Response 4

The last portion of the novel made my heart ache. Though it probably did not ache nearly as much as some of the characters in the book, my heart felt as though someone was applying a great deal of pressure on it. However, aside from the great pains in my heart, I was also warmed by the beauty in this novel.

I was pleased to see that both Gwen and Jane filled in their section of curtain. Gwen's idea was continuously creative because her section changed weekly containing different themes and Jane's section of curtain was beautiful and also innovative. What a wonderful idea it was to cut out a square of the once boring black curtains, creating a window into the world outside: one which curtains would usually hide from the inside world.

The symbolism Gwen uses in the garden becomes so significant in the last section of this novel. She finally figures out the "foreign script" she once didn't understand and finally understands the language of the garden. My favourite symbol from the garden is probably the peonies which represented loss and grief. Peonies are one of my favourite kinds of flowers and I too, along with Gwen have noticed how they fall over because they can not bear their own weight. Sadly, such an extravagant beautiful flower can not stand tall and last forever. I see so much truth in what Gwen has to say about these flowers. When she says, "I look at the heads of the peonies, fallen to ground under the weight of themselves, under the weight of a grief too heavy to bear. How they become their own grief and then can no longer bear it..." I can do nothing but agree with her and feel sad. It maded me feel so sad because it relates to the great relationship I thought Gwen and the Captain had that was filling with love but then it fell quickly, like the peonies in the garden fell as soon as they blossomed.

So I was correct in predicting loss as the next theme. Jane finally found out she lost Andrew in the war, and Gwen lost Raley. She lost him in love, but also in the war. He left with all of the other soldiers. I never wanted to believe he would be posted but it was no surprise to me when he was. What truly was a great surprise was Jane's death. I had no idea she was about to die. I found her skinny, frail body enough of a twist in the novel that I did not expect her to die off completely. This deeply saddened me for she was one of my favourite characters in the book. On page 206, I read, "Jane has discovered the garden backwards, with only the roses still in bloom. Faith to Loss to Longing," which further proved the gardens did represent themes present in the novel.

Helen Humphreys, I thought, added a fairly good ending to her novel. It made me think about gardens and life in a much different way. She ended the story but opened a door in my mind allowing the novel to go on in some sense. She makes the sad but interesting statement, "every story is a story about death," but then she lightens it with a hopeful statement, "but perhaps, if we are lucky, our story about death is also a story about love," which I believe is quite possible. Every moment of life is closer to death than the previous moment but love can grow while all of this occurs. Her ending was rather sad but quite beautiful. I loved on page 21o when she reminds me of the tree Gwen planted with Raley. It was nice to know that even though Raley was killed in the war, a part of him would live on through the life of that tree. She also reminded me of the beautiful image Raley shared with Gwen about throwing his coat into the sea with his friend.

"Raley was killed at Dieppe in 1942, but the tree Raley and I planted
continues to grow. Every spring it loses its fragrance to the earth in one
reckless gesture, like a young boy standing at the railing of a ship and
saying to his friend-- Let us take our coats off and throw hem in the sea."

Helen Humphreys retained much beauty within her sad ending which lightened the feeling of death. For example, the quote above was so sad but at the same time so beautiful and captivating. She made me see the beautiful parts of death and love in the end of this novel which made for a more attractive ending rather than one only describing the depressing feelings associated with death. At the end of her novel, she made me choked up but at the same time she made me smile. I felt sad about the deaths but happy about the love.

Throughout the novel, I made it quite clear how excited I was about Gwen and Raley's relationship. I thought for sure they would end up together even if he got posted in the war and then, when they were alone in the secret garden, they kissed! This was probably one of the most exciting moments in the book until Raley explained to Gwen that Peter was once his lover. However, I still feel as though Raley did love Gwen even if it wasn't in the same way I had hoped for. I am quite certain they still shared a very close relationship but if they didn't, well then I must say I would be highly disappointed with Helen Humphreys' misleading words.

This was a great read and I would be more than happy to recommend it to many people. It was beautifully written with lots of tasteful symbolism and imagery and there were many mysteries that kept me reading. The only direct connection to Canada was the fact that Raley came from Toronto, Ontario however, almost ever aspect of this novel can relate to Canada. I am sure many Canadians shared similar situations to those of Gwen, Raley and Jane. But most importantly, reading this book opened an entire new world of literature to me: Canadian. I now know I can enjoy a good book that was born in my home country that is nothing like the fantasy books I am used to reading.