The Memory Gardener
Magic blooms in this cozy novel
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4.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
A cozy tale of the power of memory and the nourishing magic of gardens from the USA TODAY bestselling author of the “sparkling, witty” (Katie Crouch, New York Times bestselling author) How to Eat a Cupcake.
Lucy Barnes is a gardener with an uncanny ability to know exactly which scent among her flowers will illuminate to a person a key from their past that might change their future. Sadly, after a tragedy ten years ago, she no longer uses her gift and has fled her hometown.
But six months after her mother’s death, Lucy awakens to find her mother’s unmistakable scent drifting over her, and she knows that she is being called home. And when a mysterious note leads her to take a job as the gardener at the Oceanview Home, a senior-living residence, Lucy finds herself wondering if there is more to her gift—and her mother’s past—than she ever knew.
Her work among the lush gardens of Oceanview Home soon awakens the entire community, unearthing memories that will forever change all who cross Lucy’s path. But not everyone is happy to see how her presence has transformed the Oceanview Home, and when a secret comes to light that threatens to shatter the entire community, the future suddenly looks uncertain. Have the memories that Lucy has unearthed awakened something wonderful…or are some memories better left buried?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Donohue (How to Eat a Cupcake) spins a delightful tale centered on a gardener with a magical ability. As a girl many years earlier, Lucy Barnes discovered that she can sense which flower or herb will trigger a powerful memory in someone else. Her late mother warned her about the dangers of intervening in the lives of others by using her gift. Now, while restoring the historic plantings and pathways at a Northern California retirement home that was once a glorious mansion, she gets to know the residents and staff and decides to help them, defying her mother's warning. She gives a vanilla-scented flower to one resident, a former pastry chef forced into retirement by his severe arthritis, who's inspired to team up with another resident to open a café. Others who benefit from Lucy's interventions include a talkative, sociable woman and her nearly mute friend who recovers her former vigor. The way the residents return to life under Lucy's influence is uplifting without being cloying, and the plot ramps up when the residents are threatened with eviction and band together to fight back. It's a satisfying feast for the senses.
