Through The Unfinished
Garden, Barbara Claypole White brings an uncommon depth and elegance to a
beautiful love story. The protagonist, Tilly, struggles to move past the death
of her husband by throwing her energies into her son, Isaac, and her North
Carolina gardening business.
When a wealthy and somewhat dashing James Nealy offers an
exorbitant fee to landscape his new home, Tilly flatly refuses. But the quirky
software developer shows a remarkable persistence, even following her to her
childhood home in England when Tilly’s mother becomes ill. There, Tilly
reconnects with Sebastian, her first love, who has also returned home.
Both men are attractive and vulnerable. James Nealy is a
sweet man who confesses to Tilly his OCD which he hopes gardening can
alleviate. Sebastian is struggling to find himself after a nasty divorce, still
determined to be a great father to his young children.
When reading this book, I was engrossed by Tilly’s love interests
because they were real, flawed human beings striving to overcome their
weaknesses. Unlike many other novels in this genre, I was not sure whom Tilly
should or would choose. I was sympathetic to both. To me, that’s how real life
is. Nothing is ever so cut and dried.
Also, I found both settings—humid, somewhat dangerous North
Carolina and the crisp gardens of the English countryside—to be characters of
their own. Barbara Claypole White’s descriptions drew me in and have made me
hungry for more.
I love this book. It is a tender story that has stayed with
me, and has me praying for a sequel.  |
| Me with author, Barbara Claypole White, at the 2012 South Carolina Writers Workshop Conference, Myrtle Beach, SC |
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