Charming, nostalgic and brimming with optimism – a sparkling story of friendship, community and staying true to yourself for fans of Lissa Evans and AJ Pearce.

1932: When gardener Robert Bardsley arrives at Anderby Hall, an Elizabethan manor house in the Gloucestershire countryside, it is home to ‘Greenfields’, a community of artists and idealists.

Robert has been employed to revive Anderby’s famous roses and restore the topiary garden, but he also soon befriends the other residents: from colourful neighbour Trudie, who makes a formidable cocktail and keeps her late-fiancé’s ashes on the mantelpiece, to composer Daniel, recovering from the horrors of the Great War. The only person he can’t win over is Anderby’s schoolteacher, Faye, who finds him . . . perfectly vexing.

But just as Robert starts to feel at home, the residents discover that the old orchard has been sold to a property developer who has plans for an estate of Tudorbethan bungalows. Can they find a way to keep their creative community alive or will the new housing development put an end to the spirit of Greenfields?

Praise for Caroline Scott:

'A delicious treat of a book! The book sings with gorgeous period details that take the reader into 1930s England, and stir a sense of nostalgia. Lively, poignant, witty and beautifully written ... I couldn't stop turning the pages.' Hazel Gaynor

‘A fascinating, immersive, and delicious treat of a book’ heat (book of the week)

‘Evocatively written and laugh-out-loud funny, it’s guaranteed to make you smile’ Woman’s Weekly

‘Beautifully written, this sparkling novel is packed with wit and warmth’ S Magazine

‘Scott has done an amazing job of drawing on real stories to craft a powerful novel’ Good Housekeeping

‘. . . shot through with nostalgia but with themes which nevertheless resonate today... A tasty treat' Mirror, The Friday Book Club

‘A fun, colourful read . . . laugh-out-loud funny, it’s guaranteed to make you smile’ Woman & Home

'Wonderful on nostalgia, doing things your own way and maintaining faith. I raced through it' Daily Mail