The French Gardener

The French Gardener. By Santa Montefiore. Miranda and David Claybourne are an upper class English couple with two young children that live in the countryside not far from London. The "rat race" in London was bringing them down and for the benefit of their children and peace of mind they settled on a magnificent estate in the country. While David continued to work in London, Miranda began to fall in love with the country, the estate, the gardens and the gardener. She hired Jean Paul to bring the decayed garden back to its original beauty that everyone in the village spoke about. Miranda, a girl who never got her hands dirty and had a nanny raising her children, completely dove into this new life and began to drift further away from her marriage. David was having an affair in London and miserably coming home on the weekends. Things were not good for the Claybournes relationship. But just when it seemed impossible to repair, Jean Paul teaches Miranda about true love, magic, beauty and guides her back to her family to rebuild their happiness. Jean Paul holds mysteries of the past. The past gardens, and his past and only love of his life, Ava. As Miranda figures out his mystery, she reveals the truth about herself and in the process helps Jean Paul discover an end to his torment as well. A romantic novel if ever I read one. Enjoyed every minute I spent in "la la" land!