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  • The Victory Garden

  • Written by: Rhys Bowen
  • Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
  • Length: 10 hrs and 19 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (71 ratings)

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The Victory Garden

Written by: Rhys Bowen
Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
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Publisher's Summary

From the best-selling author of The Tuscan Child and the Her Royal Spyness series comes a beautiful, heart-rending novel of a woman’s love and sacrifice set during the First World War. The tender tale is exquisitely performed by Saskia Maarleveld, a narrator with over 325 audiobooks—including multiple AudioFile Earphones Award-winners—to her name.

As the Great War continues to take a devastating toll on the globe, Emily Bryce meets Robbie, a cheeky and handsome Australian pilot who is set to be deployed to the frontlines. After a whirlwind romance, the two fall in love and marry. After Robbie ships out, Emily volunteers as a land girl, tending to the neglected grounds of a large Devonshire estate. Not long after, however, Emily receives devastating news; Robbie has been killed in the line of duty. Grief-stricken, Emily—who has just discovered that she is pregnant—turns to an unexpected source of hope. In the pages of a long-forgotten journal from a medicine woman who devoted her life to the gardens she now tends, she finds not only comfort and solace—but perhaps a path to her destiny. 

©2019 Janet Quin-Harkin (P)2019 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about The Victory Garden

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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Not this author's best work

I'm a huge fan of this author but this particular story is very weak. It's mild entertainment, well-performed if you are looking for some undemanding background, but the characters are weak, the storyline predictable and too pat. Not at all what I've come to expect from this author.

4 people found this helpful

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Repetitive and badly written

The book had the potential to be a great story but terribly written and very disjointed.

3 people found this helpful

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An Uplifting Story

I enjoyed this book a great deal but I did find it went on and on in places. The story was interesting especially the information about herbal remedies. The narrator was quite good but in parts it was a bit hard to tell who was talking. An easy read though not very plausible

1 person found this helpful

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Love the story and narrator

Interesting story of love and surviving through hard time. Love the book and enjoyed narrator reading. Looking forward to read more books from the same writer.

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great

really good book,kept my interest all the way through.interesting story line and narration was perfect.

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enjoyed the story

I was concerned it was going to turn into some sappy Romance but instead it proved to be an interesting story. some history some Romance some family drama it was an interesting story to listen to.

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Historical fiction at its best

An absolutely charming novel with a wonderful cast of characters, and utterly superb narration. A most satisfying conclusion with an unexpected twist. This is the first novel by Rhys Bowen that I’ve read, but certainly it will not be the last.

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It was awful

The story started slow and stayed there. There was absolutely nothing likeable about the main character and I developed no rapport or empathy towards her. Her hardships were ridiculous compared to the realities of war. It would have been a much better book if she had been killed off. I regret wasting my time on this book.

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Solid enjoyable good read!

I have now listened to several books by Rhys Bowen and have really enjoyed the pacing , flavour and character development .
I enjoy the authors voice and the strong women that she creates! Looking forward to more.

Very please to find that there are many more novels by “Rhys Bowen” and her alter ego Janet Quin-Harkin

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  • mary
  • 2019-03-23

Ridiculously bad

I have so much enjoyed Rhys Bowen’s other novels, and this was a terrible disappointment. First, the Audible summary gave away about the first half of the novel. So, I just kept waiting for the plot I assumed was to come, to come. It was a waste of my time. Then about three different novels were packed into the second half. Everything tidied up absurdly at the end. Is this a novel about the war? Is this a novel about being an unwed mother? Is this a novel about the supernatural? About gardening? If the author had carefully crafted the book, she could have pulled it off. It can’t decide what it is and it was absolutely irritating to listen to. I kept rolling my eyes as the novel came to an end at the clichéd, hackneyed plot points. The most ridiculous was the cure for the flu—really?? Just awful. This is the first time I have listened to an audible-only novel, and will probably be the last. It felt like the author wrote a outline and then just filled in the blanks in order to satisfy a set of reader desires as quickly as possible. This was written only so that people would download it. The author didn’t care whether she crafted a good listening experience, and neither did Audible as publisher. A cynical publication. I’m very disappointed

130 people found this helpful

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  • Amy Moore
  • 2019-02-19

Story was all over the place

This tale went from one story line to another and did not make sense. I kept hoping it would improve, but was disappointed. Definitely not the author’s best.

66 people found this helpful

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  • ellegreenland
  • 2019-02-26

Not literary genius, but very sweet!

Just a sweet story with lovable characters. Bowen does a great job of researching the time period and offered interesting information on herbs and healing, as perceived by earlier generations. I loved the descriptions of the cottage and the grounds - painted a beautiful picture of a lovely place. Don't expect more than a pleasant time-passing experience and you won't be disappointed.

51 people found this helpful

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  • Nola Stewart
  • 2019-03-16

Love Bowen but not this story

Disappointed in the story line, it was all over the place. There were a lot of good plots that could have gone places but instead she followed them all and it was all over the place. I’m a Rhys Bowen fan but not this book.

39 people found this helpful

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  • C. Byrne
  • 2019-06-02

Not one of her best.

Far too romantic for me without the humour of her Royal Highness. just not enough of a story to make it interesting

35 people found this helpful

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  • Simone
  • 2019-02-20

I wish it was a series

I am a huge Rhys Bowen fan that was let down with “The Tuscan Child” so I was not sure what to expect from “The Victory Garden”.

I felt like the plot changed directions a hundred times, as if the author had too many ideas and was trying to cram a whole series worth of plots into just one book. It proves my point that to enjoy a book, especially when you are not able to suspend your disbelief and just go along with the story, you have to like the characters and in this case, I really did.

I totally would have gone along with this story as a series!

22 people found this helpful

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  • barbara
  • 2019-02-22

Looking for a good historical mystery? Read this

This is a good story. I felt a little angst all the way through but I expect that from a well written mystery. That edge of your seat feeling.
The characters are well drawn. The life of women left home in England during WWI is painfully accurate but all issues are satisfactorily resolved.

21 people found this helpful

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  • Cherie
  • 2019-02-23

Rhys does it again!

I always enjoy Ms Bowen’s books, and this is no exception. Quite lively. I really liked the peek into the life of land girls. Life was very hard for all women during WW I and people from all classes were touched by the devastation. This book gently leads us through some tough experiences that many women faced at this time.

13 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • Mary Dietrich
  • 2019-02-19

Harmless and predictable

Certainly an easy listen; however, every bit of the plot was predictable. No surprises. And, really, no reason to care about any of the characters beyond a casual acquaintance. the narration saved it.

13 people found this helpful

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  • alyssa
  • 2019-02-17

Lovely WW1 Story

narrated eloquently. Sweetly written , a journey that showcases the strength of the female bond, resourcefulness out of necessity and the plight of women and men during WW1. I enjoyed the herb garden buts immensely.

10 people found this helpful