The Mermaid Garden

By: Santa Montefiore

Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor

Ten-year-old Floriana is captivated by the magnificent Tuscan villa just outside her small village. She likes to spy into the gardens and imagine that one day she'll live there. When Dante, the son of the villa's powerful owner, invites her inside and shows her the enchanting Mermaid Garden, she knows that her destiny is there, with Dante. But as they grow up, their romance jeopardizes everything they hold most dear. Decades later and hundreds of miles away, a beautiful old country hotel on England's Devon coast has fallen on hard times, and its owner, Marina, advertises for an artist to stay the summer. The man she hires begins to transform the fortunes of the hotel, and her family, but why is he really there?

©2011 Santa Montefiore (P)2011 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Critic reviews

"Two stories, two generations, and two beautiful European locales are neatly gift-wrapped into one sumptuous tale of love, loss, and redemption...Luxurious and romantic depictions of scenic Tuscany and the beautiful English coast." ( Publishers Weekly)

"An absorbing plot. It is to the author’s credit that she manages to prolong the puzzle until the not-so-bitter end." ( Kirkus Reviews)

"...Montefiore excels at juxtaposing the opulent with the ordinary in delicately woven tales that seamlessly traverse borders and span decades." ( Booklist)

An enchanting and clever love story!

I admit I had to go back at first as it switched timelines quite abruptly making sure I had the same story-but I thoroughly enjoyed how everything tied together and found myself smiling and my heart warming while listening.

Love

I have read other Santa Montefiore books and enjoyed them. This one is no different as it is about true love, found, lost and found again.

Not my favorite.

This was a good story but not my favorite from this author. It dragged a bit and I just couldn't embrace the characters. Good narration.

Enchanting!

I didn’t want the story to end. It is so beautifully written. Also, Rosalyn Landor’s performance was so delightful and enhanced the written word. I will listen to this lovely story again and again.

Hard to get through

Would you try another book from Santa Montefiore and/or Rosalyn Landor?

This was my first book by SM and it wasn't my taste in a story. I thought parts of it went beyond sad, more like depressing. RL did a fabulous job as always.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Something uplifting.

What does Rosalyn Landor bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Everything. I don't think I would have finished it otherwise.

Did The Mermaid Garden inspire you to do anything?

No