Ivy Lane (by Cathy Bramley)

(Amazon UK link)

On the whole I’ve liked the books I have read by Cathy Bramley over the past few years. So when I saw ‘Ivy Lane’ available inexpensively for the Kindle, it was an easy decision to download it. I’m away from home at present, so my Kindle is invaluable. 

Ivy Lane, like many of this author’s books, was apparently written in four separate parts as ebooks. I would have found it a bit frustrating reading just one part at a time, so I always make sure I acquire complete editions. But it’s still presented in four parts: in this book, they were named after the four seasons, beginning with Spring.

Tilly is the main protagonist. When we first meet her, it’s clear that she’s grieving; we don’t learn the details until much later in the book, but it’s quickly clear that she lost her husband James over a year ago. She has decided to move, to start a new life without people who know her. She’s just moved into a new house, and accepts a part-time job as a teacher at the local school.

Then Tilly decides to take on an allotment. She knows nothing about gardening, but she wants to do something different. She hopes it will help her get some fresh air and exercise, and also some fresh vegetables.

Most of the story takes place on the allotment, as she gets to know her neighbouring plot holders, and learns a lot about cultivating land and plants. It could have been a bit overly educational, but it isn’t: the snippets of information are introduced so casually into conversations or Tilly’s thoughts that they feel realistic and interesting. 

Tilly is an active person who’s good at organising. She’s also decided to avoid romance for a while - I didn’t understand why she kept her past such a secret, as she had nothing to be ashamed of. I understood that she didn’t want people feeling sorry for her, or awkward. But I couldn’t quite see why she found it so difficult to say that she was widowed, or the circumstances that caused her tragedy.

However, other than that she’s transparent and a likeable person who is unafraid of hard work. She quickly makes friends with Gemma, the woman who has the other end of her allotment, and who works as a beautician. Gemma has a teenage daughter Mia who appears from time to time, usually grounded, but doesn’t add much to the story. 

There are other folk on the allotment whom Tilly quickly befriends, but I found it quite hard to distinguish some of them. I liked Alf, the oldest person there, who moves slowly but has good advice for everyone. Christine, too, is easily distinguishable: she’s Gemma’s mother, and also the chair of the Ivy Lane committee. She’s very good at persuading - sometimes manipulating - people into helping out at events.  

Then there’s Charlie, a likeable young man, who is divorced. He does a lot to help Tilly and they develop a good friendship which she appreciates very much until it becomes clear that he would like rather more…

An important strand to the story is a TV crew who want to film the allotment for a popular series. They are interested in everyone involved, but particularly Tilly; they record her through several months as she plants and eventually harvest produces, learning a lot as she does. And Tilly is rather attracted to the director, Aidan…

I would not have expected a group of allotment holders to provide so many interesting threads and subplots in a novel, but Cathy Bramley manages it very well. It didn’t matter that I couldn’t always remember who was whom amongst Tilly’s new friends and acquaintances. I liked Tilly and several of the others, and if some of the romantic threads were a bit obvious, it wasn’t a problem. 

The writing is good, but there’s nothing too gripping. So it was easy to dip into the book at random times when I had twenty minutes or so to myself. It’s ideal holiday reading, in my view. It’s not deep, although there are a few poignant moments including one or two unexpected shocks. There’s plenty to hold one’s interest, and a refreshing lack of either expletives or details of bedroom scenes.

I don't think I'd have paid full price for this; the Kindle version is now higher priced, and the link above is to the paperback. But if you can find it on special offer again, or second-hand, I would recommend it, if you like light women’s fiction with an emphasis on gardening. 

Review copyright 2024 Sue's Book Reviews