Customer Reviews

The China Garden

5 star:		(109)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Clare Meredith and her mother move to a historical estate named Ravensmere, for the summer. Her mother will work as a private nurse for the Ravensmere's owner, Mr. Aylward. As Clare explores the town, Stoke Raven Village, she finds that everyone knows more than she sees. She soon meets Mark, the classic bad boy biker who enchants our heroine. Clare is determined to find out Ravensmere's true meaning and intention and what happened with her mother who reveals her tragic past linked with Ravensmere. She takes midnight walks to the abandoned China Garden and must figure out a way to unravel the mysteries of Ravensmere.

Liz Berry has amazing imagery in this book, the garden and the whole region of Ravensmere is beautifully depicated. She described a good 'Picture postcard England'. The mystery puzzle was always amusing to guess. The suspense was packed for the next piece of the puzzle. I loved trying to find the true meaning of the Bension, the true purpose of Ravensmere. The foreshadowing is laughable when you finish the book, making you wonder why you did not see it. Mark and Clare have a modern day romance. Mark's bad boy affect and his characterization makes almost any teenage girl lust for him. The simple incorporation of every and modern day fantasy is a wonderful touch to the alluring mystery. The pieces are woven brilliantly and this is what a Young Adult mystery should be.

A great Young Adult mystery, suspense, romance and fantasy novel. It captures you.

This wasn't masterfully written, but it was frequently breathtaking, and what a fascinating world she creates!

She combines the fated feeling almost of a horror story - "once you enter, you can't leave" - with a romantic story seasoned with ancient Celtic customs and standing stones.

The authenticity, completeness, intricacy, and creativity of her world makes this book well worth the read. If you have any interest in Celtic mysticism, ancient indigenous religions, or heroes tall, dark, and enigmatic, you must read this book. Very satisfying and thought-provoking, exciting, and intriguing.

I first read this book at 13 and I have to say it is still my favorite. The sheer detail of it is amazing; liz berry makes you feel like you are actually there. A blend of a love story, history, (perhaps made up for the book?) fantasy and spirituality this book is almost impossible to put down. I would recommend it to anyone who likes love stories, though it is so much more than that. This book's true treasure lies deep within its pages.

OMG! I love this book! I borrowed it from a friend two years ago and this year I knew I HAD to read it! So I bought it and read it an a night, it so amazing, it has history and love and wow Mark seems so beautiful! after I read it I made all my girl friends read it, I still can't believe it when I think of it! the story is so complex I can't even explain it to anyone, I hope that liz berry will write more amazing books...

I have to admit, the beginning is a bit boring, but when you get to the middle of the book and the story begins to unfold, this book will amaze you.

Liz Berry, the author, did a wonderful job writing "The China Garden." It had all the elements to make a story great. It had adventure, romance, and mystery. I especially loved reading about Clare and Mark's relationship. It makes you want to have a guy like Mark yourself. The funny things they did made me smile all day thinking about it. "The China Garden" also had a lot of twists that had me surprised.

I would recomend this book, but not to anyone under the age of 13. Some parts are unsuitable for younger kids.

Well, to sum it all up, buy this book! If your a person who doesn't like to read, this book will change your mind. It had me staying up on a school night to try to finish.

My mom bought me this book only because the main character (Clare) and I share the same first name and it is even spelled the same. How many pieces of liturature do you come across with the name clare spelled without the "i". I thought this book would be incredibly strange, but I loved it.
Personally, I find it amazing and wonderfully creative that the author invented so much history for this book. It must have taken forever to do so. I give her props.
Also, the descriptions are astounding. Her writing describes everythign to the point where you are actually standing in the garden or whatever scene you are in.
The love story. This one was great. I thought that Clare fell in love with Mark a little bit too soon after she hated him, but that was the only shaky thing. Clare's emotions and hormones were very realistic and the fights she and Mark got into showed that no relationship is perfect, even in true love. Personally, I thought Mark was a great character. He was the cool bad boy with the motorcycle, free spirit, and bossiness. I loved everything about him.
The mystery in this book was good too. It was very unique and cool. Everything was very suspensful and led you right up until the end.
Oveerall, this is a wonderfull book and I recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy, love stories, and mysteries. Enjoy.

This suspenseful, romantic, and mysterious book, "The China Garden", is what keeps you turning the page to read more. Liz Berry has done a wounderful job grabing the readers attention in the first chapter.

In this book, Clare Meredith, is a teenager who is living in London with her mother and is planing to go off to college. However things didnt go as planned. Her mother needed to mave to Ravermere to become a nerse to an old sick man and to pay off a debt. While not being able to understand some of the secrets that her mother was keeping, she was determined to go with her, leaving behind her school and her boyfriend Adrian.

When they finally settle in, things start to act strange. Clare begins to feel like people know her and as she figures out some of her mother's secrets she starts to wonder about all the things that her mother told her when she was little. Now Clare finds some unexpected things about herself since she came to Raversmere. She will also meet a handsome young man named Mark in which she will soon have strong feelings for.

The way Liz Berry describes every object and place makes you feel like you are in the room and can actually see the item that she describes. As she slowly reveals the secrets, you cant help but to keep reading. Overall, I found this book to be extreamly well written and would recommend this to people who enjoy suspenceful,mysterious and a romantic book.

I have read this book, and though it was a quick read, it was pretty darn good. There were some areas I felt could be more detailed and were even slightly confusing. Also, I felt that since the book was not in the first person, and it gave the reader glimpses of Mark feelings, that the author could have provided a little more depth to his thoughts. Sometimes he seemed jerky and irrational, not the type of guy the reader loves right away. Basically, my critism to this book is that the author seemed a little too rushed to get her story out.

The plot, however, was very creative and even had historical facts to back it up (even though the setting was completely fictional). The reader was drawn in to into the story quickly, and left in suspence. Not to mention the main character was very likable, and a strong, smart women. What more do you need?

If you like fantasy, and you need a quick read with a happy story, then i reccomend you read this book.

Clare is plunged into a strange world the summer before she is to start university. Her mother heads off to an ancient manor, Ravensmere, to take care of its dying owner. Clare insists on accompanying her, despite her mother's pleas and warnings that "Ravensmere is a strange place". Once there, Clare meets Mark, a biker who pursues her. Ravensmere is an odd, mystical place, and Clare is drawn to it. While she explores the grounds, she hears rumors of "the Bennison", and the dying old man tells her that she is meant to be the "gaurdian". As she and Mark begin their romance, she realizes that it isn't simply boy meets girl- she and Mark seemed destined for each other, their lives inexplicably twined. Time is running out for Clare to discover the mystery of Ravensmere....will she find out the truth and save the place?

I'm trying to remember now where I first ran across a reference to this book. It may have been on Meg Cabot's blog a few years ago, come to think of it. She's always dropping good recommendations here and there and I often pick up on them. This one I ran down at my local library, where they fortunately had the gorgeous cover. And not the hideously awkward hardback cover. I adore this cover. It's really perfect for the book itself, evoking all the adjectives that spring to my mind when I think of it: shadowy, romantic, autumnal, and somewhat foreboding. And still it holds some secrets in reserve. In fact I always think of it as a fall read. One for someone in the mood for not having the storyline and the history of the characters totally spelled out for you. For those who like figuring things out along the way and enjoy something slightly different from the standard paranormal fare that is on display so much these days. This was my first experience reading a Liz Berry book. She is an artist and author from London and, from what I can tell, her books are not widely available on this side of the pond. Always a shame.

Clare Meredith is in a bit of a holding pattern as she prepares to go off to university. Finished with her classes, awaiting exam results, she finds herself a little disconcerted to be suddenly uprooted by her mother and unceremoniously moved from London to the remote estate of Ravensmere. Her mother has taken a position as private nurse to the owner of Ravensmere--a Mr. Aylward. Making the best of her new surroundings, Clare strikes out and familiarizes herself with the people and places of nearby Stoke Raven village. It is there she meets Mark, a somewhat rakish young biker boy fetchingly clad in leather, and the two of them strike up a friendship of sorts. At the same time, her new life begins to take on an eerie tone as it appears everyone in Stoke Raven feels like they know her already. One too many people comment on being happy to have her "back" and from there the situation only gets odder as Clare's mother reveals a few pertinent details about her past and her connection with Ravensmere itself. Then Clare discovers the China Garden and she, her mother, Mark, and Mr. Ayward find themselves thrust into a headlong rush to discover the link that binds them across time to this place.

THE CHINA GARDEN is part mystery, part fantasy, part historical fiction and it kept reminding me on a regular basis of a short Mary Stewart novel. Particularly Touch Not the Cat. The rambly old English estate, the family inextricably tied to the land, the ESP. Add some exploration of ancient pagan rites meets early Christianity and you have THE CHINA GARDEN. I liked that Clare was a little bit older at seventeen and thinking about college and somewhat more mature issues. I liked her offbeat and leisurely developing relationship with dark Mark. I enjoyed her complicated relationship with her mother. I felt like the story never pandered to me and that I never quite knew for sure how it was going to unravel. In fact, it ended up quite more intricate and grand than I was expecting. But Clare and her intent nature grounded it all for me nicely. This one does not move along at a fast clip, but unfolds slowly and on its own time table. But the descriptions of the crumbling old manor and the small village surrounding it are lovely and I, for one, didn't at all mind sliding in alongside the characters and taking it as it came. For fans of Margaret Mahy, Libba Bray, and Mary Stewart.