The multi-narration works well, and the nod to historical events, such as Charles and Diana's wedding helps to ground the narrative and provide a hook for the reader. The Secret Garden Affair immerses you in the world of beautiful gardens, and difficult family relationships through the eyes of three women - young Libby who has had her heart broken, and the two characters who have been a steady influence on her throughout her life, Elfrida and Bess. But Libby's arrival stirs up secrets between the two older women and their families, as the author takes the reader back to the 1920's . This was not always done in a straightforward way, for example you may get a number of Bess’s memories before getting one via Elfrida. So she flees to the Suffolk countryside to get away from it all and finds herself at Larkspur House where she hopes the glorious gardens will help heal her soul.

Setting the story at this time adds a curious level of pathos to everything that is quite intriguing given the hindsight that we now have about the golden marriage that proved to be anything but. Erica James, née Sullivan was born in 1960 in Surrey, England, UK and she grew up on Hayling Island, Hampshire since 4 years. This momentous decision of Alastair is not liked by his friends, who feel betrayed and breaking of their trust. She wishes to keep writing such interesting stories for many more years to come and achieve the love and support of her fans like she always has. She moves back and forth between the present, where the impact of these secrets has torn family relationships asunder, and evocative episodes from the 1920s onwards that tell of the shared experiences that have bound Elfrida and Bess together.Yet, whilst the grounds that Elfrida has designed seem perfect, life has become the juxtaposition to this. There are some great characters to get your teeth into in this tale, but my favourites are Elfrida and Bess.

There's a big old house, left to Elfrida, and there's a Count who provides caviar and a special champagne from his brother's vault, on a boat, during a date. There is a wealth of interesting information about garden design, and designers, which I really enjoyed.It wrapped its magic around me (much like it did to Libby and Daniel) and I felt sad when I had to say goodbye. Therefore, when Libby’s engagement ends along with her self-employed business share with her ex-best friend, she finds herself drawn to Bess and Elfrida, the constants in her life. Hilary Parker is very happy: she has a kind, caring husband, David, two lively children, and she immerses herself in both family life and life in the village of Hulme Welford, which has been her home since childhood. That is why she often indulges in a conversation with unknown people with the hope that she will unearth something useful out of it that can be used in her writing material. As the country prepares to celebrate Prince Charles’ wedding to Lady Diana, Libby wants to be as far away from royal wedding fever as possible.

Divorced, she has two grown-up sons, Edward and Samuel, and lives between Cheshire and Lake Como in Italy. This really was a quaint and charming read with exceptional detail which made everything so easily to visualise.Elfrida is also a tribute to famous female gardeners from past and present such as Gertrude Jekyll and Norah Lindsay. The story is set in the summer of 1981 when the country was gripped by Royal Wedding fever, and also in the 1920’s moving forwards. When Libby finds her fiance Marcus in bed with her best friend Selina three weeks before her wedding, she flees London for the sanctuary of Larkspur House in Suffolk where her Great Aunt Bess lives with her friend Elfrida.

The majority of the key characters are female and, as the action covers about 60 years up to 1981, we see the prejudices and constraints they had to deal with in the earlier parts of the last century. Having caught her own fiancé in bed with her best friend just weeks before they were due to marry, she’s fled London for the comfort of the Suffolk countryside.After that, she won a lot more success in her career as readers all over the world began noticing her work and reading her novels with more interest.