February 28, 2022
Lovell follows up her WWI-era The Kew Gardens Girls with an emotional story of a new generation of brave Britons. It’s 1940 and newlywed Daisy Cooper—whose mother, Ivy, and godmother, Louisa, were among the women who took up men’s jobs at Kew Gardens during WWI—has just sent her dashing RAF pilot husband, Rex, to fight the Germans when she’s invited to Kew Gardens to work as a gardener. There, she’s paired with elegant nurse Beth Sanderson, who longs to be a doctor—but her physician father Geoffrey refuses to sign the necessary papers for her to start training. Through their work, Daisy and Beth become fast friends—and then Daisy, who recently learned she is pregnant, receives word that Rex has been killed in action. Beth, meanwhile, has fallen in love with a Jamaican cardiologist and must contend with her father’s racism and bigotry, not to mention that of society at large. The horrible reality of war is on full display in this engrossing story, which Lovell enhances with a visceral sense of bombs falling and terrible news arriving via telegrams. This has “movie option” written all over it.
Starred review from October 1, 2022
Inspired by actual events, Lovell's sequel to The Kew Gardens Girls returns readers to war-torn England, this time in 1940. The story follows three women who volunteer to tend the gardens as part of the war effort. Newlywed Daisy Cooper, whose parents met at Kew Gardens, volunteers to keep herself busy after her husband Rex's departure for the RAF. Nurse Beth Sanderson wants to be a doctor, but her father won't allow her to go to medical school. She is falling for Jamaican surgeon Gus Campbell--a wholly unsuitable match, according to her family. Louisa Armitage was part of the original Kew gardening group during World War I, and now she's ready to join again. Although they come from different backgrounds, when tragedy strikes, the women come together and support each other through their darkest times. Seasoned narrator Elizabeth Knowelden moves seamlessly from voicing one character to another, giving each their own distinct personality and identity. Her elegant narration adds a somber tone to this moving story. VERDICT Recommended for those who enjoy WWII stories and women's fiction. Series fans will enjoy catching up with old friends, but it is not necessary to have read the first book to enjoy the sequel.--Cheryl Youse
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