"Full of compassion and hope, this beautifully atmospheric novel sits within a utopian community between the two world wars. "
Emotionally intelligent and compassionate, this warm and welcoming historical novel highlights the importance of creativity, kindness, and relationships. When I reviewed LoveReading Star Book The Visitors I declared that it wouldn’t be the last novel I read by Caroline Scott, and I was right. The Best of Intentions is just as lovely, just as rewarding, and it also sits as a Star Book and a Liz Pick of the Month. In 1932, Anderby Hall is a community of idealists, yet money is desperately needed for the upkeep of the house and gardens, and the community begins to fracture. I love how Caroline Scott writes, her descriptions are always so beautiful, and she has the ability to not only set the scene, but take you by the hand and make you feel right at home. The hall and the gardens become known, and I cared about them, and their future. The characters feel wonderfully authentic and relatable as they make mistakes and have their ups and downs. There is a lovely balance to this tale, as while several strands of the story create a feeling of tension, others bring hope and joy. Life, with all its complications makes itself right at home within this utopian community. The Best of Intentions is an engaging and atmospheric novel full of heart and optimism.
Charming, nostalgic and brimming with optimism - a sparkling story of friendship, community and staying true to yourself for fans of Lissa Evans and AJ Pearce.
1932: When gardener Robert Bardsley arrives at Anderby Hall, an Elizabethan manor house in the Gloucestershire countryside, it is home to 'Greenfields', a community of artists and idealists.
Robert has been employed to revive Anderby's famous roses and restore the topiary garden, but he also soon befriends the other residents: from colourful neighbour Trudie, who makes a formidable cocktail and keeps her late-fiancé's ashes on the mantelpiece, to composer Daniel, recovering from the horrors of the Great War. The only person he can't win over is Anderby's schoolteacher, Faye, who finds him . . . perfectly vexing.
But just as Robert starts to feel at home, the residents discover that the old orchard has been sold to a property developer who has plans for an estate of Tudorbethan bungalows. Can they find a way to keep their creative community alive or will the new housing development put an end to the spirit of Greenfields?
The Best of Intentions features in the following genres: Liz Robinson's Picks of the Month, Recommendations, Star Books, Feel-Good Fiction, Historical Fiction, Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Romance / Relationship Stories, Narrative theme: Environmental issues / the natural world, Narrative theme: Identity / belonging, Narrative theme: Sense of place, Narrative theme: Social issues, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction, Narrative theme: Sense of place, Narrative theme: Social issues, Narrative theme: Environmental issues / the natural world, Narrative theme: Love and relationships
The Best of Intentions is available in Paperback
The Best of Intentions was written by Caroline Scott and published by Simon & Schuster UK Ltd. an imprint of Simon & Schuster UK
The Best of Intentions has 403 pages
£8.99
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