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Il giardino perduto
Il giardino perduto | Helen Humphreys, Carlotta Scarlata
73 posts | 35 read | 89 to read
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review
Jas16
The Lost Garden: A Novel | Helen Humphreys
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Pickpick

A poetic story about a lonely woman who leaves London during the war to assist with growing potatoes in the countryside and the those she meets who ultimately change her and her life. Full of longing, love, and loss, this book made me cry more than once. #24in2024

BookNAround This was such a beautiful book. 3mo
Jas16 @BookNAround It really was. 3mo
LeahBergen It‘s a lovely book! 3mo
41 likes3 comments
review
erzascarletbookgasm
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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Pickpick

Gem of a book with beautiful writing and imagery, as beautiful as the flowers and gardens described in the novel. Set against the war, it‘s quiet and melancholic as the story is about those who are waiting at home..those waiting for return of loved ones; for love; and to be sent off to war. It breaks my heart. There‘re so many great quotes, I took my time with the book. Read it for June‘s #TBRtarot 😅

CBee Sounds lovely 🥰 4mo
CarolynM That‘s a seriously lovely cover and a great review. Stacked🙂 4mo
LeahBergen Loved this book! 🥰 4mo
See All 8 Comments
Cathythoughts Gorgeous book ❤️ 4mo
Jess_Read_This I loved this book! Great review! 4mo
CarolynM 👋 Hi Jessie, was just thinking of you. Hope all is well💕 3w
TrishB Hi 👋 just thinking if you too. Hope everything ok. 😘 2w
LeahBergen Hello! 👋 I hope you‘re doing well! 😘 2w
60 likes2 stack adds8 comments
blurb
merelybookish
Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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My picks for #12daysof2023
May - The Lost Garden
June - Miss Buncle's Book
@Andrew65

julieclair Ooohhh… I have wanted to read Miss Buncle‘s Book for ages! (edited) 11mo
LeahBergen Two of my faves, side by side! 😆 11mo
Andrew65 Great choices. 11mo
See All 13 Comments
Aimeesue Miss Buncle! ❤️❤️❤️ 11mo
merelybookish @julieclair It's charming! 11mo
merelybookish @LeahBergen Lol. I'm not stalking you, I swear. 😉 11mo
merelybookish @Aimeesue A delight! 11mo
merelybookish @Andrew65 thanks! 🙂 11mo
batsy The Lost Garden is so good! And I should push Miss Buncle further up the TBR. 11mo
TheLudicReader I love The Lost Garden so much. 11mo
merelybookish @batsy Miss Buncle is the quintessential cozy read. Like Miss Marple without a dead body. 11mo
merelybookish @TheLudicReader 💚💚💚 11mo
batsy @merelybookish Perfect 😆 11mo
41 likes3 stack adds13 comments
blurb
Cinfhen
Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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My first Humphreys and I‘m super excited 🩷🌺🙌🏻And I‘ve been wanting to read this love.y hardcover from Bloomsbury 😍it‘s GORGEOUS ❣️Thank you SO MUCH @TrishB for the amazing birthday gifts 🌈💜🎂📚 You know I‘m LOVING the whole floral theme🪻🌸🪷💐🌼🌻🌺

Ruthiella Happy Birthday! 🥳🥳🥳 1y
AmyG Happy Birthday! 🎁🎂🎈 1y
dabbe HB! 💜🎂 💜 1y
See All 9 Comments
Cinfhen Thanks, @TrishB mailed it with plenty of time but the postal system STILL managed to take weeks to get to me @Ruthiella @AmyG @dabbe so it was a slightly belated gift…which made it even xtra FUN🤩 1y
merelybookish Happy belated!! 💐💐💐 I just read the Humphreys last month and loved it! 1y
TrishB So glad it arrived safely ♥️♥️ 1y
TheLudicReader It‘s such a beautiful book and inspired me to visit The Lost Gardens of Heligan when I was in the UK in 2007. 1y
Cinfhen I‘m excited to read the Humphreys @TheLudicReader @merelybookish I think I stacked after reading your review 😊 1y
Cinfhen Thanks again @TrishB hope you had fun last night xxx 1y
59 likes9 comments
review
merelybookish
Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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Pickpick

Well that just broke my heart into pieces! 😭 At first I thought the prose might teeter into cloying, but it won me over. Exquisite!

batsy Yes! It's beautiful ❤️ 2y
Cinfhen Sounds wonderful 2y
squirrelbrain Sounds wonderful - stacked. 2y
See All 7 Comments
TheBookHippie Stacked!!! ♥️ 2y
TrishB You‘ll love all her others too now ❤️ 2y
LeahBergen Yay! I‘m so glad you loved it, too! 👏 2y
Tamra I ended up on the cloying side. 😏 But I am definitely in the minority! 2y
60 likes5 stack adds7 comments
blurb
merelybookish
Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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My #doublespin for May. Good so far! Also, I've been reading a lot of longer books lately. Nice to read something fairly short.

TrishB Love her writing. 2y
TheLudicReader I LOVE this book, and it is the reason I visited the Lost Garden of Heligan in the UK. 2y
Cathythoughts I loved this book ♥️ and what a beautiful cover. 2y
See All 6 Comments
merelybookish @TrishB This is the first book I've read by her but want to read more now! 2y
merelybookish @TheLudicReader I'm going to Google it! I imagine it was amazing. 2y
merelybookish @Cathythoughts Agree about the book and the cover! 2y
63 likes1 stack add6 comments
review
JenniferP
The Lost Garden: A Novel | Helen Humphreys
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Pickpick

Lovely, short book about a group of women who volunteer to grow food for the WWII war effort. Lots of references to Virginia Woolf‘s To the Lighthouse, so an added benefit that it prompted a reread of that book for me.

TrishB Love Humphreys ❤️ 2y
batsy I love this book! 2y
24 likes2 comments
blurb
Dragon
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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#wondrouswednesday @Eggs thanks 🙏 for the tag @Ddzmini 1. Flower pot on balcony. 2. Sprouted sweet potato 🍠 vine last year 3. the tagged book. Tagging all Littens who would like to play

Eggs Thanks for playing 🪴 3y
Ddzmini @oh sweet potatoes 🍠🤤 3y
21 likes2 comments
blurb
LeslieO
The Lost Garden: A Novel | Helen Humphreys
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So this month was my first #BookSpinBingo. So much fun! Great way to #tackletheTBR. I read my #BookSpin AND my#DoubleSpin. AND will probably get a bingo! Can‘t wait for June!

Loved The Lost Garden, thank you @tdrosebud

TheAromaofBooks Yay!!! Great month!!! 4y
26 likes1 comment
blurb
LeslieO
The Lost Garden: A Novel | Helen Humphreys
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Thank you Tanya! @tdrosebud . One of my favorite descriptions of a book is “a little gem”! I will be diving in to the yummy chocolates shortly. Happy Valentine‘s Day! 💕🌹💖
Thank you for organizing @candority #BookCupidSwap

TrishB Oh I loved this book ❤️ 4y
LeahBergen I second @TrishB ! ❤️ 4y
Texreader This book looks so good! 4y
See All 7 Comments
MsMelissa I third @TrishB 🥰 4y
tdrosebud I'm so glad you like it! 4y
candority Yay! Happy Valentine‘s Day! 💘 4y
Cathythoughts Beautiful book ❤️💔 4y
48 likes2 stack adds7 comments
review
Cathythoughts
The Lost Garden: A Novel | Helen Humphreys
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Pickpick

“Home is the place where we‘ve felt the most, I will tell him. And that can be anyplace. Or anyone. It doesn‘t matter how long you lived there. It‘s what you‘ll always want to come back to. “

Oh this book really made me cry. It‘s so full of goodness & beauty , and so calming.
The three gardens ✨✨✨
So glad I finally read this.
Thanks Leah for this book.

TheLudicReader I loved this book. I love Humphreys in general, but this book encouraged me to visit The Lost Gardens of Heligan when I visited the UK in 2007. 4y
TrishB It made me cry too. Simple and beautiful, writing and story ❤️ 4y
MsMelissa I knew you‘d love it 🥰 4y
See All 13 Comments
batsy Goodness and beauty. Yes! Lovely review ❤️ 4y
LeahBergen What a lovely review!! (and you are so welcome 😘). 4y
Cathythoughts @TheLudicReader Such a lovely book !! That must have been a beautiful visit 👍🏻💕 4y
Cathythoughts @TrishB Yes, simple & so strong too ... tears 👍🏻❤️ 4y
Cathythoughts @Book_Fiend_Melissa I really did ❤️😊 4y
Cathythoughts @batsy Thanks XXX 4y
Cathythoughts @LeahBergen Thanks! It‘s one I will return too 👍🏻❤️ 4y
Tanisha_A Love the review 💗 4y
TheLudicReader @Cathythoughts it was gorgeous, even though it was pouring rain. 😬 4y
Cathythoughts @Tanisha_A Thanks friend 👍🏻❤️ 4y
79 likes2 stack adds13 comments
review
KimM
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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Pickpick

Beautiful but so sad. Read if you enjoy books about gardens.

tpixie Lovely cover and photo 🌺 4y
batsy Such a poignant book ❤️ 4y
17 likes2 comments
blurb
llwheeler
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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First outdoor reading session of the year on this gorgeous day ❤️

I've read Helen Humphreys' poetry but this is my first time reading her prose. Unsurprisingly, it's beautifully crafted; I'm really enjoying it.

MsMelissa I loved that book! It‘s my favourite of Humphreys‘ works. 5y
TrishB @Book_Fiend_Melissa mine too ❤️ a beautiful book. 5y
llwheeler @Book_Fiend_Melissa @TrishB I can see why! It's so good so far. 5y
sisilia I loved everything about this book 💕 5y
llwheeler @sisilia I am loving it so far too 5y
34 likes1 stack add5 comments
review
sisilia
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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Pickpick

5⭐️ Gosh, I really love this book. Reading this is just like taking a walk in the garden 💐 It‘s so refreshing, and sentimental at the same time. The ending is a perfect wrap of all the feelings explored throughout the story. It‘s perfection! 👌🏻

Tanisha_A Nice review and photograph! On my tbr, this one. 😁 5y
TrishB I loved this too ❤️ 5y
sisilia Thank you @Tanisha_A I think you‘ll enjoy this 😊 5y
See All 11 Comments
sisilia @TrishB It‘s a rare gem 5y
Lindy I love everything by Helen Humphreys and this one holds an extra special place in my heart. 5y
sisilia @Lindy I‘m going to hunt for her other works. I like her style 5y
Tanisha_A Thought I'll get it on Kindle, but it's not available in that format. 😔 5y
LeahBergen Isn‘t it lovely? ❤️ 5y
sisilia @LeahBergen @shawnmooney recommended this to me 😄 5y
shawnmooney Yay! I‘m not surprised but I am certainly delighted that you loved it! There‘s definitely a Litsy genealogy at work here as @Lindy gave me my copy of this book. 🥰 5y
Liz_M Beautiful cover, too! 5y
66 likes1 stack add11 comments
blurb
sisilia
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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Currently reading...

TrishB I loved this ❤️ 5y
batsy Hope you enjoy! I too loved it. 5y
66 likes1 stack add2 comments
blurb
lahousewyfe
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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@Eggs said I wasn't too late so here we go! #wondrouswednesday

For me, writing talent is the intrinsic ability to link words together in a pleasing and compelling manner to tell your stories. That said, I don't believe talent is necessary to become a writer, and that hard work means as much as talent in the end.

My favorite writer living is Helen Humphreys. Her ability to weave poetry in prose blows me away every time.

Thanks for tagging me!

Eggs Lovely to read your responses 💗👏🏻🤗 5y
lahousewyfe @Eggs Thanks for asking me to play! 5y
Eggs @lahousewyfe You are most welcome ❣️ 5y
12 likes3 comments
blurb
TheLudicReader
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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#autobuy Helen Humphreys. Humphreys is a Canadian poet and novelist. The first book I read was Afterimage, which I read many years ago. My favourite book is the tagged book. Because of that book, I visited the Lost Gardens of Heligan in 2007. Please add The Lost Garden to your tbr if you haven‘t yet read it. It‘s so beautiful. I have not yet read The Frozen Thames. I would love you to share your fave author piles with me!

charl08 Love Helen Humphreys! I think my favourite is her book about the frost fairs on the frozen Thames. 5y
Nute I like everything about this post! I‘ve never heard of this poet. I enjoy poetry immensely so I‘m taking you up on your recommendation as well as the book mentioned by @charl08 🙂 5y
TheLudicReader @Nute , none of the books in this post are poetry collections, tho, just so you know what you‘re getting. 😀 That said, her prose is so beautiful it reads like poetry...and The Lost Garden is gorgeous. 5y
See All 7 Comments
Nute Prose that is lyrical and reads like poetry...TWO THUMBS UP! Thanks for the clarification. I‘m still interested!☺️ 5y
Tamra Frozen Thames is really wonderful! 5y
batsy I've only read The Lost Garden and it's one of the most beautiful books ♥️🌸 5y
TheLudicReader I agree @batsy. I don‘t think you will be disappointed @Nute. I will have to get on The Frozen Thames, @Tamra . Glad to meet another Humphreys fan, @charl08 5y
23 likes1 stack add7 comments
blurb
TheLudicReader
The Lost Garden: A Novel | Helen Humphreys
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Day 7. #7days7covers #covercrush
Thanks @Tiffiney for inviting me to play.

lahousewyfe My absolute favorite. 5y
Melissa_J Such a beautiful novel. 5y
TheLudicReader This novel is the reason I visited the Lost Gardens of Heligan in 2007. It‘s a beautiful story and Humphreys is one of my favourite authors, @lahousewyfe & @Melissa_J 5y
batsy I love this book 💜 5y
23 likes4 comments
blurb
BookNAround
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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My first post, about A Certain Age, was more than 3 years ago and it got zero likes. My second post, which had no picture was for The Lost Garden and got one like from @charl08 . Fun to look back on this #firstlike @Texreader

Texreader That was fun! No likes and you stuck with it!! It was a barren app those days I guess. We struggled to find one another. So wonderful that we did!! 6y
61 likes1 comment
blurb
Bibliogeekery
Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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My Helen Humphreys stack! (I have two of her books as ebooks). I've re-read through her wonderful collection! Now it's time to move on to other writers (until her next book comes out). 😍📚

TrishB I‘ve just brought my first couple by her, good to know there‘s so many to come! 6y
GatheringBooks oh wow! i haven‘t read anything by her. where do you recommend i begin? 6y
Bibliogeekery @GatheringBooks I would start with Lost Garden! But they are all good! 6y
LeahBergen I have four. 😄 6y
76 likes4 comments
review
Bibliogeekery
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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Pickpick

I think this absolute gem of a novel is my favourite Helen Humphreys book. It's a story about reading where the text is an abandoned garden, the writer is the gardener who created it and the reader is the gardener who resurrects it. It's also a story of love and loss. An absolute pleasure every time I read it! 😍📚

Soubhiville Pretty cover and great photo! 6y
Bibliogeekery @Soubhiville thanks! 💖 6y
75 likes5 stack adds3 comments
blurb
Bibliogeekery
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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Still re-reading my way through all Helen Humphreys books. Such a pleasure!

Andrea4 This looks like my happy place!! 😍😍 6y
TrishB Have only just discovered this author after reading this book! 6y
Bibliogeekery @TrishB she is SO great! 6y
See All 7 Comments
Bibliogeekery @Andrea4 it's so dreamy! 6y
Tamra I really enjoyed her book The Frozen Thames, but I was a party pooper on this one. I don‘t have enough romance in my soul. 😏 6y
Bibliogeekery @Tamra I loved the Frozen Thames as well - such a lovely little book! 6y
71 likes1 stack add7 comments
blurb
Bibliogeekery
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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Re-reading this gem! 😍📚

saresmoore Such a good decision. 6y
Melissa_J I love that book, definitely my favourite of Humpheries. I should re-read one of these days. 6y
LeahBergen 👏🏻👏🏻 6y
62 likes1 stack add4 comments
blurb
Bibliogeekery
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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Cottage! 😍📚

Bklover Beautiful!!! 6y
Simona Looks perfect 👌 6y
BookHermit Oh enjoy! Lucky, lucky reader! 6y
65 likes4 comments
review
TrishB
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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Pickpick

💔😢 how does the author pack so much into a little tiny book. I can‘t stop thinking about the ending, made me cry and hard to explain exactly why. Gentle but heart breaking and so beautifully written. Every time I went to post a quote I could see someone had got there before me. I understand the love 💕 I have also just downloaded To The Lighthouse as I‘ve never read...
Are the authors other books as good?

saresmoore It‘s very different, but I also really enjoyed 7y
Lindy @saresmoore I second The Frozen Thames, and have no hesitation recommending everything else she has written also. 7y
LeahBergen Oh, good! I have a few of her others waiting on my shelves. 7y
See All 13 Comments
Melissa_J I loved this book! Coventry is also very good if you haven‘t already read it. 7y
BarbaraBB I wonder why I‘ve never even heard of it 🤷🏻‍♀️ #stacked 7y
TrishB @saresmoore @Lindy @Melissa_J all on the tbr then!! 7y
TrishB @LeahBergen I suspect I will be having a few more on the shelves! 7y
TrishB @BarbaraBB that‘s what I thought!! We have now 😁 7y
LeahBergen Besides Coventry, I also have 7y
LeahBergen They all sound good 👍🏻 7y
batsy Oh, I'm so glad you loved it! Beautiful review. I haven't read anything else by her and must remedy that! 6y
TrishB @LeahBergen @batsy I‘m definitely buying more. But know you have to save them for particular moments to appreciate! 6y
112 likes4 stack adds13 comments
blurb
TrishB
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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My next read, a total #blameitonlitsy specifically @saresmoore and @batsy . This one waved very vigorously from the tbr this morning!

Lindy Enjoy. It‘s one of my favourites. ❤️ 7y
TrishB @Lindy even better 😁 7y
saresmoore Lovely! 7y
See All 6 Comments
batsy Ooh! I hope you find it a worthwhile read 😊 7y
Cathythoughts Stacking this one. Sounds really good & looking forward to your thoughts 👍🏻❤️ 7y
LeahBergen I hope you love it, too! 7y
124 likes1 stack add6 comments
blurb
lahousewyfe
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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Watched The Great American Read tonight and saw that my favorite novel, The Lost Garden by Helen Humphreys, didn't make the list.

Anyone else's favorite not make that list?

#thegreatamericanread #faviritenovel

TheKidUpstairs I haven't paid much attention to the GAR, but I LOVE Helen Humphreys ❤ The Lost Garden was beautiful, but I think my favourite (of the ones I've read so far) has been 7y
lahousewyfe @TheKidUpstairs Her books are like little gems, polished prose like poetry. I have to get The Reinvention of Love now! But, I think the best last line ever came from 7y
16 likes2 comments
blurb
Moray_Reads
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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1. Nuts and crisps 😋
2. Tagged is my most recent #blameit on Litsy, specifically @saresmoore but if never heard of Netgalley before so I'm blaming all ARCs on Littens too
3. Salmon 😔
4. Mostly clean but I struggle to keep my desk tidy at home
5. Arrival. I didn't like everything but it's a very interesting take on contact with an alien species
@mindea
#humpdaypost

saresmoore I liked Arrival, too! It kept me fascinated and I really enjoyed Amy Adams‘ performance in it. My most recent purchase was a #blameitonMoray—Shishkin‘s 7y
CSeydel You know Arrival is based on a Ted Chiang short story, Story of your Life? It‘s quite different than the movie but I enjoyed both. 7y
Moray_Reads @CSeydel yes, I do have the collection that it belongs to but I haven't read it yet. So many books, so little time! 7y
Moray_Reads @saresmoore oh, it's incredible. In some ways The Tsar of Love and Techno reminded me of The Light & the Dark 7y
CSeydel I know the feeling! I only read two or three of the stories before I had to return it to the library. They were challenging, thought provoking, but not quick reads. 😉 7y
50 likes5 comments
review
Moray_Reads
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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Pickpick

A big thank you to @saresmoore for bringing this beautiful novel to my attention. Humphreys prose is so calm but there's so much depth and emotion to it. The surface story of love and loss and fear with a group of Land Girls and soldiers is wonderfully rendered but it's also a book about art, here the work of Virginia Woolf, and its power to move and change us and bring us within the reach of writers and people we otherwise cannot know ⬇️

Moray_Reads She perfectly articulates my own feelings about Woolf's work, that unshakable connection it forges and that strange, irrational sense of loss that her early death provokes. 7y
tpixie Wow! 7y
Chrissyreadit That is a phenomenal review! 7y
See All 14 Comments
Moray_Reads @Chrissyreadit @tpixie all the credit goes to Helen Humphreys (and Virginia Woolf) it's a wonderful novel ♥️♥️ 7y
Heideschrampf Thanks for the recommendation! What are you using the marked quotes for? 7y
Moray_Reads @Heideschrampf Just the passages that had a particular impact, two of them are the quotes I posted yesterday 7y
batsy Wonderful review. I love the quiet beauty of this novel 💙 7y
TrishB I‘ve noticed I‘ve already stacked this! Must get to it at some point. 7y
saresmoore Beautifully articulated, Moray. ♥️ 7y
saresmoore @TrishB It‘s a relatively short book, although I spread out reading it over months during my recent move. I think you‘ll really appreciate it. 7y
TrishB @saresmoore it‘s in my basket 👍🏻 7y
erzascarletbookgasm Lovely review, and I too, have stacked this since last year. 😅 7y
LeahBergen Such a gorgeous read. ❤️❤️ 7y
rubyslippersreads Your quotes have definitely made me want to move this up my TBR list. 😊 7y
72 likes5 stack adds14 comments
quote
Moray_Reads
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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TommieMarie74 I love this. ❤️ 7y
elkeOriginal That‘s a keeper quote. For the quote journal! (edited) 7y
saresmoore It is such a quietly beautiful, quotable book. 7y
LeahBergen Did you enjoy this one?? ❤️ 7y
Moray_Reads @LeahBergen I did, it was beautiful. It broke my heart in many ways and it says everything that I feel about Virginia Woolf's work 7y
62 likes5 comments
quote
Moray_Reads
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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blurb
Jas16
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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Just got home to find that two of the books I ordered myself arrived along with the sweetest birthday card from @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Thank you so much Misty! It is such a wonderful surprise and means a lot to me.

Tanisha_A I love the cards you choose @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks! 👌 7y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks You‘re welcome!!! It‘s a little early, but I wanted to be sure it got there!!! 🎂🎉🎊💕☺️😘 7y
BookNAround I love both Humphreys and Thirkell. Good choices! 7y
See All 6 Comments
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Tanisha_A thank you!! My email is loverofbooks75@gmail dot com if you want to send me your address! I love sending 💌 7y
Tanisha_A @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Oh that's so sweet of you! Will email you mine and would love to have yours as well. 😀 7y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Tanisha_A 🙌🏻💗☺️ 7y
68 likes6 comments
review
Read66
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
Pickpick

First book that I have read by Helen Humphreys - a beautifully written historical novel set in the English countryside during the World War II London Blitz. The ending is heartbreaking but beautifully done. Will definitely add more books by this Canadian author to my reading list.

shawnmooney One of my top reads last year! 😍 7y
4 likes1 comment
quote
Jess_Read_This
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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“There is a vocabulary to existing, to taking up living space in the world, that cannot be translated over the chasm of death” -speaking on the death of Virginia Woolf

🌷I think this is one of the most beautiful quotes I have read in some time. This book is already becoming a meaningful one for me that I am savoring. I‘ve had to pause a few times and just reread passages and marvel at the word choice and emotion it was eliciting from me.

Melissa_J I loved this book! 7y
BookNAround Everything I‘ve read by Humphreys has been gorgeous. 7y
batsy It's so beautiful, in a quiet way. I loved it! 💚 7y
See All 12 Comments
Bibliogeekery Incredible book by an incredible author! 7y
LeahBergen I loved this book, too. ❤️ 7y
wanderlustforwords That is beautiful! VW‘s final letter to Leonard is heart rending. 7y
Jess_Read_This @wanderlustforwords @batsy @LeahBergen @Bibliogeekery @Melissa_J @BookNAround Oh my, did I ever enjoy this book. Humphreys just knocked my socks off with her writing. Can anyone recommend another of hers to read next? 7y
Bibliogeekery All of her stuff is amazing!! You can't go wrong! Try the Evening Chorus, or Wild Dogs, or Coventry 7y
Jess_Read_This @Bibliogeekery Thank you for the recommendations!! Heading over to my library website for ordering now! 7y
LeahBergen @Jess_Read_This I have this one waiting on my shelf and it looks really good 7y
Jess_Read_This @LeahBergen Oh! This one escaped my notice. Thank you so much for recommending it to me. 7y
wanderlustforwords Ooooo! Thanks Jess! I am adding it pronto! 7y
91 likes3 stack adds12 comments
blurb
Jess_Read_This
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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🤓When your night owl partner politely asks you to relocate as your reading light is intrusive to sleep...stumbled down to a breakfast spread unlike any I‘ve encountered in a hotel.

🍶Cymbeline and The Lost Garden are my weekend reads.. though I brought five others just in case I change my mind... and bought three more along the way. What‘s everyone else reading this weekend?

#ShakespeareReadalong #VacationReads #Cymbeline

goodbyefrancie I always pack more books than I can read on vacation. A girl needs options, you know. 📚📚📚 7y
Redy2trvl That looks so yummy!!!! 7y
Hollie That looks so good! 7y
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Dragon I enjoyed The Lost Garden. Today I‘m hopefully finishing my current thriller 7y
Leftcoastzen Love.That.Breakfast! 7y
Jess_Read_This @goodbyefrancie Yes!! 🙌🏼 I always need my reading options on a trip! 7y
Jess_Read_This @Redy2trvl @Hollie @Leftcoastzen It was an amazing breakfast.... I‘m doing a repeat today on our last day! 7y
Jess_Read_This @Dragon I really enjoying it too so far. I just read the blurb about the thriller you are reading, it sounds so good! How did you end up liking it? 7y
Dragon I really enjoyed Before the Fall. I liked the character of the burned out artist / hero and the convergence of the story lines. Of course I‘m s big fan of the author ‘s tv show Legion. 7y
readinginthedark Perfect!!! ❤️ 7y
112 likes10 comments
review
saresmoore
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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Pickpick

What a simply stunning book. This is such a powerful and honest story. Humphreys‘ observations and insecurities seem to sing along, if slightly off-key, to the tune of a rustling garden. Love, loss, longing are flora pinned to the backdrop of a blackout curtain, thick & heavy with war. I was struck time and again by her poignant brilliance, by the elegance of her patience. I took my time with this book and it changed me.

MayJasper I love your writing @saresmoore 7y
saresmoore @MayJasper Oh, thank you! ♥️ 7y
Jess_Read_This What a lovely review. I‘ve had this on my TBR radar for a bit and now need to move it up the list! 7y
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batsy Agreed, @MayJasper ! Singing along off-key to the tune of a rustling garden is a beautiful way to put it, @saresmoore 💚🌿 It really captures the spirit of this beautiful book. 7y
saresmoore @batsy Thank you! She has such a unique vulnerability. For all the emotional depth, her style is remarkably grounded. And her love for Virginia Woolf is beautiful! 7y
saresmoore @Jess_Read_This It is certainly one to move up! She articulates these sort of painful universal truths through great storytelling and a love of nature combined. Reading it was cathartic for me. 7y
emilyhaldi Wow how can I not stack this after your review!? 💕 7y
AlaMich I read this not long ago and loved it. A simple, beautiful, heartbreaking story. 7y
Moray_Reads This sounds perfect ♥️ 7y
saresmoore @Moray_Reads It really is. 7y
Suet624 What a beautiful review. 7y
saresmoore @Suet624 ♥️♥️♥️ 7y
LeahBergen What a gorgeous review! This book had me a bit weepy at the end. 😭 7y
Wife Sounds good and stacked! Blurb reminds my of Land Girls series that I watched on Netflix. 7y
saresmoore @Wife I haven‘t seen Land Girls, but you‘re right that it‘s a similar setting/premise. I‘ll have to check it out! 7y
saresmoore @LeahBergen Me, too! I had to take a few moments after I finished. 7y
68 likes1 stack add16 comments
quote
saresmoore
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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“When a writer writes, it‘s as if she holds the sides of her chest apart, exposes her beating heart. And even though everything wants to heal, to close over and protect the heart, the writer must keep it bare, exposed. And in doing this, all of life is kept back, all the petty demands of the day-to-day. The heart is a river. The act of writing is the moving water that holds the banks apart...”

saresmoore “...keeps the muscle of words flexing so that the reader can be carried along by this movement. To be given space and the chance to leave one‘s earthly world. Is there any greater freedom than this?” 7y
Suet624 That‘s such a beautiful description. And when I saw the photo I thought “oh Sara would love that photo. It reminds me of her.” Then I saw you posted it. Duh. 7y
Bibliogeekery Helen Humphreys is one of my favourite authors. I live this book! Thanks for bringing to my mind this morning! 7y
68 likes2 stack adds3 comments
blurb
saresmoore
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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I got up at six & did an hour of audio baking and cleaning with Dandelion Wine. Now it‘s time to settle in to my cozy reading corner with a tall cuppa and finish a book I‘ve been working on for ages!

#24in48 #Readathon

BibliophileMomma That chair is lovely. ❤️ 7y
LauraBeth What a lovely reading spot. I‘ve been up since 4 and have nothing to show for it. 😀 7y
Moray_Reads Looks lovely. What were you baking? 7y
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Ashley_Nicoletto Love this chair. 7y
saresmoore @LauraBeth Up since 4?! Sheesh! Was there at least a good reason for it? 7y
RebelReader That spot looks so inviting! I could curl right up there for the day! 7y
saresmoore @Moray_Reads I made some almond flour & flax blueberry muffins. Good fiber, protein, and antioxidants for a rigorous day of reading! 💪 7y
saresmoore @RebelReader That‘s my goal! I may have to retreat to a more secluded spot, though, like a bathroom or closet if my husband doesn‘t get our kids out of the house. 😆 7y
LauraBeth @saresmoore There is a wren that likes to start singing outside my window every morning at exactly 4. I could set a clock by her 😂 7y
saresmoore @Tiffy_Reads @Ashley_Nicoletto Thanks! It‘s certainly my favorite IKEA purchase. 😊 7y
Dolly That spot looks so inviting! Enjoy📚❤️! 7y
Moray_Reads @LauraBeth I couldn't bear that! I have to sleep with earplugs AND noise-cancelling headphones because any noise wakes me up 😬 7y
Moray_Reads @saresmoore they sound delicious. if only there was a way to send baked goods via app... 7y
saresmoore @LauraBeth Aww, a sweet little wren! Anyone have a BB gun you could borrow? 😬 I kid, I kid...mostly... 7y
saresmoore @Moray_Reads That‘ll be the 2019 Litsy update. 7y
LauraBeth @saresmoore and @Moray_Reads I could use the BB gun to wake up my husband as he does not seem to hear the bird. Ever. 🤭 7y
Moray_Reads @LauraBeth that definitely makes it worse! 7y
emilyhaldi That‘s commitment!!! 👏🏻🙌🏻 7y
BookMaven407 Awesome reading spot 😍 7y
RohitSawant Lovely reading nook! 😍 7y
103 likes20 comments
blurb
batsy
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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I read a number of beautifully-written books this year but this one stands out. She writes with a poet's eye; her language is rich yet precise and not overblown. Each page is lush and expansive and I was surprised that such a slim book could hold so much. #beautifullywrittenbook #AllTheBooksof2017

TrishB Lovely review 💕 I‘m stacking for when I return to WW2 novels, read too many and having a break! 7y
erzascarletbookgasm Your description is so lovely. 💚 7y
batsy @TrishB Thank you, and I understand! This one made me a bit weepy towards the end. @erzascarletbookgasm Thank you 😘 7y
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LeahBergen Yes! 😭 7y
Ms_T Lovely review as ever 😃❣️ 7y
batsy @LeahBergen I weep with you! 7y
batsy Thank you, sweet @Ms_T ! 7y
BookNAround I love love love Helen Humphreys‘ writing. It‘s so very beautiful. 7y
batsy @BookNAround It is! This is my first by her and I hope to read more. 7y
65 likes5 stack adds9 comments
blurb
saresmoore
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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I‘ve been dipping in and out of this over the past few weeks and each time I do, I‘m refreshed and engrossed. How does she do it? Helen Humphreys is sure to join the ranks of my favorite authors.

AlaMich I finished this a few days ago, thanks to @TheKidUpstairs, who sent it to me. Beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. (edited) 7y
TheKidUpstairs @AlaMich I'm so glad you liked it! Humphreys is one of my favourite authors, and it seemed like something you would enjoy. 7y
saresmoore @AlaMich That‘s a perfect description. It‘s something special, to be sure. 7y
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AlaMich @saresmoore wait til you get to the end...😭 and I'm sure you know that's not a spoiler (edited) 7y
Lindy @AlaMich When my lesbian book club discussed this, years ago, we debated whether or not there was lesbian content. We decided that there was one scene with a suggestive lean. Extremely subtle lesbian content. 😀 7y
LeahBergen I just SO enjoyed it. ❤️❤️ 7y
AlaMich @Lindy I've been trying to think which scene that would've been, but it must be so subtle I totally missed it. 😉 7y
Lindy @AlaMich It‘s been so long since I read it that I have only a vague memory of the scene, two women in a hallway, talking and leaning (towards each other? Or leaning on the wall?) 7y
saresmoore @Lindy @AlaMich I think Lindy means the scene with Jane when they talk about love and solace. There‘s also a not-too-subtle memory of Gwen‘s relationship with a school friend, named Anna. Now I‘m on the lookout! Ha! 7y
saresmoore @LeahBergen It‘s wonderful! I‘m glad we‘re all able to share in the reading experience, too. Even if I am a bit late to the party. 😌 7y
Lindy @saresmoore Humphreys almost always writes about women who have difficulty connecting to other people, yet have so much tenderness and awareness of beauty. Happy sigh just thinking about how much I love her writing. 7y
AlaMich @saresmoore @lindy Yes, those scenes ring a bell 😉 (edited) 7y
79 likes2 stack adds12 comments
blurb
saresmoore
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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What a wild ride it‘s been these last few weeks, preparing our house to be sold. But now that it‘s just about on the market, I‘m feeling accomplished and at peace. Unfortunately, I‘ve started three books and finished zero this month. Here‘s hoping I can steal some reading time this holiday week!

LeahBergen I bet it looks amazing! ❤️ 7y
AlaMich Selling a house, packing, moving etc. all come under the heading of "things I would prefer to have a root canal to doing" for me. ? But I hope it's going well for you ? 7y
Mommamanzi This is amazing. Love it! I know moving is so stressful. Sending you positive vibes! 7y
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Notafraidofwords Sending you great vibes ! 7y
saresmoore @LeahBergen It‘s certainly the best it‘s ever looked! Packing up almost all of the toys and putting them in the garage really helped. 😂 7y
saresmoore @AlaMich It‘s going well, but I really hope I don‘t have to do it again for a very long time. 7y
saresmoore @Mommamanzi @notafraidofwords Thank you! ♥️♥️ It does feel like this process is being helped along by some positive forces. I‘m really grateful. 7y
AmyG Wishing you the best. We are moving in Jan and hoping the house sells soon. 7y
Kalalalatja Hope everything goes well! I'm moving in January, although I don't have a house to sell, and I'm not looking forward to packing our whole life in boxes. 7y
saresmoore @AmyG Thank you & the same to you! I‘m hopeful for you! 7y
saresmoore @Kalalalatja Moving is such an undertaking! Best of luck to you and I hope you‘ll find some joy in the midst of the chaos. ♥️ 7y
LauraBeth Hoping all goes smooth with the move! 7y
saresmoore @LauraBeth Thank you! So far, it‘s been a series of miracles & blessings and I‘m just working hard to keep up with the divine and wonderful pace of it all! This sustained hope is unlike anything I‘ve experienced before. 7y
Moray_Reads You're getting there! Are the girls excited? 7y
saresmoore @Moray_Reads They are excited and restless. I‘ve banned them from random paper crafting and make them tidy up every few hours just in case. Poor kids. 7y
Moray_Reads @saresmoore if you get then trained now just think how tidy your new house could be! 7y
saresmoore @Moray_Reads You understand me so well! 😊 7y
Moray_Reads @saresmoore cleaning time is better spent reading 7y
saresmoore @Moray_Reads That might just be the ultimate logical end to the Great Conversation. 7y
vivastory I wholeheartedly agree with @Moray_Reads . Reading over cleaning. I cleaned my kitchen, including the refrigerator, today & was inordinately proud of myself. 😂 7y
vivastory Good luck with selling! Hope you can get back to reading soon 7y
saresmoore @vivastory Not inordinately so! Cleaning the refrigerator is no joke. I sometimes think back to my college days when I had approximately 30 square feet of cleaning responsibilities and unlimited hours devoted to reading. Why did I ever graduate? 7y
britt_brooke Good luck!! Keeping the house show-ready is the hardest part of the whole process, I swear! 7y
saresmoore @britt_brooke I am in total agreement with you! I took your advice and packed up those toys. It has made a world of difference and the kids have barely noticed! 7y
britt_brooke @saresmoore I‘m so happy to hear that! 7y
Suet624 Rooting for you! Someone will feel all the good vibes in that house and scoop it right up. 7y
saresmoore @Suet624 Yes! I‘m very hopeful for that. 7y
saresmoore http://mymobile.flexmls.com/gregforest/listings/shared/1APkE/3600-Westview-Avenu... Here‘s the house listing if you all are interested! @LeahBergen @britt_brooke @Suet624 I‘m a bit disappointed with the way they lit the photos...and that there aren‘t close-ups of my books! 😉 (edited) 7y
Suet624 It‘s lovely. 😁 7y
LeahBergen Ohh!!!! It looks absolutely amazing! ❤️❤️❤️ Your reading and writing desk looks terribly lonely now though, almost like it‘s missing you. 😆 I also have to add that I‘m crazy about that original pink bathroom tile. Someone is going to snap this place up so fast! I can‘t wait to see how gorgeous you make your new home. 😘 7y
saresmoore @LeahBergen Thank you! ♥️ That pink bathroom is really fun. There was the exact same tile in the house where I grew up, so it has a special place in my heart! My biggest lament about our new house is that it was only built a few years ago. I‘ll have to settle for my few antique furniture pieces to give it the character it lacks. 7y
86 likes1 stack add31 comments
review
shawnmooney
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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Pickpick

Here‘s my five-star (11.5 minute) review over on BookTube: https://youtu.be/1ZH_uynNcqY

#LostGardenBuddyRead

Tamra Glad you & buddies loved it! 😊 I‘m ok being the outlier. 7y
LeahBergen Oooo! I‘ll check this out this evening (when the visiting family is gone). 7y
53 likes2 comments
blurb
shawnmooney
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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This article gives some fascinating details about how deeply the novel - which I finished a day or two ago and absolutely loved – is autobiographical!

http://januarymagazine.com/profiles/humphreys.html

#LostGardenBuddyRead

LeahBergen Thanks for sharing this. 👍🏻 7y
batsy Lovely, I can't wait to read it. 7y
44 likes1 stack add2 comments
quote
shawnmooney
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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LeahBergen I‘m almost finished! 7y
shawnmooney Me too - plan to finish the last twenty pages right now! @LeahBergen (edited) 7y
LeahBergen I cried. 😭 7y
33 likes3 comments
quote
shawnmooney
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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Marchpane Your excerpts from this book are attention grabbing! 7y
shawnmooney @Marchpane it really is quite something! For a short little novel, it packs quite an emotional wallop! (edited) 7y
AlaMich @shawnmooney I second that emotion!! 7y
44 likes1 stack add3 comments
quote
shawnmooney
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled 😂👍 This sounds like something I would do! 7y
LeahBergen I loved this bit! 😂😂 7y
38 likes2 comments
quote
shawnmooney
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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What a deep delight this wee novel is so far!

#LostGardenBuddyRead

AlaMich I totally agree! 7y
35 likes1 comment
review
batsy
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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Pickpick

Finished this last night, told myself "Stop snivelling"; wrecked to tears anyway. A modest but beautiful gem of a book. The garden is a metaphor for how to live & the metaphor can occasionally be heavy-handed, but the prose is lucid & precise, attentive to the small details & the inner landscape of a person's unpredictable heart. Written in homage to Virginia Woolf, & also about the life of reading/writing/communing with nature. Life-affirming.

batsy I feel like I should buy copies to give to people who have had their heart broken for any reason. Everyone, basically. It's like a curative for the soul, a balm, to read it at this point in my life, even though the ending is far from happy. That's what I take from this book: Life will break your heart, but it offers you riches. Don't turn away from it. #LostGardenBuddyRead #spinsterlit 7y
mklong What a lovely review! I feel like I need to read this right now 7y
kspenmoll Wonderful review! 💕 7y
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Marchpane This sounds amazing, definitely stacking! Love the #spinsterlit hashtag too 👏 7y
batsy @Marchpane Thank you! And yeah, those are some of my favourite books to read 😊 7y
LeahBergen Lovely review! I need to put down Middlemarch and jump back into this buddy read (but Middlemarch is soooo good right now). 7y
erzascarletbookgasm Sounds lovely! 7y
saresmoore Gorgeous review! 7y
batsy @LeahBergen Thank you! I know, it's hard to tear oneself away from Middlemarch! Especially for monogamous readers like us 😂 I couldn't read anything else. 7y
batsy @erzascarletbookgasm It is, especially the language 😊 @saresmoore Thank you :) 7y
Leftcoastzen Sounds wonderful ! Nice review. 7y
LauraBrook What a wonderful review. Makes me want to dive into my copy...if I could find it right now, that is. 7y
batsy @Leftcoastzen Thank you! 7y
batsy @LauraBrook Thank you! I hope you'll be able to pull out the books you need from your shelves very soon 😁 7y
readordierachel Sounds Lovely! Stacked. 7y
RohitSawant This sounds wonderful! Great review! 7y
batsy @ReadOrDieRachel @rohit-sawant Thank you so much! I'm always nervous when I love a book, I'm never sure if anyone else will like it 😆 But if you do try it I hope you enjoy it! 7y
vivastory Excellent review. Adding to TBR! 7y
batsy @vivastory Thank you! 7y
AlaMich I'm halfway through and loving it. I identify with Gwen quite a bit...introverted, always wondering what others think of me, not a great "joiner" of groups. 7y
batsy @AlaMich It's lovely to hear that! I could relate to her a fair amount, too ❤️ I think Humphreys has written her with a great deal of empathy & subtle humour. 7y
Tamra I‘m glad you liked it! 😁 Makes me wish I could have passed my copy onto you. 7y
batsy @Tamra Aww, it's ok! I hope you can trade it in at a used store for a book of your choice 😀 7y
LeahBergen @batsy I finished it last night! 😭😭😭😭😭 Damn, my own weepiness took me by surprise. 7y
75 likes10 stack adds25 comments
quote
batsy
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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A #bittersweet quote about longing. The sweetness of desire and the pain of feeling undeserving of the thing (or place, or person) that one wants.

#QuotsyNov17 @TK-421 #LostGardenBuddyRead

LeahBergen 💕 7y
BookNAround Loved this book. She‘s a gorgeous writer. 7y
batsy @BookNAround She really is! I finished it last night and was so deeply moved. @LeahBergen This book is all the 💕 7y
AceOnRoam Love this pic ❤ 7y
84 likes4 comments
quote
shawnmooney
The Lost Garden | Helen Humphreys
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This entire short chapter about roses – Chapter 7 – is just stunning!

#QuoteOfTheDay

#LostGardenBuddyRead

batsy I'm loving the nature/plant imagery and symbolism. 7y
38 likes1 stack add1 comment