The Heirloom Garden: A Novel

Whenever I finish a Viola Shipman book, I feel like I am saying goodbye to good friends. The books are full of beauty, family, love, hope, kindness, friendship, and more. The Heirloom Garden is a beautiful story of loss followed by hope.
Viola Shipman, a pseudonym for Wade Rouse, writes his books in tribute to his grandmother. She must have been a very special woman because his books are testaments of love. Sometimes the books are not subtle in their message, often almost knocking you over the head with their message, but that is what we need to hear the message on many occasions.
I loved how this novel tells the story through flowers and their life cycle, and how it also looks at veterans and war and the toll it takes on families and a show more community. I loved how seeing life through a child can change people’s hearts. I loved how a family learns to move forward. I loved how the book honors and encourages strong women.
This is the 5th Viola Shipman book, I have read and loved each one. I can’t wait for his next book!
#TheHeirloomGarden #ViolaShipman show less

I love flowers, love color and enjoy anything and everything that is a heirloom. Filled with a lovely garden, descriptions of beautiful flowers, this was a lighter toned read. The subjects though we're anything but light. An older woman, who shuts herself in her garden after some tragic losses. A young man who has returned with PTSD after serving in the Iraq war. His wife who is trying so hard to keep their family together and their five year old daughter Lily, who is delightful.

It also takes place in Grand Haven, Michigan a place I know well. Was a little taken aback by what the residents call us out of towners from Illinois, which I don't repeat here. Did provide a little chuckle.
A good, warm-hearted, tender story, but it did get a show more little treacly for my reading taste. Those flowers though made it easy for me to overlook some of my usual preferences.

The narrators were Nan Macnamara and Lauren Enzo. They did pretty well so three stars for the narration. show less

This is another fantastic book by Viola Shipman. I started it as soon as it showed up in my mailbox, even though I had a stack of books that should have been read first but this is one of my 'go to' authors and I had to read it right away. I am a huge fan of books about Michigan and books that take place on Lake Michigan always tug at my heart because of all the summers that I spent at the Lake growing up. This author describes the area around Lake Michigan so well and so beautifully that it is an integral part of the story - as important as the characters. I loved this book and think it will be one of the "must read" books of Spring, 2020.

The story is told in dual time lines and in different eras.

1944 - Iris lost her husband in WWII show more and her daughter not too long after that. Her grief caused her to put walls up around her house and around her heart. She doesn't have anything to do with the people in town, has her groceries and garden supplies delivered and is only really alive when she is spending time in her beloved gardens. In her gardens, she re-lives her memories of her grandmother, her mother, her husband and her daughter -- the garden becomes her only family.

2003 - Abby, her husband and their daughter, Lily, move from the Detroit area to Grand Haven for Abby to take a new job. They rent the house next door to Iris (which Iris still owns) but the high fences let them know that Iris has no desire for company or friendly neighbors. Abby is trying to handle everything - her husband has PTSD and is unable to contribute to the family either emotionally or monetarily. Instead he mostly sleeps, drinks and re-lives his memories of war. Lily tries to make the best of things but she is lonely and nervous about starting at a new school with no friends. The two families are slowly drawn together at first through their love for flowers and then through the friendship that they can both bring to each other.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own. show less

What a beautiful book! Taking a new job, Abby moves her family into a cottage owned by an elderly reclusive woman (Iris) who lives next door in a home surrounded by a very tall fence. Abby's husband Cory suffers post-traumatic stress disorder from his service in the Iraq war. The woman next door lost her husband in World War II. His body was never recovered. Her only daughter died a short time later of polio. The woman worked to create the community's Victory Garden that fed many in the area during the War. Her yard is filled with beautiful blooms that Lily, Abby and Cory's daughter, loves. As Cory begins to recover, he finds gardening therapeutic. Abby's family and Iris share many interests and parallels, bonding with one another, and show more finding a way to healing. I loved this story which will appeal to anyone interested in flowers, colors, or gardening. The ending will appeal to many forensic genealogists. show less

The Heirloom Garden by Viola Shipman has Iris Maynard living alone in her home alone after the loss of her husband and daughter for the last six decades. She spends her time taking care of her beautiful heirloom garden. Iris then rents the cottage next door to a woman with a husband recently returned from Iraq and an inquisitive little girl. The Peterson’s remind Iris of how her family used to be before her husband died during World War II and her little girl from illness. Abby and Iris become friends. They find they have much in common especially a love of flowers. Can they help each other heal and discover that not one minute of a life should be wasted? The Heirloom Garden is well-written with relatable characters and incidents. show more Iris Maynard lost the two most precious people in her life. She erected a tall fence around her property and stays behind those walls. Iris has her heirloom garden to keep her company. Each flower holds a special memory. Gardeners will enjoy the beautiful descriptions of the flowers. They are heirloom varieties that include roses, irises, lilies, daylilies, bleeding hearts and so much more. We learn the meaning of each flower (the language of flowers) as well as how they were propagated and how to care for them. Iris’s garden sounded magical (it would also send my allergies into overdrive). I like how each chapter was titled after a different flower which was then featured. The story alternates point-of-view between Iris and Abby. It also goes between past (begins in 1944) and present (2003) to tell each woman’s story. The Heirloom Garden is confusing in the beginning, but, once you get into it, it becomes easier. The pacing is gentle (not slow or fast) which suits the story. Abby Peterson is a chemical engineer who is developing a special marine paint and was hired by a local company. Her husband, Cory came home a different man from Iraq. He spends his days drinking and sleeping. Lily is a curious little girl who is quick to make Iris’s acquaintance. Lily was a delightful addition to the story. She added lightness and humor. The two homes are Sears kit homes (I would love to live in one). The author provided good information on the homes and I enjoyed the vivid word imagery. I like how the two story lines were blended and came together for a special ending. The Heirloom Garden is a heartening story with a cheeky child, a gorgeous garden, paint problems, a gripping grief, special seeds, a worried wife, a dispirited soldier, and marvelous memories. show less

We meet two women generations apart who have lost their husbands.

One has a husband who never came home from WWII, and one has a husband who came home but is lost to PTSD.

Iris loves her flowers and her family, but they are now gone including her daughter.

Abby moves into the house next to Iris, has her husband and her daughter, and a job as an engineer since her husband can no longer work or function.

We follow the lives of both characters present day and past.

Gardeners will absolutely LOVE this book.

The flower and gardening information is outstanding and described in such detail you can visualize it.

I also enjoyed how flowers were compared to feelings and life events.

Viola Shipman has given us another heartwarming book filled with show more positive thoughts and virtual hugs.

The writing is beautiful just like the uplifting story line.

THE HEIRLOOM GARDEN has characters that will warm your heart once you get to know them.

The book was a bit difficult to follow for the first ten percent, but once you got going, it was as marvelous as always. 4/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. show less

This was the first book I've read written by this author. I enjoyed it very much. I really connected with the main characters, Iris and Abby.
Iris has suffered much loss in her life. Her husband to WW ll and her daughter to polio. She had decided to wall herself off from any human interaction. Her only companionship are the flowers of her heirloom garden. Abby and her family move in next door. Abby's husband is a soldier who had been stationed in Iraq. He's dealing with many demons; drinking and depression. Their daughter Lily is a typical child. She becomes curious about their reclusive neighbor. After awhile Abby, Cory and Lily take down Iris's wall that she has built around herself. Iris allows herself to feel again and everyone finds show more healing in the garden. show less