An amazing fantasty/mysery set in the English countryside

books:


	• The China Garden Liz Berry HarperTeen, 1999 - 288 pages average customer review:based on 119 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

China Garden

ISBN 0380732289 - With teens the target audience, and with teens largely able to pick their own reading material without mom and dad nosing in, let me at least note that the sex scenes aren't as bad as romance novels for the grown-up audience, but they're there.

Clare and her mother, Frances, have some trouble getting along lately, partly because of the boy Clare's been dating. Once somewhat idealistic, Clare has taken up Adrian's opinions, which tend toward the "every man for himself", greedy sort. This is a little thing compared to what's coming next - Frances has taken a job as a private nurse and tells Clare, basically, that she ought to stay behind in London. Clare, however, makes up her own mind (for once) and decides to go along to Ravensmere, where her mother will be caring for 87 year old Mr. Aylward. Slowly, long-hidden truths begin to come to light.

So many things Clare thought she knew - from where her mother was born, to her own name - turn out to be half-truths or outright lies. Frances had spent Clare's entire life protecting her from Ravensmere and the legacy that will be hers, no matter what she does. With a history that might well go back tens of thousands of years, Ravensmere and the families tied to it protect a secret so powerful that the head of the Aylward family and his bride, always a Kenward daughter, must protect it with their lives.

Really well done, with a nice build up (that others found too slow) that leaves you wondering where everything is headed. As the secrets are revealed to the reader, and to Clare, understanding begins to dawn - but the real secret is beyond your guessing. You're going to have to read it to find out!

On the negative side, there's not much. At one point Clare snaps "Cat fleas don't live on humans." at Roger Fletcher, which is just stupid, since there's no such thing as "cat fleas" and fleas DO live on humans. And I hate to say it, but the ending wasn't as well done as the rest of the book. If Clare and Mark hadn't actually SAID what it was that they were sworn to protect, I'd still have no idea. Don't let that scare you off, though, because this one is one you'll be sorry to miss out on!

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An amazing fantasty/mysery set in the English countryside

This is an amazing fantasy/mystery/romance. It is about a girl who is slowly unravelling the mystery of her mother's past and her future, after they move to a beautiful and mysterious country estate in England. The story is very original and filled with symbolism.
I definitely recommend reading it. I gave it 4.5 stars, rather than 5 because I am extremely picky about what I consider a 5 star book. The only qualm I had with this book was that the romance seemed a bit shallow. It was based almost entirely on a fate they seemed unable to escape, and instantaneous sexual attraction. The sexual content is a bit mature for teens too.
Aside from that, I really liked it.

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The China Garden Review

Liz Berry's book, The China Garden, was... insightful. She has an incredible ability to paint a picture with her words. Never before have I felt more into another world. She transforms your mind and makes you view what her characters are seeing. Not as keen with feeling, nothing to the extent of, say, Stephenie Meyer in the emotional front. However, the pictures she provided were grand and all too entrancing. The book, holding a deep moral obligation to save the planet, showed the necessity in the most obscure way possible. Burning humans, telepathy, and foresight, all bound in present times. None of these extraordinary gifts were deemed out of the norm, as if having the ability to predict the trend in the Stock Exchange was a normality. All in all, it was an excellent read, and I would gladly pass it on.

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I've loved this since I was too young to understand it.

Me and my sister have read this book over and over since we were quite small, I still adore it, it seems like every time I read it I discover something new. Wonderful book to read aloud! I hope you enjoy it as I have!

my favorite book

This is my favorite book ever. Mystery, intrigue, incredible plot and character development, romance, it's got it all! Liz Berry is a great author.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

When Clare moves with her mother from London to Ravensmere, an historic English estate, she can't shake the feeling that the residents already know her, especially Mark, a maddeningly attractive biker. Clare also feels compelled to take midnight walks in Ravensmere's abandoned China Garden. Then her mother reveals that their own past is tragically linked to the estate. But when Clare discovers that Ravensmere is in grave danger, will she risk her future-and Mark's-to save it?

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recommendations

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