The Pleasure Garden
Ruby is an artist who falls asleep in the gardens of beautiful Oakstead House and finds herself in a waking dream that soon becomes a nightmare. At first she and Ben, the house’s owner, fall deeply in love, but soon she finds herself attracted almost against her will to the enigmatic George. Meanwhile Ben is intrigued by the possibility that the 18th-century temple in the grounds is harbouring a great secret. And what about Charlie, the cynical hedonist? Before long, past and present become inextricably confused as the past seeks to impose its evil on the present.
This novel is steeped in romance, myth, sexuality, fertility and secrets with a dash of history which makes for a heady, page-turning mix. It’s the perfect book to take into the garden on those lazy summer evenings as you drift in and out of sleep to the scent of roses and the fluttering of butterflies on the breeze. A pleasurable midsummer night’s dream.
