The Lost Garden

by Helen Humphreys | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 0747568138 Global Overview for this book
Registered by DubaiReader of Dubai, Dubai United Arab Emirates on 8/29/2012
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11 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by DubaiReader from Dubai, Dubai United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, August 29, 2012
For some reason I have a duplicate copy of this book so it's making its way to Tsjara for the Wish List Tag Game.
I hope you enjoy it :)

Journal Entry 2 by Tsjara at Assendelft, Noord-Holland Netherlands on Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Arrived here safely (lovely stamps!). Thanks a lot DubaiReader for tagging me with this book! Sounds good, looking forward to read it. :)

Journal Entry 3 by Tsjara at Assendelft, Noord-Holland Netherlands on Thursday, April 11, 2013
This was sitting on my shelf calling out to me and I couldn't resist (never mind that I had a couple other books waiting to be read). :p
It is a lovely bittersweet story, set in England during WWII. Gwen Davis is socially awkward, never been loved and thinks herself very plain. She works at the Royal Horticultural Society in London, but leaves the city for a beautiful, neglected country house in Devon, where she is supposed to take charge of the Land Girls and grow food for the war effort, but it doesn't turn out quite as she expected. And then there is also a group of soldiers at the house waiting to be posted.
The writing style is quite beautiful, poetic, but it feels a bit uhm.. self conscious(?) sometimes. I really liked the descriptions of the plants and flowers though (and the secret garden). And it made me curious to try To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf.

Excerpt (because I too love peonies :p):
"The Garden of Loss blooms in May. It is a simpler construction than the Garden of Longing. It contains fewer species, but more plants. The middle of the three gardens, it begins with a great breaking wave of peonies. The blooms are white and pale pink, grow upright for now, giant buttons of brilliance festooning green leafy tunics. But soon their heads will become too heavy for the thin, weed-like stalks on which they rise with such hope, and the peonies will crash to the ground in a wave of grief. They are too much for themselves, and soon they know it. I have always loved peonies. There is something almost heroic in their reckless colllapse. And there is nothing sadder than a crowd of stricken peonies, their heads full of rain."


This will be an international bookring (though it's Europe only so far :p)
Link to forum post: www.bookcrossing.com/forum/20/493599/

General rules/guidelines:
- Make a journal entry when you receive the book.
- Try to read the book within 2 or 3 months (or give us an update if you need more time).
- When you have finished reading, please tell us your thoughts on the book.
- PM the next participant for their address and send the book to them (cheapest mailing option/surface mail is fine).

Participants:
- Nordpirat (Sweden) EU shipping
- QueenSissi (Portugal) Europe shipping
- Penelopewanders (Switzerland) Europe shipping
- Icila (France) International shipping (not before September)
- Rodespringbal (Belgium) EU shipping
- kiki66 (Germany) International shipping
- FraukeRo (Germany) International shipping
- Abi-Gibby (UK) EU?

Edit: This is now a bookray instead of a ring. All I ask is that the last reader keeps the book moving :)

Journal Entry 4 by Tsjara at Assendelft, Noord-Holland Netherlands on Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Released 10 yrs ago (6/11/2013 UTC) at Assendelft, Noord-Holland Netherlands

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

The bookring is starting with Nordpirat in Sweden.
I hope you will enjoy the book. :)

Journal Entry 5 by Nordpirat at Bromma, Stockholm Sweden on Friday, June 14, 2013
The book arrived today. :-)
I'm looking forward to read it.

Journal Entry 6 by Nordpirat at Bromma, Stockholm Sweden on Thursday, June 20, 2013
Oh what a lovely beautiful story.
Both painstakingly beautiful and at times almost unbearably sad. :'-(
The book combines several things for which I have a fascination - gardens and gardening, England and the second world war.

I feel a bit cheap quoting the news paper reviews on the book cover, but two of them describes so spot on what I felt so that I have no better way of putting it;

"...it's hard not to feel one is reading an eyewitness account." (NY Times)
That was one of the first things I thought when I started reading the book. "It's as if she was there."

"There is a gracefulness to her writing, a fluidity that tempts one to read passages out aloud just to hear them." (Toronto Star)
That urge to read out aloud struck me on several occasions during my reading of the book. I almost fell in love with the way this author writes. Beautiful. Poetic. Yet straight and uncomplicated.

Like Tsjara I'd also like to mention Virginia Woolfes To the lighthouse.
I have read To the lighthouse and I actually wasn't very fond of it. However; this book made me want to reread it! If I do, I will not read it translated as I did last time, but read it in the original language. And see if that makes a difference. Might I just like it then...?


Released 10 yrs ago (6/25/2013 UTC) at -- By post or by hand/ in person, RABCK , bookring/ray, Stockholm Sweden

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

I'm setting this book off to continue its journey. To Portugal it goes.

Journal Entry 8 by QueenSissi at Gouveia, Guarda Portugal on Wednesday, July 3, 2013
It has arrived! Thank you!

Journal Entry 9 by QueenSissi at Gouveia, Guarda Portugal on Sunday, July 28, 2013
It was a really nice fast to read book. I didn't know about the land's army nor the canadian soldiers and it was interesting to read about the story itself though there was always a feeling about how it would end.

Sending to Penelopewanders as soon as i get the address. Thanks for sharing!

Journal Entry 10 by wingpenelopewanderswing at Hasliberg, Bern / Berne Switzerland on Wednesday, August 28, 2013
This and a few other rings and rays rolled in while I was on holiday. I'll try to get to it soon, but for the time being am dealing with the start up of work etc. Thanks so much for sending and making available.

Journal Entry 11 by wingpenelopewanderswing at Hasliberg, Bern / Berne Switzerland on Sunday, September 15, 2013
This is a true gem of a book, magic like the secret garden Gwen discovers. The language is precise and poetic, the story unusual and very moving in a quiet, subtle way. I do quite wish I had read Virginia Woolf more recently, as many of the references rang rather distant bells for me. A beautiful little story.
(short side anecdote... for some reason I confused the author with the author of the book about a correspondence between a man working a bookshop in London and an actress in New york during the war.. something Charing Cross Road, I think. That author is also a Helen H. something, I seem to recall. Anyway, as that was also a beautiful book, somehow it made sense that this would be the same author ... except it's not at all.)
Meanwhile I have another book I need to send to the next in line, so I'll finish it and send the books together. Thanks so much for making this available.

Journal Entry 12 by wingpenelopewanderswing at Hasliberg, Bern / Berne Switzerland on Monday, December 9, 2013

Released 10 yrs ago (12/9/2013 UTC) at Hasliberg, Bern / Berne Switzerland

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

I am so, so sorry! I read this ages ago and put it where I put rings and rays ready to post. Somehow it slipped behind some other books and I forgot all about it. I usually cover rings and rays while I'm reading them to protect them, so yesterday I was rooting around in my TBR pile and saw a covered book... I wondered what book it was and was dismayed to realize this had never been sent. Now it is heading to France.
I wish you all a healthy, happy and peaceful holiday season, and again - my apologies for keeping the book here so long!

Journal Entry 13 by wingIcilawing at Nantes, Pays de la Loire France on Friday, December 20, 2013
Arrived yesterday with a storm (rain, not snow here.)
Merry Christmas to all of you !

Journal Entry 14 by wingIcilawing at Nantes, Pays de la Loire France on Tuesday, January 7, 2014
I'm not of the poetic sort and therefore I missed the garden's message but it was interesting on the wartime level. I love to learn History and I knew nothing about the Land Girls experience.

Journal Entry 15 by wingIcilawing at Nantes, Pays de la Loire France on Thursday, January 9, 2014

Released 10 yrs ago (1/6/2014 UTC) at Nantes, Pays de la Loire France

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

On its way to Belgium.

Journal Entry 16 by wingrodespringbalwing at Roosdaal, Vlaams-Brabant / Brabant Flamant Belgium on Sunday, February 9, 2014
This book arrived on friday. We had an other postmen and he dropped it of at the wrong address. Thank heaven, there are some kind people in the world that would hold this book with them but returned it to me :-)

Journal Entry 17 by wingrodespringbalwing at Roosdaal, Vlaams-Brabant / Brabant Flamant Belgium on Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Not really my kind of reading-style, couldn't find my way into the book. So bad!

Had a pm from tsjara that she found extra participants in this ring :-)
Will send this book to Kiki66

Journal Entry 18 by wingkiki66wing at Gauting, Bayern Germany on Saturday, April 12, 2014
The book has arrived this morning - thanks for sending it my way!

Will read asap - since BC's law struck again and two bookrings arrived today...

Journal Entry 19 by wingkiki66wing at Gauting, Bayern Germany on Tuesday, April 22, 2014
I loved this book!
the description of the gardens, the life during these times..
Gwen and Riley, Jane and David..
Makes me want to tour the British Estate Gardens once.

I have asked Abi-Gibby for her address...

Journal Entry 20 by wingkiki66wing at Gauting, Bayern Germany on Friday, April 25, 2014

Released 9 yrs ago (4/25/2014 UTC) at Gauting, Bayern Germany

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

On its way to the second to last station...

Enjoy!!

Journal Entry 21 by wingFraukeRowing at Großefehn, Niedersachsen Germany on Thursday, May 1, 2014
The book arrived here yesterday, thanks for sending!

Journal Entry 22 by wingFraukeRowing at Großefehn, Niedersachsen Germany on Wednesday, May 7, 2014
That was an impressive read. The descriptions of wartime London reminded me a LOT of my grandmother's descriptions of German cities during WWII. It always makes me sad to think of all the civilians on all sides getting injured and killed and having their lives messed up in general... and then again, books like this one show that there can be some kind of (sometimes tragic) beauty in all the chaos of that time. I can't really make up my mind whether to call the story sad or hopeful - so I'll just say thank you for letting me read this wonderful book :-)

Journal Entry 23 by wingFraukeRowing at Großefehn, Niedersachsen Germany on Thursday, May 8, 2014

Released 9 yrs ago (5/8/2014 UTC) at Großefehn, Niedersachsen Germany

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Now moving on to Abi-Gibby - enjoy!

Journal Entry 24 by wingAbi-Gibbywing at Millbrook, Cornwall United Kingdom on Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Book arrived today

Journal Entry 25 by wingAbi-Gibbywing at Millbrook, Cornwall United Kingdom on Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Sudden realisation. Have already read the book. Will be sending it to wibba as she won my prize draw

Released 9 yrs ago (5/14/2014 UTC) at -- Controlled Release, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- United Kingdom

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Congratulations, you have picked up a travelling book!
If you have a moment, we'd love you to let us know you have the book as we're keen to follow its journey. You can even post a review when you've read it before passing it on to the next lucky person.
Happy reading!


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Journal Entry 27 by wibba at Foxton, Cambridgeshire United Kingdom on Monday, June 2, 2014
Thanks abi-gibby..sorry about delay

Journal Entry 28 by wibba at Foxton, Cambridgeshire United Kingdom on Saturday, June 21, 2014
I enjoyed this book and loved the language used

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