The Winter Garden by Alexandra Bell

Synopsis
You are invited to enter an unusual competition.

I am looking for the most magical, spectacular, remarkable pleasure garden this world has to offer.

On the night her mother dies, 8-year-old Beatrice receives an invitation to the mysterious Winter Garden. A place of wonder and magic, filled with all manner of strange and spectacular flora and fauna, the garden is her solace every night for seven days. But when the garden disappears, and no one believes her story, Beatrice is left to wonder if it were truly real.

Eighteen years later, on the eve of her wedding to a man her late father approved of but she does not love, Beatrice makes the decision to throw off the expectations of Victorian English society and search for the garden. But when both she and her closest friend, Rosa, receive invitations to compete to create spectacular pleasure gardens – with the prize being one wish from the last of the Winter Garden’s magic – she realises she may be closer to finding it than she ever imagined.

Review
The Winter Garden is such a wonderful book to start my 2022 blog, with its’s magical plot and wonderful characters. I was hooked as soon as I picked up this book, the idea of a garden watched over by the Spider Queen, with magical trees, beautiful flowers and stunning creatures like the jeweled tiger. In part this book reminded me of The Night Circus as the garden only appears to those in need, and no matter how far you search, you will never find it, it will have to come to you.

The central characters are Beatrice and Rosa, completely different in character and circumstance, and both wanting what the other has. Beatrice is actually Lady Beatrice, with a stately home and all the resrtictions that come with that. Ever since seeing the garden in the week after the death of her mother, Beatrice has wanted to travel to try and find it again, to look for the many magical plants and animals herself:her adventures send her to Thailand, Japan, Singapore to name a few. Beatrice shows strength of character in shocking society by turning her back on her marriage to the Duke of Chalkey and travelling the world. Rosa is American, from new money and wants everything Beatrice has turned her back on; title, stately home, marriage and children. However, the grass is not always greener on the other side, so Rosa looses her self in the clockwork animals she makes.The friends are soon set against each other in a competition to build a magical garden, the prize being a wish that will change their lives, with both believing they are more deserving than the other.

Alexandra Bell creates such a magical world in this book, and her imagination shines through. There are plums that can show you an action you will regret, a carousel that can take you back to a moment in your past, rain that show you an alternative life, and then the fairy circles, bunnies that change into cups and many other wonderful and exciting delights. Set in 1836, Alexandra Bell also shines a light on the social and cultural constraints of the time, espeially where women were concerned. Beatrice is seen as unnatural as she doesn’t want to be married or have children, but in marriage Rosa finds herself imprisioned, her husband owns her and has control over her and her children.

The Winter Garden is an enchanting and bewitching story that captured my heart and imagination. The historical fantasy genre is fast becoming one of my favourites, learning more about an historial period whilst adding a touch of magic. The friendship and then rivalry between Beatrice and Rosa was fascinating, both wanting a wish that would change their lives, and I really couldn’t decide who I thought deserved it more. Like all fairytales there is a dark side that touches both Rosa and Beatrice to balance the magic out and make this a rounded and well balanced read. This is truely a stunning read.