Back when I was trying to choose my favorite reads from 2011, Susanna Kearsley’s latest, The Rose Garden, was near the top of the list. So I want to give special mention to this book, tell you a little about it, and why I liked it so (other than the above list of reasons!).
One of those reasons is explained well by Susanna herself, at The Heroine Addicts blog (Getting To Know You). It’s about courtship (vs. sex scenes) and the fact that this is vanishing in the market in which Susanna writes (not so much in the Christian fiction market, since that’s what we focus on when writing romance), and why she feels it’s important not to lose this “getting to know you” aspect of relationships in fiction.
Go read her post and get this in her own words.
Susanna has described the romantic scenes in her books as G-rated, and that’s one of the qualities I appreciate about her novels. That doesn’t mean the chemistry doesn’t sizzle on the page at times, or the reader isn’t hoping for and pulling for the characters every small step of the way as they do get to know one another.
Here’s a blurb for The Rose Garden.
“Whatever time we have,” he said, “it will be time enough.”
Eva Ward returns to the only place she truly belongs, the old house on the Cornish coast, seeking happiness in memories of childhood summers. There she finds mysterious voices and hidden pathways that sweep her not only into the past, but also into the arms of a man who is not of her time.
But Eva must confront her own ghosts, as well as those of long ago. As she begins to question her place in the present, she comes to realize that she too must decide where she really belongs.
From Susanna Kearsley, author of the New York Times bestseller The Winter Sea and a voice acclaimed by fans of Gabaldon, du Maurier, and Niffenegger alike, The Rose Garden is a haunting exploration of love, family, the true meaning of home, and the ties that bind us together.
I have a copy of this, thanks to your recommendation, and I hope to read it soon!
Ruth, I look forward to your thoughts on The Rose Garden. I'm confident you'll enjoy it. đŸ™‚
I just got this last week, thanks to you. Happy reading, Ruth:) And thx for the book tip, Lori! Who said word of mouth sells books?! Yep…
Laura, enjoy! I know you will. This is your kind of book for sure.
Just replying to myself because I'm so happy to see Blogger finally FINALLY introduce a thread tree into their comment replies. It's the little things, dontcha know.
Okay — you might have convinced to me to stick my big toe into the "non-Christian market" pool. The Rose Garden sounds too tempting to resist!
Kav,
In the event I did convince you… enjoy! And let me know what you think. đŸ™‚ There aren't many books I "can't put down" these days, but this was one of them. And I didn't want to leave the story world when I was done.
Lori, I have this one (and several others by her) sitting on my TBR shelf. I'm looking forward to the read.
You're a Mary Stewart fan, right? If so, you should enjoy Susanna's writing. Let me know!