The Garden by the Sea

by Amanda James

Series: Cornish Escapes (2)

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
3	1	4,152,373	(2)	1
'What a wonderful escape to perfect Cornwall...truly magical! More please!' Faith Hogan #1 eBook bestseller A heartwarming standalone novel of new beginnings, love and finding your community when you need them the most... A precious heirloom passed down from mother to daughter... Lowena Rowe's beloved mum always claimed her family seed box was special. Said to contain soil from Tintagel, the mysterious seat of the legendary King Arthur, whomever made a wish upon the box would have 'a beautiful garden, bountiful crops and love of their fellow man'. Lowena isn't inclined to believe the myth but can't part with the box, knowing how much it meant to her mum. Starting over with a new home and a new job in the Cornish village of St Merryn, Lowena can't help feeling lost and alone... but she isn't the only one. Now, as a community of misfits finds solace and friendship in the shade of her growing garden, she realises there might have been truth to the mythical box after all, and she may just be growing the life and love she's always wanted... Readers are loving The Garden by the Sea: 'What a lovely book! Makes you feel all warm inside & that the world is actually a good place!' Christine 'A magical read, one of my favourite reads of the year... Cosy yet exciting' Angela 'A heartwarming story of new beginnings and community spirit' Meena 'A beautiful, feel good story full of characters you'll love and more happy endings than you can shake a stick at' Anne 'What a beautiful read...Great writing and fantastic characters' Barbara 'A heartwarming and thoroughly engrossing read...this book is a real gem' Lois 'Amanda has such a way with words... so descriptive you could really imagine yourself there - especially sitting on the bench watching the sea' Carol 'Lovely story set in Cornwall with a hint of magic' Joanne 'A truly special story' Mary 'I have only recently discovered this author and am so pleased that I have as I love that Amanda James writes books from the heart about real people and real issues' Helen… (more)

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This is a pleasant story about a middle-aged woman living in Cornwall who makes a life change. Her family has a carved box with a legend that it was handed down with soil and seeds from Tintagel (King Arthur's birthplace) and if you make a wish, happiness and abundance will follow. Lowena makes her wish and soon has a community of friends and love.
There are interesting characters, though somewhat predictable, and almost everyone couples off by the end which didn't leave a lot of time for in-depth narrations for them (there are at least six couples). The writing is descriptive though as a reader I felt distanced from the story. Maybe there was too much 'telling' and not enough 'showing' but I couldn't get invested in the book.
The one thing that left a bit of distaste was near the end where an additional magical McGuffin besides the box is used unknowingly on guests at an event (no spoilers but no one should ingest something without being told first). It knocked this down from a three stars for me. (

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N.W.Moors | May 23, 2022 |

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'What a wonderful escape to perfect Cornwall...truly magical! More please!' Faith Hogan #1 eBook bestseller A heartwarming standalone novel of new beginnings, love and finding your community when you need them the most... A precious heirloom passed down from mother to daughter... Lowena Rowe's beloved mum always claimed her family seed box was special. Said to contain soil from Tintagel, the mysterious seat of the legendary King Arthur, whomever made a wish upon the box would have 'a beautiful garden, bountiful crops and love of their fellow man'. Lowena isn't inclined to believe the myth but can't part with the box, knowing how much it meant to her mum. Starting over with a new home and a new job in the Cornish village of St Merryn, Lowena can't help feeling lost and alone... but she isn't the only one. Now, as a community of misfits finds solace and friendship in the shade of her growing garden, she realises there might have been truth to the mythical box after all, and she may just be growing the life and love she's always wanted... Readers are loving The Garden by the Sea: 'What a lovely book! Makes you feel all warm inside & that the world is actually a good place!' Christine 'A magical read, one of my favourite reads of the year... Cosy yet exciting' Angela 'A heartwarming story of new beginnings and community spirit' Meena 'A beautiful, feel good story full of characters you'll love and more happy endings than you can shake a stick at' Anne 'What a beautiful read...Great writing and fantastic characters' Barbara 'A heartwarming and thoroughly engrossing read...this book is a real gem' Lois 'Amanda has such a way with words... so descriptive you could really imagine yourself there - especially sitting on the bench watching the sea' Carol 'Lovely story set in Cornwall with a hint of magic' Joanne 'A truly special story' Mary 'I have only recently discovered this author and am so pleased that I have as I love that Amanda James writes books from the heart about real people and real issues' Helen

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