Rating: 
Summary: A beautiful and moving novel
Review: "Rose's Garden" is one of the most beautiful and moving novels I have ever read. Though it is the story of a man stricken with grief about his wife's death, it is in the end a novel about joy. Conrad Morrisey's love for his wife returns him to the world of his small New Hampshire town and to the lives of those who surround him. The descriptions of gardens are just lovely, and Conrad's movement toward resignation and peace will leave you heartbroken and elated. Everyone should read this book.
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful and moving novel
Review: "Rose's Garden" is one of the most beautiful and moving novels I have ever read. Though it is the story of a man stricken with grief about his wife's death, it is in the end a novel about joy. Conrad Morrisey's love for his wife returns him to the world of his small New Hampshire town and to the lives of those who surround him. The descriptions of gardens are just lovely, and Conrad's movement toward resignation and peace will leave you heartbroken and elated. Everyone should read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Carrie Brown lifts the ordinary into the realm of magic
Review: "Rose's Garden" marks a stunning debut for author Carrie Brown.When Conrad's wife of many years passes away, he falls into despair. A few years later, the garden Rose kept so carefullyon Paradise Hill shows neglect, also. But one spring, the garden blooms with a remarkable abundance, paving the way for the appearance of an Angel in Rose's Garden. Conrad strives to share his visitation with the town's folk who knew and loved Rose. In doing so, he discovers a world he never knew in the townsfolk who knew and loved Rose. Ms. Brown's unusual tale artfully weaves the magical into the ordinary. The end result is a rare, one of a kind, expression of the power of love. Don't miss this haunting story.
Rating:
Summary: Carrie Brown lifts the ordinary into the realm of magic
Review: "Rose's Garden" marks a stunning debut for author Carrie Brown. When Conrad's wife of many years passes away, he falls into despair. A few years later, the garden Rose kept so carefullyon Paradise Hill shows neglect, also. But one spring, the garden blooms with a remarkable abundance, paving the way for the appearance of an Angel in Rose's Garden. Conrad strives to share his visitation with the town's folk who knew and loved Rose. In doing so, he discovers a world he never knew in the townsfolk who knew and loved Rose. Ms. Brown's unusual tale artfully weaves the magical into the ordinary. The end result is a rare, one of a kind, expression of the power of love. Don't miss this haunting story.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect for a rainy Sunday afternoon
Review: A touching love story and picture of a man discovering the place he holds in his community. Haunting prose and a vivid sense of place make this novel brilliant.
Rating: 
Summary: Astounding!!!
Review: A wonderful look into the life of an incredibly compassionate man. Moving through his struggles of living life after his wife's death. Beautiful images creep into the mind while reading this delightful novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Slow pace quite right for thoughtful debut novel
Review: At last, I've finished all of Carrie Brown's novels. I started backwards when I had to review "The Hatbox Baby". Then, I moved backward on my own through "Lamb In Love" and now "Rose's Garden". I confess I didn't harken to "Rose's Garden" at first. It seemed slower than the other two novels - slower in a way that was more appealing in Ms. Brown's last two offerings. But having read her other works, I felt I could trust her to lead me where I was supposed to be going, and she did. The story of Conrad's widowhood - how he copes with the loneliness, the pain and his fears of moving on through life without his beloved Rose - is pretty devastating to read. Such are Ms. Brown's writing abilities that I think even if you have not lost a spouse, you can feel the weight of her character's absolute grief without any trouble. At these times, when one instinctively wants to pull back, to grasp that which is lost to the physical world, the best cure often lies in reaching outward, towards the future. Conrad's increasing awareness of the strength and depth of Rose's love, coupled with the renewing power that comes when he takes his own love and flings it into the air like one of his beloved homing pigeons, is remarkable. Like his birds, who return to settle on his outstretched arms, Conrad finds his love winging back towards him in ways he neither expects nor anticipates but which come as no surprise to the reader of "Rose's Garden". If you remain patient through the first 100 pages, you'll be richly rewarded. As with "Lamb In Love" and "The Hatbox Baby", Ms. Brown's ethereal writing style and her very human characters will haunt you long after you're done reading.
Rating:
Summary: Slow pace quite right for thoughtful debut novel
Review: At last, I've finished all of Carrie Brown's novels. I started backwards when I had to review "The Hatbox Baby". Then, I moved backward on my own through "Lamb In Love" and now "Rose's Garden". I confess I didn't harken to "Rose's Garden" at first. It seemed slower than the other two novels - slower in a way that was more appealing in Ms. Brown's last two offerings. But having read her other works, I felt I could trust her to lead me where I was supposed to be going, and she did. The story of Conrad's widowhood - how he copes with the loneliness, the pain and his fears of moving on through life without his beloved Rose - is pretty devastating to read. Such are Ms. Brown's writing abilities that I think even if you have not lost a spouse, you can feel the weight of her character's absolute grief without any trouble. At these times, when one instinctively wants to pull back, to grasp that which is lost to the physical world, the best cure often lies in reaching outward, towards the future. Conrad's increasing awareness of the strength and depth of Rose's love, coupled with the renewing power that comes when he takes his own love and flings it into the air like one of his beloved homing pigeons, is remarkable. Like his birds, who return to settle on his outstretched arms, Conrad finds his love winging back towards him in ways he neither expects nor anticipates but which come as no surprise to the reader of "Rose's Garden". If you remain patient through the first 100 pages, you'll be richly rewarded. As with "Lamb In Love" and "The Hatbox Baby", Ms. Brown's ethereal writing style and her very human characters will haunt you long after you're done reading.
Rating:
Summary: reminiscent of the sure and gentle touch of Alice Hoffman's
Review: Carrie Brown is a wonderful and rewarding find. Her touch is both gentle and firm as she investigates the persistence of love after death. She is wise without being didactic, full of immediate feelings without being sentimental. The sense of infinite return, of journeys outward and inward is carefully and lovingly given voice. Brava!
Rating: 
Summary: Didn't live up to this reader's expectations
Review: I bought this book with great anticipation of a well written, stirring story about a husband's struggle to go on after his wife's death. It is very poetic and lyrical, but I kept waiting for the moment when I would be totally engrossed in the book, and that never happened. My favorite parts were the interactions with his pigeons as well as with the woman who brings him dinners who was looked after by Rose. In the end, however, I finished that last sentence feeling unsatisfied. Next time, I won't so eagerly purchase a book recommended by Barnes and Noble.
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