A beautiful book and an interesting story I’ve read many books that take place during WW2 but none that show the ongoing impact once the soldiers came home with everyone having to rebuild and the strain everyone was under.
I’ve already recommended to several friends!

The Walled Garden by Sarah Hardy

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC ebook for an unbiased review.

As someone whose grandfather's were both affected by WW2, and the way it affected the family as a whole, meant this story was intriguing to me. Did it work?
Yes.
My real negatives - minor as they were, and why I knock a star off my rating - was it was a little slow to start. I also felt that it was all a bit clichéd on who the characters were. The vicar, a doctor, the dutiful wife as Lady of the Manor. I personally felt it would've been better to give us characters who tend not to fall into this trap. It isn't to say they were without merit, I just wish more ordinary voices were what brought the story to us.

However, despite this, once it found its stride, I really found myself taken in by the story overall. In fact, in respect of the effects war had, it was certainly something I know reflected both my maternal and paternal family, for different reasons. My paternal grandfather was a warrant officer who was tasked with helping those at Bergen-Belsen, and he came back from the war and had a breakdown as a result of his experience. Thankfully, he was able to recover but the mental scars ran deep. For both men. That spilled over into family life in ways a lot of people today probably have no tangible understanding of. This book brought some of that to the forefront.

Ultimately the book is about resilience, despite the horror. Despite what the families and community went through. How it was all rebuilt, and even if it was different, it isn't necessarily worse.

I'm happy to give this 4/5 stars. One book that will join my collection.

Thank you for the chance to read this ARC in return for my honest opinion.

To be honest I struggled with this book and it was one that, rarely for me, I nearly gave up on on several occasions.

I have no idea why it was entitled ‘The Walled Garden’ as this was a very insignificant feature of the book.
I suppose in a way it was a metaphor for the fact that a garden could be made good as could possibly the minds of those damaged by war.

It was so slow for the first two thirds then raced to a very neat conclusion which seemed against the entire way in which the first part had been written.
It was so morose and ponderous. The emotions of the main make characters one damaged by a life-threatening illness and the others by the sights and scenes they had seen in WW2 overtook what could have been a much more enlightening read.
I am a child of the late fifties so not old enough to have experienced it but old enough to realise that War will have damaged those that were sent to serve and follow orders.
I also understand that many found it hard to talk of what they had seen and done - in fact some of my own father’s National Service was only talked about when he developed dementia and went back in his own memories.

The descriptions of the mental effects I suppose were well written but this was interspersed with those of the surrounding countryside - I suppose it was a book of differing types of prose but this did not make for an easy (I know the subject matter was never going to be easy) or captivating read.

I did stick with it to the end but was again disappointed with this, the epilogue in my view should have had a much larger part in how and why the events described happened. In fact I feel the book would have been far more readable. I wanted to know how and why these events happened but it was all wrapped up in a very small chapter.

Even the affair aspect stretched credibility in my mind. But to say more would provide spoilers so I will keep quiet.

Sadly this debut novel would not encourage me to seek more by this author but thank you for introducing me to something new.

The book is set after the Second World War. Alice and Stephen are married but he’s returned a changed man. Alice doesn’t like him much any more and tries to use her time to keep out if his way and to repair the Walled garden in Oakbourne Hall. But she finds solace from an unexpected quarter. Alice gives birth to a son and things seem to be do much better.
For a first novel it’s quite stunning and I certainly hope there are many more. Thank you

What a beautiful book - not only the cover, but also the story of loss, tragedy love and the horrors of WW1. I was hooked from the start to finish!

It is 1946 and the men are returning from the war. Most are broken and life is taking its time in healing them.
Alice Rayne is married to Stephen, who is heir to Oakbourne Hall and now an angry man hiding a tragic secret.
Alice falls under the spell of the new Vicar and begins an affair with him.
Is this the end of her marriage to Stephen? She finds solace in returning the walled garden to its former glory but will she see it through to the end?

A carefully-told reminder that war doesn't end when the war ends. Each character tells of a different war but enduring resilience is shown in all as they attempt to recover. Underlying themes of love and redemption turn the story into a message of hope.

This is such a beautifully written book about human resilience and trauma, particularly the trauma of war. It is graphic in places and creates a feeling of discomfort and sadness around the atrocities of war and the battles people are facing on the inside but I felt this was pitched at just the right level for the reader. I am, by trade, a certified trauma specialist and found this book accurate and very well researched yet sensitive to the reader. The ending was perfect !

Oh how war can affect people in so many ways, test relationships and for those left behind not live up to expectations when those away come home. It really describes in an flowing manner the problems of relationships when war finishes. Running alongside it also describes the financialissue sof maintaining large houses - you could say if you can afford the house then tough but in so many cases it is through inheritance which doesn't mean the cash bucket need to look after them.
Though slightly slow to get into perseverance really rewarded, it is an excellent read

The Walled Garden gives us an insight into the aftermath of WWII and those whom survived the war. However there's much less of the walled garden in the story, which focuses almost wholly on the survivors stories and trauma. I struggled with that aspect but I know others will enjoy this.

A brilliant book. So beautifully written, as if Sarah Hardy was there during those post war times. A story of loss, love, the horrors of war and the ability to cope afterwards. A story that keeps you hooked till the last page!

Post war stories about the horrors of war, and an inability to cope with life afterwards are not rare. This however is all about that, with very little respite. Family men who cannot adapt to life after loss, and indeed the women left behind, are in abundance, and it makes for a community full of misery. Add to that a new vicar facing imminent death, a crumbling manorial pile, class divisions and we have a very morose book. It tries to inject some beauty with descriptions of the bucolic countryside, but fails to counter balance the heavily laden, endless stories of woe, all too neatly resolved at the end.

Superb! I honestly could not believe that Sarah Hardy had not lived during this time as I truly did live it just reading her words! Atmospheric, emotional, heart rending, joyous, a real roller coaster of emotions and unputdownable! It is 1946 and George Ivens has moved to a small village in Norfolk to take over as vicar of the parish. George has had rheumatic fever and knows his life will not be long but he wants to try and make a difference to the war torn village of Oakbourne. Sir Stephen and his wife are suffering with the after effects of the atrocities he experienced over in France. Alice, his wife, tries to talk to him but he shuts himself away in the attic rooms of Oakbourne Hall and their once loving relationship is suffering. Dr Downes has returned from the war with only one workable leg and takes back his medicinal duties from his wife Jane who had worked tirelessly during the war in his place. He dislikes Sir Stephen and all he stands for but he and George are able to forge a friendship and the Doctor feels the need to help this kind and empathetic man. However, back at the Hall, Alice is lost and alone and her only solace is in bringing the Walled Garden back to life. George tries to help discover what her husband is holding back but the circumstances become far more complicated! Be prepared to lose yourself totally in this beautiful tale which would also make a wonderful film!

There's a lot of books about the aftermath and the impact of WWI on the veterans but there's not a lot about the aftermath of WWII.
This is a good story, a story about what happens when the men you married is back after the war and he changed and you have to fight to save your home and maybe change your life.
The author is a good storyteller and developed an intriguing plot, heart breaking and compelling, and a cast of well rounded characters.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Thank you Netgalley and Manilla Press for this eCopy to review

I really wanted to enjoy this book, but I found it very hard going. I thought there would be much more about the Walled Garden in it. Hardy, explores how taking part in WWII changed the men who went away in the armed forces and the families who stayed at home and how they come to terms living with their injuries and/or actions they carried our during the war. Ultimately, there is a happy ending it just seemed to take an incredibly long time to get anywhere and the rants against the upper classes were a bit much for my liking.

We often see books about ww2 but it’s not so often we see books about the repercussions for the survivors.

There are men who came back from the war changed and not able to open up to their wives and families. Also wives that have been changed by war and circumstances.

I liked the story but I found the first half rather slow. As characters started to talk about their experiences the story opened up and the book improved. Certainly thought provoking about the aftermath of war.

This story was so moving.

We imagine that the men who go off to war will come back the same people and pick up their lives where they left off. This book was beautifully written about how untrue that is. After the atrocities of war and all that they did and saw, how could they?
The book tells of how once happy couples were ripped apart and unable to open up and talk about it. I was particularly caught up with the story of Alice and Stephen. Such heaviness carried by Stephen that drove a wedge between them and ultimately leaves Alice with a secret to carry for the rest of her life. It’s a beautiful story. I absolutely loved it.

The Walled Garden is a book that illustrates how war can affect not just those who have to fight for freedom during a conflict but also those left behind. And when the soldiers return home to their Suffolk village they are no longer the men they were before they left. Alice's husband, Stephen, is one such man, and as a result, not only does their crumbling manor home need rescuing but also their marriage. They aren't the only couple having to come to terms with post-war life and the rebuilding of the community, with the help of the injured village doctor and a new vicar who has his own guilt for not being able to physically fight in the war. This book illustrates how resilient people can be with love, patience and understanding. Thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier Books/Manilla Press for the opportunity to read and review The Walled Garden.

World War II is over, and those men lucky enough to survive have returned home. But are they really the lucky ones? This book looks at the mental and physical struggles war inflicted on those who went off, and also covers the effect on the loved ones left behind.

The main characters are Alice and Stephen. Alice is Lady of the Manor, and her husband Stephen has returned from war a completely different man. He cannot tell her what happened to him, and she struggles to work through their life together. Can she make him open up and recover the love they had, or will the draw of an illicit affair be too strong for her to resist?

Supplementary characters also have their experiences of war examined, and the Downes family echo the story of Alice and Stephen - Dr Downes cannot explain to his family the atrocities he saw, and as such their family life has changed drastically.

I desperately wanted to love this book, but I found the first half incredibly slow. Once characters started to talk and open up to each other, the story came alive and I really enjoyed the latter stages. Overall, I felt the book was a heartwrenching look at the effects of war.

What a wonderful story, told with depth and empathy but so very sad. Sarah Hardy has captured the scene with skill, creating wonderful characters. Struggling to come to terms with the events and effects of the Second World War, Alice and her husband Stephen face many challenges, as do several other members of the local community. The revelation of past secrets unfold, but still there are those best kept private. It was a joy to read this novel, which is a true page turner.

My thanks to Sarah Hardy, NetGalley and the publishers Bonnier Books for this unforgettable novel.