But as Elizabeth and Belle are about to discover, secrets don't last long in this Enlightenment city . Everything is told to you, everything is narrated, and every single character gets their turn on the point of view. Por un lado, tenemos el traslado del antiguo Jardín Botánico de la ciudad a su nueva ubicación (un prodigio en sí mismo), por otro, una posible visita real, y por último (y no por ello menos importante), la floración de una rara flor tropical que será el hilo conductor de todas las historias. These two very different women find a common bond, forming a friendship that defies society’s expectations .

I am a big fan of Sara Sheridan's Mirabelle Beven books, I love her sense of time and place and her really strong but conflicted and often quite bloody minded protagonists - something that is really difficult to do, but that she does very well.

It soon becomes clear that much of the mounting interest in the resituated gardens stems from the fervour around the imminent blooming of the prize Agave americana plant and not all of that concern is entirely altruistic. Elizabeth hasn’t had a particularly happy marriage and this move promises to open up new experiences. Interesting social background and intrigue around George IVs famous visit to his northern and then very unionist capital, and the early days of the creation of the New Town.

Having sketched for the head gardener at Kew when she was in London, kindly Elizabeth is pleased to make the acquaintance of head gardener, William McNab, who seems keen for her to resume her botanical art, and find a friend in eccentric Clementina.We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. A really beautiful historical novel set in 1800s Edinburgh filled with intrigue and romance, featuring cameos from Sir Walter Scott and George VI. Both Belle and Elizabeth are able to make big changes in their lives, and I loved that the ending of the story depicted their fresh starts.