The Kew Gardens Girls: An emotional and sweeping historical novel perfect for fans of Kate Morton

As soon as I started reading the sample I knew I was going to enjoy this book. It is set during World War 1. A number of women were working in Kew Gardens as many men had to enlist. Louisa who was one of the main characters, was estranged from her abusive husband. She found solace in her new life in London and job in Kew Gardens. There are some really likeable characters in the story. I think my favourite would have been Ivy, the teenager who worked along with Louisa. She came across as being so kind and caring. Both belonged to the suffragettes. The story gives an insight into the suffragette movement which I found informative and interesting. The women workers in Kew Gardens were very brave to take action in their fight for equal pay in them days. Ivy was so knowledgeable about the various flowers and plants even though she had difficulty with reading and writing. I enjoyed reading about the strong bond and friendship between most of the characters. I have never been to Kew Gardens but I could almost draw up a picture in my mind of all the pleasant greenery.

A lovely book with engaging story lines. I shall certainly be looking at other titles by this author.

Admittedly, I bought this book more for the Kew element (being a huge gardening, plant, and indeed Kew fan). Though there isn't as much emphasis on Kew as I thought, I can't deny that the storyline is one you can fully immerse yourself in. I love the many individual characters, both men and women, and I applaud how well both the good parts and questionable elements of the character's personalities are drawn. The result is a story that encourages you to consider your stance on war and those who did or indeed didn't physically fight. Yet, what I find makes this book all the stronger is the author's insistence on presenting both the endearing and not so quite endearing qualities of the suffragettes. I had no knowledge of the white feather girls until reading this and had to look it up to find out if it was true (unfortunately, it was). Sometimes, I feel we have a slightly more romanticized ideal of the suffragettes but though I do not doubt or diminish their fight (with some obvious results many years later because of it) some of their tactics were downright ugly - and the white feather movement was a prime example of that. I love however that Posy charts both the good and the bad elements - allowing the reader to make up their own mind. Overall, this is a compelling read, and so beautifully done.

Good story which carries on from the story about WW1 Kew girls.

Kew London 1915 and as men are joining up, Louisa Taylor a horticulturalist dreams of been a gardener, as a child she grew up on a hop farm in Kent but now lives in Wandsworth, Ivy Adams from hackney, the two apply to work in the most beautiful gardens of the world. Joined later by volunteer worker Lady Winifred Ramsay, Louisa, Ivy and Win become The Kew Garden Girl's. Keen on the suffragette movement for women, and the fight for equal pay, with the glory of the war and more men joining up these ladies, with determination do their boss Mac proud. I loved reading their own life stories times are not always good for them. The whole book gave me a thrill and I will be looking forward to more from this author in the future. She has delivered at what she knows best capturing all the characters like you feel warmth running through. Well deserved five stars and more.

I love Kew Garden, and, I can relate to the feelings of the characters throughout the book: a lesson on how healing, calming gardening & tending to plants is, especially in difficult times. I really enjoyed learning about the meaning of flowers, something I am interested in in both literature & painting. The lost of the 2 stars for me is that so much of the story is predictable. The characters are likeable but not really complex. The reader can quickly figure out what's happening next. I do not want to spoil it for those who wish to read it but so many times I thought "oh come on!". Maybe it is just me who enjoys character development & complex personality. Even the "bad guy" with his history of domestic violence is quickly straightened into being better fairly quickly. I read it in one afternoon on the beach. And I think it is just that: a quick, lovely read, a beautiful botanical background, some insight into the Sufragette movement during WW1, feminism, romance... just too predictable for my liking though.

Having visited Kew with my daughter when she worked as a nurse in London I felt I was there once more . My mother had told me about white feathers and conscientious objectors too .I believe they were accepted more in WW2 I lived through. I found this a very interesting read. Monica Lilley

Great story line

Well written. Enjoyed this book.

I purchased this book based on the reviews and was sorely disappointed. There is a good story here but the writing doesnt do it any justice. Like watching a badly directed soap opera. I ended up abandoning it half way. I’m a huge fan of Kate Morton this book nor its author are anywhere close to KM’s books, stories and writing. Would give it a complete miss.

I read in a Italian Magazine of flowers, plants and gardening about this book and I said: "This is my book!". I enjoyed it very much for the different messages/threads/contents one can find in it: love, history, gardening, friendship, feminine movement of the beginning of XX century. Good novel!

Im Jahr 1916 gehen schon viele junge Männer zur Armee. Deshalb ist es für die Kew Gardens schwierig, gute Gärtner zu finden. Mac, verantwortlich für die Einstellungen, hat allerdings nicht mit den Frauen gerechnet. Gärtner sind schließlich Männer, das sagt ja schon der Name. Er hat aber auch nicht mit seinem Lehrling Jim gerechnet, der das anders sieht und der seinen Mentor überzeugt, seiner Freundin Ivy und der etwas älteren Louisa eine Chance zu geben. Eine gute Wahl, wie sich herausstellt. Nicht nur für die Kew Gardens, sondern auch für die Frauen, die eine enge Freundschaft schließen. Auch wenn die raue Wirklichkeit nicht an den Kew Gardens und ihren Gärtnerinnen vorbei geht, so ist ihre Tätigkeit und ihre Freundschaft doch ein Hort des Wohlbehagens. Eng arbeiten Ivy, Jim, Louisa und Bernie, der eigentlich als Lehrer tätig war, zusammen. Doch die Auswirkungen des Krieges rücken näher. Immer mehr junge Männer melden sich freiwillig und auch Jim wird bald zum Militär gehen, während Bernie als Pazifist, sich vorsehen muss, nicht unfreiwillig rekrutiert zu werden. Über dieses Thema gehen auch die Meinungen im Volk auseinander. Auch die Freundschaft der vier jungen Leute wird auf die Probe gestellt. Vor dem Hintergrund eines der ältesten Botanischen Gärten Englands lernt der Leser oder die Leserin wirklich liebenswerte Menschen kennen. In der harten Zeit des ersten Weltkriegs haben es junge Frauen wie Ivy und Louisa nicht leicht. Dennoch kann man den Anbruch neuer Zeiten sehen, denn sie haben den Mut sich zu bewerben und sie werden belohnt. Auch wenn der Lohn eher schmal ist, so kann Louisa sich selbst versorgen und Ivy zum Auskommen von Mutter und Geschwistern beitragen. Louisa und Ivy sind Frauen, die es anpacken. Auch wenn die Gesellschaft noch nicht so weit ist und die Frauenrechte eher hintenanstehen, ein Anfang ist gemacht. Möglicherweise sind die meisten Menschen in diesem Roman etwas zu gut, um wahr zu sein, doch gerade heute ist leider wieder eine Zeit, in der man so märchenhafte Bücher richtig genießt. Wunderbare Frauenfreundschaft, große Liebe und trotz der lähmenden Zeit ist der Aufbruch zu spüren. Ein richtig schönes Leseerlebnis, das die Kew Gardens in Kent auf die Urlaubswunschliste bringen kann.

This book hooked me immediately. The stories of the characters and their personalities really come through in the writing. It was enjoyable to see how the characters relate to one another; forming close friendships with one another and yet how each person’s opinions and actions can harm those friendships even if the person believes they are doing the right thing (white feather movement). The writer did a marvelous job giving each character great quality traits while still showing their weaknesses. How true friendships can withstand the “uglier” moments in life. I loved seeing how the each character changed through the story and how captivating the whole book was. I look to more books from the author and definitely highly recommend reading this book. It was AMAZING.