Garden of Her Heart

A beautifully written book about Holly and how she rediscovers herself while staying at Pinewoods Retreat. I only wish I could spend three weeks there now too! Also, I'm going to be making the mushroom soup very soon. Highly recommend.

I loved this book and gulped it down in a couple of sittings. The reading experience is a bit like the book's content - a wonderful and healing break from the stresses of life! It follows the recovery of the main character, Holly, who is attacked at work and then made redundant by an uncaring boss. She has one final benefit to use up - having worked for a travel agency, she gets a free trip of her choice. Reluctantly, as she's still unwell physically and mentally with the aftermath of the attack, she goes to a retreat centre for a holiday. There she encounters kindness and friendship, as well as new challenges. The setting is so vividly described, it makes you want to go to this beautiful place and seek out its healing atmosphere for yourself. The author is skilled at describing depression and anxiety and the gradual recovery Holly makes as she re-finds her confidence and begins to seek a new life. I liked that the emphasis is on friendship and self-love - although there is romance here too! The perfect summer read.