The Best of Intentions

<P><B>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.</B><br><br>''Perfect for fans of<I> Dear Mrs Bird'' </I><B>Lorna Cook</B><br>''A fond and funny novel about the power of patience, love and kindness'' <B>Fiona Valpy</B><br>''I love how Caroline Scott writes . . . she has the ability to not only set the scene, but take you by the hand and make you feel right at home'' <I><B>LoveReading</B></I><br><br>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.<br> <br>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.<br><br>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?<br><br>''An ode to kindness, authenticity and optimism - just what we need at the moment!'' <B>Caroline Bishop</B><br><br>''[A] warm and engaging story of community, friendship and resilience''<B> Anita Frank</B><br><br>''How to live your best life is a topic of perennial fascination. Caroline Scott explores the challenges facing a utopian community of the interwar period in a beautifully written and wonderfully atmospheric story. It''s hard to put down’ <B>Rachel Hore</B><br><br>''As clouds gather on the distant European horizon in the 1930s, the residents of Anderby Hall remind us of the importance of community, kindness and optimism''<B> Flora Johnston</B><br><br>''[A] wonderful, atmospheric read that I really couldn''t tear myself away from. It''s so beautifully written, with gorgeous, evocative descriptions of orchards, gardens, the seasons and an English country house. I was transported!’ <B>Tracy Rees</B><br><br>''A wonderful novel about the power of a creative community to heal and educate''<B> Suzanne Goldring</B></P>