Usually when I write a review, I like to give a brief overview of the characters and the synopsis of the book, however I have found it practically impossible to do this for The Garden Of Lost And Found. Using multiple threads intricately woven together Harriet Evans has created a wonderfully complex story that simply cannot be summed up in a couple of paragraphs. I also wanted to avoid talking at length about the story as it would be incredibly difficult to avoid spoilers! Overall the majority of the group thought it was a good holiday read and would like to read more of her books. In addition, other members of the group thought it was a lovely read but would not seek other books by this author.

When a book alternates between time periods, it’s inevitable that one will hold the reader’s interest more than the other, and that’s certainly the case with The Garden of Lost and Found. Liddy and Ned’s love story feels like something out of a TV period drama. It’s full of hope, love and hardship, and their devotion for each other is infectious. When they suffered bereavements, I felt as bereft as the characters themselves. And that extends to Mary and Dalbeattie too, undoubtedly the unspoken heroes of this tale. Juliet’s modern day family drama isn’t quite as compelling as her ancestors’ struggle, which is so instinctively linked with the difficulties of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. I wasn't sure what kind of book I was reading most of the time - is this a post-modern take on young adult fantasy? Is this gritty urban drama with a twist of C.S. Lewis? Is this gay fiction for people who hate gay fiction? I felt like a sense of wonderment was implied throughout the book, but at the same time I never felt oohed or aahed. Mysterious overtones wafted through the book, but the big reveals always end up feeling more sobering than awe-inspiring.It's mostly set in two times and from two points of view although there are letters and chapters which span the intervening years and characters. Liddy and her great grand daughter, Juliet are the main narrators, Liddy the wife of a great Victorian painter, Juliet an art historian, specialising in late Victorian and Edwardian painting. After her marriage breaks down, Juliet takes her children to Nightingale House, Liddy's beloved home and that of her mother's before her, to recuperate. But the house is full of ghosts and secrets. Why did her great grandfather burn his greatest painting? What caused the rift between her grandmother and father? And how did her life take such a wrong turn?

The immense feeling of place, the slow, irresistible sense of being drawn deep into the family and its story, and the strange hovering of menace somewhere in the idyll. Wonderful' Penny VincenziI loved the rich detail of this story – the vivid descriptions of the house and gardens, the well developed characters, the trials and tribulations they faced, it was captivating. There must have been quite a lot of research which has gone into this book and it shows in the detail with various historical references. One thing I especially enjoyed were scenes involving the dolls house, which was made for Liddy and is a replica of Nightingale House. I’ve always been fascinated by dolls house and the detailed miniatures for them. Engrossing and clever and funny and beautifully observed . . . I recommend it wholeheartedly’ Clothes in Books blog