There would be tunnels of roses, beds of strawberries, fountains of overflowing herbs. And there might even be love. . . .

In the heart of bustling modern Dublin is a littered, overgrown garden of tangled weeds and a stagnant, hidden pond. Belonging to an iron-willed elderly lady named Mrs. Prendergast, who is rumored to have murdered and buried her husband there, the garden draws Eva Madigan, a young mother struggling to move on from the pain of her past. Eva is joined by Emily, a beautiful but withdrawn college dropout; Uri, an old-world immigrant; Seth, his all-too-handsome son; and occasionally even Mrs. Prendergast herself. But what drives Eva to transform the neglected urban wilderness? What makes the others want to help her? Even as Mrs. Prendergast puts the land up for sale, the thorny lives of all the gardeners are revealed and slowly start to untangle. Overgrown secrets are dug up and shared. Choices are made; a little pruning is in order. Now Eva is about to discover that every garden is a story of growth toward a final harvest. . . .

Eva Madigan has suffered a great tragedy. For more reasons than most she struggles every day to move forward and often her only motivation rests with her young son Liam. With not much to push her forward, when Eva happens upon an abandoned “secret garden” her heart warms at the idea of a blossoming paradise in the midst of a bustling city. With the addition of a few helpers, Seth, Uri, Emily and Mrs. Prendergast, Eva begins again. Each person that helps with the garden holds a secret past, and as the story evolves the garden becomes a symbol of the change that each must go through to overcome and triumph.

This was truly a delightful story. It’s been some time since I finished it, but even now I often find myself thinking of the stories behind each of these wonderful characters. I’ve actually tried singling out a favorite character from the story and it seems almost impossible. Eva-the single mother, Seth-the single recently divorced father, Emily-the college student with a troubled past, Uri-a mild mannered elderly man, and Mrs. Prendergast-the garden owner each hold their own in this dynamic novel. Throughout the story you get to hear from the majority of the characters, learn about their individual pasts and eventually how they help each other, along with the help of the garden to overcome their struggles.

It’s also quite difficult to discuss Winter Bloom without giving away too much of the story. Heavey weaves each of the characters so tightly into the story that it’s not until nearly half way through the book that you know many of their individual troubles. It’s quite wonderful though, because though you don’t know their concerns to begin with you are still able to connect with each because the writing is so good. This was actually my first novel by Tara Heavey and I’m eager to check out her British Chick Lit books because of it.

For me, I obviously connected the most with Eva’s character. A single mother with a young child about the same age as my own son. Her concerns about him when he’s no where in site is something I struggle with constantly. Not only that, but her extreme situation is something I’ve long feared. Though I’ve never (and don’t plan to) had an affair and my husband and children are still living (thankfully), it’s difficult to care for people so much that you don’t allow it to consume you. I could truly connect with her concerns about losing her only remaining family member. It was an interesting process to see how she handled the circumstances surrounding the loss of her husband. As was the process that Emily went through in coming to terms with her parents and the truth of her own situation.

As I said, Winter Bloom is a difficult book to discuss without giving too much of it away or rambling on for pages. Beautifully written, I have no doubt that within the first few pages whomever reads it will be consumed by the stories of the individual characters as well as the ultimate outcome of their beloved garden. A story about change, triumphing over your past and letting go of those things that stand in our way. A beautiful story that will move many to possibly evaluate their own relationships and possibly start a garden of their very own.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Gallery Books, for sending me a copy for review!

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