1927. Violet Mackenzie-Grant is embarking on her dream of studying at the Edinburgh School of Gardening for Women. She doesn’t yet know that it’s a journey that will take her to Kathmandu and beyond, deep into captivating landscapes and cultures that are worlds away from everything and everyone she’s left behind in Scotland.
2020. Daisy Laverock has dreamed of retracing the footsteps of her great-great-aunt Violet ever since discovering her long-lost journals, whose accounts of plant hunting in the 1930s inspired Daisy’s own career. Divorced, and facing an empty nest, Daisy decides to embark on the trip of a lifetime. She arrives in Nepal, ready to start trekking in the shadow of Everest. But fate, and the pandemic, have other plans.
Stranded and alone, Daisy must fall back on the kindness of strangers, taking inspiration from Violet’s determination and resilience to keep going in the darkest of times. As she gradually pieces together the fragments of Violet’s story and uncovers long-held secrets, can Daisy finally reveal a path forward to her own future?
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This book tells the interwoven stories of two women from different eras, Violet in 1927 and Daisy in 2020. Violet, a student at the Edinburgh School of Gardening for Women, faces an unexpected pregnancy and decides to leave the school to embark on a journey to Nepal to reunite with the father of her child. Almost a century later, Daisy, newly divorced and with her children grown, discovers Violet’s journals. Inspired by her great-great-aunt’s story, Daisy decides to follow in her footsteps and travel to Nepal.
The novel alternates between these two timelines, exploring themes of passion, determination, love, and sacrifice. The author, Fiona Valpy, skillfully integrates the COVID-19 pandemic into Daisy’s story, making it relatable and authentic for contemporary readers. The book is praised for its engaging plot twists, relatable characters, and compassionate reflection on the pandemic, creating a compelling and beautifully written narrative about two women navigating challenges in Nepal’s rugged environment.
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