R E K. (bigstone) - , reviewed on 7/10/2021 + 1438 more book reviews

I totally enjoyed The Lavender Garden, a story about an insecure woman who discovers how strong she can be. Emilie's life changed dramatically with the death of her mother and she realizes that she is the sole surviving family member. Her mother's death evoked many feelings, many of which were very painful. Emilie, an introvert, had distanced herself from her outgoing social Mother and chose to live a quiet life. Her story is touching and reminded me of people I know.

When Emelie meets Sebastian who loves her for who she is, she ccepts his attentions which are validated by a link between her family and his. His grandmother, Constance, knew her family during WW II and Emelie's interest French activites grow. She discovers that her father was a brave man who worked with the resistance. The novel moves from that past to Emelie's present.

Emelie learns that Constance was an English woman trained to work with the resistance. She was sent to France but found that her contacts had been arrested. Her last hope was, Edouard de la Martinieres, Emelie's father. Unfortunately, she arrived when he is entertaining high ranking Germans. Forced to assume the identity of a family member, she cannot complete her assignment because the Germans now know her face.

Yes, Emilie is naive and all too trusting but I was delighted when she learned to cope with the decisions she makes and move on. I cheered when she discovered Sebastion's real motives for showering her with attention. And, I loved the WWII sections that revealed the life that Emelie's father and Constance led during the war. These sections demonstrated the dedication of so many who resisted the Nazi occupation of France. I thought it was a wonderful read from both viewpoints.

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