I was sent a free copy of The Seeing Garden by Ginny Kubitz Moyer through She Writes Press and Caitlin Hamilton Summie. All opinions are my own.
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About The Seeing Garden:
Set on a lavish California estate, The Seeing Garden is “a moving story with strong female characters” (Kirkus Reviews) for fans of Edith Wharton and Downton Abbey.
It’s 1910, and Catherine Ogden is aching to live a creative and meaningful life. That’s not easy to do when her aunt and uncle—and all of New York society—consider a good marriage to be the pinnacle of feminine achievement. But when Catherine visits Oakview, the Northern California estate of handsome bachelor William Brandt, she thinks that it might be possible to satisfy her family’s hopes as well as her own.
In that beautiful place, she finds the promise of a new start and the opportunity to use her artistic gifts in designing the garden. But as Catherine is drawn into William’s hidden life, as well as the secrets of his estate staff, she discovers that Oakview holds both more opportunity and more risk than she ever imagined. It will take all her courage—and the lessons of some shocking revelations from the past—to choose the path that leads to real freedom.
Full of rich period detail and complex characters, and set against an unforgettable backdrop, The Seeing Garden explores what it takes for a woman to discern the path to her most authentic life.
You can purchase The Seeing Garden on Amazon.com
About the Author:
Ginny Kubitz Moyer is the author of the historical novel The Seeing Garden (May 2023), as well as several books on women’s spirituality. She lives with her family in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she gardens, walks her rescue dog, and constantly searches for more bookshelf space.
My Opinion:
This is a novel that in some ways conforms to the typical romance novel storyline and in others deviates from it to showcase a lead character that takes control of her life in a time when such things were just not done.
Catherine is raised in a life of privilege after her parents die and she is told her purpose is to marry well to repay her aunt and uncle for their care of her but she longs for more out of her life than to just be an ornament on the arm of a rich man. She is a talented artist and that part of her soul wants to be free to soar.
Fall in love she does and she marries well. He takes her to his home where she promptly becomes enthralled with the gardens and the expansive views. She embarks on a project to create a garden that utilizes her artistic skills and more than just flowers bloom.
This was a well written and interesting book that chronicled the struggles intelligent women dealt with in a time when men controlled just about everything. Despite being told she couldn’t Catherine did and her life and the lives of many around her were richer for it.
Rating:
4.5
