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Summary: Simply Magical
Review: The China Garden was the perfect mix of fantasy and reality. It was so creative and you can not even imagine what would happen next. I mean you have an idea about the simple plot of the story, but it takes you on an amazing maze of intricate mixing stories. It is truely an amazing tale that keeps you guessing until the end. Even though there are a lot of names and dates, you really can read that information and forget about it and worry about the better things, like what is the Benison and when will Clare see Mark again?!
Thank you Jessica Lynn for letting me borrow this book!!
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Summary: GREAT READ : )
Review: The China Garden
By Liz Berry Although a fictional story, The China Garden is written in such a way that it takes you to Ravensmere, the manor where Clare Meredith and her mother move to, and creates a believable atmosphere which keeps you hooked until the end.
Recently graduated Clare has high hopes for the future, a goal-driven boyfriend, and plans for the summer before University. This changes when her mother comes home with a new job offer in the estate of elderly Mr. Aylward, Earl of Ravensmere. Sensing a need to follow her mother, she declines the invitation to stay with her friend in London and travels with her mother.
Ravensmere has a questionable effect on Clare: everyone in the town of Stoke Raven has been awaiting her arrival, she starts having visions of people and places, and she has a discerning knowledge of places and people at Ravensmere. She has a connection with this place, and with Mark Winters, a classic bad boy biker living on close-by Kenward Farm. Her midnight visits to the derelict China Garden raise questions and open Clare to a part of her life hidden from her-until now.
From the minute I picked up the China Garden, Liz Berry and the characters and places in her story had me turning pages until the last word of the story. The many mysteries of Ravensmere waiting to be solved by Clare keep the reader interested and wanting more. There are references to historical events and Greek mythology, which gives it a realistic aura and makes it even more exciting to read. The China Garden is an amazing book that has become one of my favorites, and I recommend it to all. by Meghan P.
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Summary: This book Rocks
Review: This book had me enchanted from the very first page! Clare and the relationships she makes make this book amazing. It is not only my favorite book but I base all other books I read off of it. It is a must read and I suggest that everyone read it!
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Summary: the most amazing book ive ever read
Review: There is no doubt in my mind that the China Garden is something special. While I am only 15, I have read tons of books and none of them have the same quality as this book. There is simply no comparing a book like this to any other. It mystified me with its romance and suspense, and I simply want more. The heart-wrenching tale made me wish that I were Clare, living at Ravensmere and experiencing her overwhelming emotions of love and hate.
I know that many people do not take these reviews seriously, but if I had to recommend any book to someone, I would recommend this one. I had my mother read it when I was finished, and she agrees with me. Both my friends and my mother's friends all love this book and agree that it is the kind of book you can read over and over. Already, after only three years, my copy has been torn to shreds from reading it so many times. Once you start, you simply can not stop or take any breaks until you are through. I dont doubt that anyone who reads this novel will be as entranced by it as I and everyone I know has been.
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Summary: My favorite book
Review: This book is a beautiful blend of mysticism and the english countryside, two of my favorite things. I wish there were more books that explored the depth of english history in novel form. I feel like I could read this book ten times, and still have missed something, which is a good thing because I can read it over and over.
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Summary: A Pleasant Surprise
Review: When I picked up this book at a store, I read the back and figured it would be a simple, charming book---as Young Adult books set in England are. I was quick to find that I was far off the mark on the first of the two! This is an amazing book with magnificent themes of heritage, loyalty, love, and responsibility without being bland or repititous, as most books boasting numeral admirable themes tend to be. I was thrilled to find events found in the fantasy genre earlier into the book. When the spiritual atmosphere got stronger throughout the book, I realized that this book was more suspenseful, charming (I WAS accurate on that theory), and magical than I thought possible, but all the while, the plot and characters were so real that I could practically watch the plot unfold in front of my eyes as if it were happening right in front of me. If you're hesitant because of other reviews or second thoughts about diving into a book involving the fantasy genre, fear not. This book WILL NOT let you down. (And you won't be able to put IT down, either.)
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Summary: The China Garden - An Amazing Read
Review: The reason I originally bought this book was because I was bored and I thought the cover page had a nice picture. But the book is about so much more than that. It's a mystical web of intruiging circumstances that piece together a beautiful work of literary art. A great find, and a wonderful story. The characters all have these incredible depths, and the book seems to highlight this by unfolding their many layers of personality slowly, making each page count. I especially liked the similarities between Mark and Mr. Aylward, because Berry portrayed them as being subtle but important in the grand scheme of things. (Confidentially - Reading this story really brought forward a strong desire to see a man with long, black hair, like Mark's. Just made me wonder if it is really as inspiring as the book makes it seem like. I'm sure any other woman/girl who's read the story would agree.) I also loved it because Greek/Roman mythology, one of my historical specialties, was really showcased in the story. It only made to enhance the supernatural power behind the events that make up this amazing book. Overall, one would need to read it to truly understand what composites the story. It's that kind of book, one you cannot listen to on a tape. You have to experience it for yourself. Therefore, I highly recommend it.
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Summary: Unbelievable .. Couldn't put it d0wn !
Review: This book was sooo good. I picked it up cause the cover was interesting and thought that i woodn't get past the first couple of pages. Boy was I wrongg ! I was up all night DYING to find out what happened. The book was romantic, spell binding and weaved a great tale! Highly recommend it!
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Summary: A Wonderful Read
Review: Wow. Berry's book is a rich garden of verdant prose, a delightful puzzle of a book that Berry pieces together with talent and skill. The story is a bout Clare, a future college student in a rut, who decides to accompany her mother on a nursing job to the village of Stokes Raven. The entire village seems to be waiting for something; perhaps the arrival of Clare herself who is greeted with an unusual warmth and familiarity. While she is there she unravels the secret of a hidden garden, a centuries old mystery, and the puzzle of her own self.
A dazzling read told in nothing less than poetic terms, The China Garden is surely a jewel of a book.
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Summary: Very original concept, a couple of flaws in execution
Review: My roommate lent me this book with the words, "It's my favorite ever." That ringing endorsement in mind, I started THE CHINA GARDEN by Liz Berry. I was immediately sucked into the very believable, very British world of Clare and her mother. We learn early on that they have psychic abilities, a fact that they accept calmly, sending the reader deeper into their world. (I would classify THE CHINA GARDEN as sort of soft-core fantasy, where the fantastical elements intermingle with everyday ones, but are never allowed to seem out-of-place or even unusual. This book certainly does not belong on a shelf with Anne McCaffrey or Robert Jordan.) After the pair arrives at Ravensmere, the intrigue begins. Clare soon learns of the history of the great estate and that her own history may be more entangled with it than she previously thought. While she is trying to sort out her own issues, along comes Mark, a boy who seems to believe that the two are destined for each other, and who won't seem to take no for an answer. Clare has to figure out how her life is connected with Ravensmere, and how Mark is connected to her. And increasingly, she senses there is a task that must be done -- but what is it? And can she do it in time? I had a few problems with the book when all was said and done. First of all, Mark. For a book that's intended to be a love story (at least in part), his character is remarkably hidden from view. We know he's bitter, we know he's a rebel, and we know he loves Clare -- that's about it. I would have appreciated a more fleshed-out version of him. Secondly, Clare's mother is all but ignored after she spills all her secrets. Considering how close Clare was with her, this simply doesn't seem right. Lastly, for an intelligent young woman, Clare certainly was stupid when it came to putting together pieces of her own life puzzle. I figured out practically the entire thing about a third of the way into the book, whereas Clare was still struggling with it until almost the very end. I doubt even denial could blind her to such obvious hints and clues. Despite these problems, overall, I did enjoy the book. I will freely admit to being entranced by the China Garden itself and Clare's frequent Maze Dances. There were also a few characters who stood out, such as Mark's mother. But I can't help thinking of how truly great this book could have been if the aforementioned flaws had been avoided.
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