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The Heirloom Garden

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The Heirloom Garden

May 2020

I dare you to read THE HEIRLOOM GARDEN and not want to garden --- or at least visit a garden, or arrange some flowers. This book, the fifth in Viola Shipman’s Heirloom series, is the best one, which is saying something as I loved THE SUMMER COTTAGE last year.

THE HEIRLOOM GARDEN has two female protagonists. One is a woman who lost her husband in World War II; the other’s husband came home from Iraq with PTSD and lots of hidden battle scars. Their friendship slowly forms; as it does, walls between them literally come down and beautiful gardens flourish. Each chapter bears the name of a flower with a stunning drawing. There is lots of backstory for one of the characters and a deep look into the scars of war on not only those who fight, but those who come home and those who wait for them.

People have been reaching out to me to share how much this book has meant to them --- and how inspiring it is. There is a lot here for book clubs to discuss, and the author would be a terrific virtual guest for your group. Viola Shipman is the pseudonym of Wade Rouse; he adapted the name of his grandmother for this series and writes about the traditions that she, his other grandmother and his own mother inspired in him through the years. Lovely reading!

The Heirloom Garden
by Viola Shipman

  • Publication Date: April 28, 2020
  • Genres: Fiction, Women's Fiction
  • Paperback: 448 pages
  • Publisher: Graydon House
  • ISBN-10: 1525804618
  • ISBN-13: 9781525804618