic brother, Sorrel sets to work. And though she knows her true home is across the sea with her sisters, instinct tells her that the English garden’s destiny is entwined with her own, if she can only unravel its secrets…
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Herrick's second novel takes place nearly a year after the events of her 2015 debut, The Sparrow Sisters. Eldest sibling Sorrel, one of three gifted New England gardeners, is invited by a friend's brother, Graham, Lord Kirkwood, to rescue a purportedly cursed Shakespearean garden on his family property in the English countryside. She gets along famously with Graham's wife Stella and their daughter, Poppy, and it becomes clear that Sorrel will fall for Andrew Warburton, Stella's heartbroken, grouchy brother, a vicar who's lost his faith. While the family cheers on their union, Sorrel worries that Andrew might be under a spell triggered by one of her sister's potent herbal remedies. Meanwhile, she and Poppy investigate the family's dark history and its ties to the fallow plot that Sorrel hopes to bring back to life. They're helped by the family's protective longtime groundskeeper, as well as Delphine, an old friend who aids the pair in decoding a series of mysterious tapestries and the secrets of Graham's shady ancestors. Sorrel doesn't believe in curses, but it seems like this curse might be real. This book would have been plenty interesting without the love story, which feels rote and pales in comparison to the unfurling of the novel's mysteries. Nonetheless, Herrick manages to deftly tie everything together.
Customer Reviews
When’s the next one out?
Lots of intertwined story arcs. I bought this one immediately after finishing The Sparrow Sisters, and of course now I want to know what comes next.
This story takes place nine months or so after TSS. Makes me want to visit Kew Gardens, the Chelsea Physic Garden, and a few more Thames-side parks when next (please!!!) I visit London. It will be necessary to work off as many cream and afternoon teas I want to enjoy whilst there.
Gardeners, historians, folks fond of gustatory delights, folks earth-centered spirituality, herbalists, and kindred spirits will enjoy this book.