The Last Garden in England

Emma owns her own landscaping business, Turning Back Thyme, much to the chagrin of her mother, who wanted to see Emma pursue university and a stable career. Still, in 2021, Emma is afforded much more freedom and opportunity than Venetia in 1907, though this does not always ensure greater peace of mind: “She lived with the near-constant stress of wondering if this was going to be the year that things came crashing down” (16). Ironically, Emma’s desire for freedom (she never settles in one place for long) and independence (she runs the business solely by herself) weigh heavily on her shoulders, forestalling her own happiness.

As the novel develops, however, Emma begins to find purpose beyond her own amorphous desires to be self-sufficient and successful. First, her attachment to the Highbury House garden rooms and her commitment to the faithful restoration of them provide her with more personal satisfaction within her professional career; she can imagine herself as a link in the history of the place. Second, that attachment leads her to connect with the people related to the project, which slowly coaxes her into letting down her defenses: “A tiny part of her liked the idea that someone might have a drink ready for her. That she might be a part of something” (70). As her work continues, and her interactions with the owners and locals increase, she is drawn in by the companionship—just as she was originally enthralled by the garden’s history.

Eventually, Emma admits to herself, “I like it here in Highbury” (252). Her story, while not a traditional coming-of-age tale (Emma is already an adult with a career), is still a story of maturation. Rather than avoiding others and maintaining an isolated independence, Emma discovers, through the mysterious history of the garden, that the idea of restoration need not only apply to place but also to self: “This is what she’d been looking for. To be a part of joyful beginnings. To have a home” (340). Home, in this case, means a connection to the past and to the present, surrounded by friends and looking forward to the future. She asks Charlie to be her business partner; she finally accepts Henry’s request for a date; and she tasks her realtor with finding an affordable cottage in the area. She will put down her own roots, as she stays to witness her work come to fruition.

Beth enlists as a land girl during World War II, eager to be outdoors and working on a farm. Her childhood was spent on a farm, before she was orphaned and sent to be raised by an unaffectionate aunt in a neighboring town. Her work at Temple Fosse Farms, near Highbury House, is sure to be “like returning home” (27). Indeed, though Beth also discovers her own sense of independence, her primary concern throughout is the establishment of her own household, secured by love and family.

Though she writes letters to a childhood friend, Colin, she is ambivalent about her feelings for him. He has asked her to pledge herself to him—it will help him brave the warfront—but they have never been on a date, or even seen each other in a long while. The request is via telephone. In contrast, when Beth meets the charming Captain Graeme Hastings, she is flattered by his interest: “Captain Hastings wanted to know how she was finding her work, of course, but also what she thought of the progress of the war,” among other things (154). He respects her opinion, and she responds to his esteem. When she receives a letter from Colin, on the other hand, “she couldn’t shake the slight nagging feeling of dread that she’d have to answer them” (158). Ultimately, of course, she accepts Captain Hastings’s proposal of marriage and decides to make a life with him. When she must confront Colin about her decision, she makes it clear that she is “a woman whose mind is made up,” and that she is “not something to be stolen” (247). Beth is unwilling to be objectified by either man.

This decision, however, is not without its complications: The couple does not know where they will live, and while Graeme wishes to stay in the army, Beth wants to stay in Highbury. As with the other women in the novel, Beth, too, must find her own way forward. She is encouraged by Diana to make her sketches of the garden rooms: “I hope you’re not going to be one of those women who refuse to believe in her talents,” the older woman tells her (119). Indeed, the reader is aware that Beth becomes a fairly famous painter. As she gains confidence here, so too does she gain the confidence to tell Graeme she wants to stay in Highbury. She even oversees the arrangements that will give the couple “their future home” (319). Through the course of the novel, Beth finds and exercises her agency, ensuring that she gets exactly what she wants.

In contrast to Beth’s rather traditional desires for marriage and home, Stella wants only to escape the confines of Highbury House and the life of service to which her class has condemned her. She does not want to be a domestic worker; rather, she wants to be a secretary in London, for which she takes correspondence courses. Further, she desires her independence and the freedom to travel. When her sister leaves Bobby, her nephew, with Stella, it seems those dreams must be relinquished in favor of responsibility. Still, Stella’s steely personality—she “scared her cooks more than the Germans frightened the wounded soldiers upstairs” (48)—will propel her forward, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. In addition, as in the other stories, her fate is intertwined with other female characters.

While the death of Diana’s son, Robin, is an unimaginable tragedy, it opens unlikely opportunities for both Diana and Stella. Since the death of her sister made Bobby an orphan, Stella has “felt nothing except unadulterated fear” (301)—not only that she cannot raise this child, but also that “[s]he was going to be stuck here in Highbury for the rest of her life” (302). She feels trapped, but Diana offers her a way out by proposing to adopt her nephew. For her, this action alleviates her grief over her lost son; for Stella, it would free her to pursue her own path: “Let me help you live the life you’d always wanted” (331) Diana tells her. This action creates new beginnings for everyone, to paraphrase Diana. Just as gardens regenerate out of the dead of winter, so too do lives recover from the darkness of grief.