The Heart of the Garden

By: Victoria Connelly

Narrated by: Jan Cramer

Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

Morton Hall, with its beautiful, ruined grounds and its reclusive mistress, Emilia Morton, is full of mysteries. For freelance editor Anne Marie, the wild garden has become a serene and secret refuge from her loveless marriage. The only other regular visitor is Cape, the hall's part-time gardener, who is forbidden to tend to anything except the magnificent maze or to meet his enigmatic employer.

When Emilia dies, Cape and Anne Marie are astonished to find themselves among an unlikely group of villagers named in her strange will. Morton Hall, including its dazzling art collection and once glorious grounds, can belong to the community forever, but only if they work together to bring the garden back to life within a single year.

As they try to put their differences aside to restore the tangled grounds, long-buried secrets are unearthed. Can the past be forgiven as hope and new love begin to bloom?

©2018 Victoria Connelly (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved

Delightful listen...

What an Interesting Cast of characters in this book! I enjoyed Imagining this Amazing Garden that slowly was allowed to run down & the band of misfits that were brought together to bring it back to life...and changed their lives in the process!

Lovely

I truly enjoyed this book and the reader was wonderful. The book leaves you with a good feeling inside at the finish.

Poor narration

This narrator doesn’t understand the importance of intonation. It was difficult to listen to. It was as if she had never read the story prior to reading it aloud. I finished it only for the story. I felt this the last time I heard her. I will avoid her in the future.

Nice

I really liked this one - I follow Jan Cramer the narrator and always check out what she is performing. I really liked the interactions of characters and the unfolding past was tremendous. There was more than enough mystery in this to fulfill a sequel or three so really hope the author does that....

Loved every single bit!

I enjoyed everything about the book! Couldn't put it down. I love that you can picture what is going on , then you want it to become a movie. That to me is a great book.

A well told tale

Reading this book is like watching an artist paint a lovely landscape. Each chapter adds a bit more color until you realise you've got a glorious piece of art work you will want to visit again and again.
The story is told through the views of three people living in a small village in England, a woman who has tried hard to fit into a man's second marriage complete with wicked stepdaughters; a gardner with a most unusual name who works at the local manor and the reclusive owner of said estate. Flowing back and forth from the owner's past to the present builds a story of hope lost and found in the garden of the estate, the layers of color begin added gently but getting brighter with each word. Several other characters are drawn into the story,each adding their bits of color, making the picture and the garden, take on depth.
Reading the book with your ears adds a dimension to the story and it is well told by the narrator.

jan cramer best narrator

I really enjoyed this book it was a great story sadness joy beauty ugliness can like life beautiful ending thank you

Enjoyed this thoroughly. Wished there was a follow up. I even looked for another book by this author, but didn’t find one.

Oops! I wrote the review in the title. Sorry. The suspense carried through most of the book and it was close to the “reveal” before I figured it out. Nice. Hope Ms Connelly writes many more.

Third grade girls will love this book

Is this book for adults? Really? If you are an eight year old girl, Nancy Drew would be a much better choice; at least the heroine is brave and intelligent. The story is pure treacle and the narrator speaks in a soothing, condescending grandmotherly voice that seems designed to send the listener to slumber. If you are looking for an adult Victorian-ish book, please try Pride and Prejudice.