This remarkable book could not be given anything less than 5 stars. I will be thinking about The Winter Garden by Alexandra Bell for a while.
"Beatrice thought it strange, and sad, and a little scary, how every tiny thing one persion did - every single choice and act - could ripple out to have an impact on the people around them. And you could never quite know how many people you affected, or in what ways, or how your life might have touched theirs for the worse."
Synopsis:
On the night her mother dies, 8-year-old Beatrice receives an invitation to the mysterious Winter Garden. A place of wonder and magic, filled with all manner of strange and spectacular flora and fauna, the garden is her solace every night for seven days. But when the garden disappears, and no one believes her story, Beatrice is left to wonder if it were truly real.
Eighteen years later, on the eve of her wedding to a man her late father approved of but she does not love, Beatrice makes the decision to throw off the expectations of Victorian English society and search for the garden. But when both she and her closest friend, Rosa, receive invitations to compete to create spectacular pleasure gardens - with the prize being one wish from the last of the Winter Garden's magic - she realises she may be closer to finding it than she ever imagined.
Now all she has to do is win.
This book is just...incredible. It has left me with so many emotions and will be a story I think and recommend for a long time. It was magical and whimsical, but it was also kind of dark and heartbreaking and left me in tears at times.
I believe everyone needs to experience The Winter Garden and because of that, it's hard to say much about the book itself. I do not want to give anything away. All I will say is that this story is about two women realizing that the difficult times they wish to change, are also what has led to their biggest joys and without those difficult times they would not have what they have now. The end was very profound to me and I hope you read it and love it as much as I do.
"We all think our own problems are uniquely difficult,' she went on quietly. 'Because they are ours. But the truth is. Everyone struggles. With something. That is. Unbearable. To them."
Beatrice is in love with nature. The remarkable flora and fauna that are being discovered and created captivate her and from a very young age, she has longed to make her own discoveries. After her week spent in the Winter Garden as a little girl, her love and passion has only increased. She is especially fond of and fascinated with mushrooms. Because of that, and to celebrate Beatrice braving a path few women in Victorian England would have, I decided to try making meringue mushrooms. Let me tell you...I am OBSESSED with these! They are so cute! I really did not expect them to turn out as well as they did. I think they turned out so well thanks to the very simple-to-follow recipe from Natasha's Kitchen (https://natashaskitchen.com/meringue-mushrooms-recipe/ Instagram: @natashaskitchen). I think they are the perfect little bite to go with this phenomenal book. Dare I say that Beatrice would have been smitten with these sweet mushrooms as well?
Thanks for stopping by!
-Kim
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