Gwen Davis works for the Royal Horticultural Society in London, England, researching a cure for parsnip canker. She loves her adopted home but its destruction from the bombs of WWII are more than she can bear.

I do not know how to reconcile myself to useless random death. I do not know how to assimilate this much brutal change, or how to relearn this landscape that was once so familiar to me and is now different every day. I cannot find my way back to my life when all my known landmarks are being removed. [page 7]

When the opportunity arises, she volunteers for the Women's Land Army. She will be in charge of a group of "Land Girls" at a country estate, growing potatoes for the war effort. After she arrives at the estate, Gwen discovers a mysterious, long-forgotten garden. Her attempts to restore it and to decipher its secrets have life-altering effects.

The book is set in 1941 but rather than being about the war, it's a book about the side-effects of war. Most of the characters are sad and damaged in one way or another. There's Captain Raley, a Canadian soldier who is billeted with his troops in the main house, awaiting orders. Jane, who smokes a lot, never eats, and is waiting for word about her fiance who is missing in action. And, of course, Gwen whose childhood left her with no self-esteem.

It's obvious that Humphreys is a poet. Her writing is lyrical, beautiful, and her characters leave a lasting impression. The book itself has an old-fashioned feel, antique even, with its smaller size and gorgeous cover. This is a book about longing and it is definitely worth reading.

Reviewed by Lynn Bornath, from the hardcover version.