Customer Reviews

The Memory Garden

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Mel Pentreath, a university professor, takes a sabbatical in order to try and recover from a toxic relationship, and finish the book she's been trying to write. Her destination of choice is a tiny Cornish village near Lamorna Cove, where she meets two potential new suitors, and tries to decipher the identity of a young woman who left behind some compelling drawings in the house she has rented.

The two stories -- small sections of the book deal with the story of the Edwardian serving girl who produced the art that has grabbed Mel's attention -- are both gentle and meandering narratives, a far cry from the edgier 'girl about town' chick lit -- this is more a contemporary Rosamund Pilcher novel than Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic. I read it on a beach vacation, and found it enjoyable enough to keep me turning the pages, but undemanding enough that I didn't have to think too hard to read or enjoy it.

There's nothing terribly original in the plot, and the writing, while good, occasionally topples over into sentimentality. Kate Morton's books are similar, but with stronger plots; this, along with Rachel Hore's two other books, are a good way to pass the time while you're waiting for another Morton book to appear, or if you're fed up with all the chick lit out there that revolves around sex and shopping.