Discoveries Emerge from Heartache in 1900s New York - an Editorial Review of "The Sunken Garden"

Book Blurb:

The year is 1918 when Georgia and William Bemish move to the quiet town of Rochester, New York. It is a major change for them both, coming from the bustling city, of New York, but they see the potential.

From the moment she sees him, Georgia, heir to the J.K. Post Drug company is enthralled by William. He is an art dealer in NYC but wanted to set up his own museum. He saw Rochester as the perfect place and proved himself as he met the people and settled into the community, After finding the right spot for his museum he hired Elwood Blatt to handle the planning and organization of exhibits while he met with local companies buying collections of artifacts, documents, and historical items.

The Bemishes soon are accepted by the elite society that includes the Sibleys, Eastmans, Forman’s, and McCurdy’s. These acquaintances become friends and share vital details; one of which is the location they see as becoming the heart of the area; Irondequoit.

It wasn’t easy moving away from the city, but they soon build their dream house, just off the main thoroughfare of St. Paul Blvd., and after an earthquake caused a sinkhole on their property, they turned it into a sunken garden.

Everything they had hoped for is achieved but after the garden is completed it all changes. One day William enters the garden and never returns. Georgia is heartbroken, not able to understand where he has gone, and the pain of not knowing drives her insane.

The house stood vacant for years until the Sanders purchased it. Barbara, a home decorator and Neil, an Architect are shown the property by their realtor, Warren Pendergast. They are enchanted by the location, the house, and the size of the lot. They put in an offer and soon the property is theirs.

Once the Sanders settle in they discover the owners have left furniture and personal items so they begin clearing it out. That’s when they come across old documents and a woman’s diary. The paper is brittle, so they don’t try to open them, but instead send them out to be restored.

They realize this is only one of the surprises on their property when late one night an earthquake hits the area. The next morning they find trees uprooted and the ground covered with branches and limbs. Neil calls around and comes up with the name of Nathaniel Park who owns DirtWorx; a company that does excavating. He is willing to take on the job.

It is Nathaniel who realizes that the west side of the property has been disturbed even before the earthquake. That is when the Sanders learn they have a sunken garden.

Book Buy Link: https://geni.us/w5UGg

Author Bio:

Juanita Tischendorf has also written under Juanita B Tischendorf and JB Tischendorf. She lives in Upstate NY. To her credit she has released several nonfiction books and several fiction books, completing books recently at the rate of one book per year. Her fiction writing covers fantasy, love and forensic type mysteries. She completed a writing course at the University of Washington and participates in the James Paterson masterclass offering. Juanita is a member of the Writers Guild of America. She started a book club over 10 years ago and has a little library installed in front of her home.

Editorial Review:

Editorial Review: “The Sunken Garden”

Author: Juanita Tischendorf

“It had been a long time since anyone had invited people to a party. Since Covid-19 hit in 2019, everyone kept their distance. Life had changed from spending time with friends and eating out, to being sequestered in our own homes and seeing them on Zoom. If it hadn’t been for the internet, the ability to buy what was needed would have been impossible. How many times did she find herself in Wegmans looking for some staples, like toilet paper, to find there was nothing on the shelf so even if someone had decided to have a get together, it would have been stressful getting what they needed.”

William and Georgia Bemish are in 1918, in Rochester, New York, United States of America. Neil and Barbara Sanders are in 2019, dealing with COVID-19, and…other issues. “The Sunken Garden” by Juanita Tischendorf revolves around these two couples who reside in the same house in different eras. The established trope of renovating an old house and then discovering a mysterious diary never gets old, and secrets abound in this cleverly written tale. Even the mention of a sunken garden creates a sense of drama, and the secondary characters also have a part to play.

Tischendorf has taken care to create two different married couples, each with parallels but also convincingly part of their respective times. William and Georgia are building their dream home, just as Rochester is expanding. William is conscious of Georgia’s social status, and also wants to protect her from the rumors that are starting of a influenza epidemic. The dialogue is of the times, and also provides a window into their relationship. By contrast, Neil and Barbara are a modern couple, both with their own careers. Their more equal marital relationship is reflected in their dialogue together, and with their friends.

“I was excited about decorating the interior as much as William was excited about the structure. William knew what he wanted and that was the outside to be of brick and have clean lines, which J. Foster Warner was most famous for. Need it to suffice, our heart and soul went into every nook and cranny of the inside and out. When World War I came, William had been willing to serve his country as a soldier, but though he met the 5’7-inch height and was below 24 years in age, his weight was below 144 pounds. How he would have loved to brag to his future children that he had played a major part in the Great War, the largest war that the world had seen up to that time. To him it would have been interesting to see Europe and even go to the Middle East; places he never dreamed he would see in his lifetime.”

The mystery within the central storyline is compelling, with a very unexpected twist as past and present intersect! The pacing and structure of this novel will keep the reader turning the pages late into the night (and possibly, a night light will stay on, well, just because…) The references to each timeline follow naturally and make it easy for the reader to piece the scenes together. It is interesting, to say the least, to see the COVID-19 pandemic incorporated into a fiction storyline; and to reflect on the significant global impact of something that was within our recent lived experience, against the background of history.

“That afternoon as the women parted ways, Emily touched Barbara’s arm to slow her down. Once the others were on their way to the parking lot, she turned to Barbara and said, “Seriously, you have to tell Neil.” Barbara turned and looked at her friend, then gave her a hug. “Don’t worry, I will.” “Promise me you’ll tell him tonight.” Barbara nodded her head, kissed Emily on the cheek, then stood and watched as she went to the parking lot. Feeling the chill in the air, Barbara turned and quickly headed back to the office.”

“The Sunken Garden” by Juanita Tischendorf is a novel with plenty of twists and turns. It’s full of historical detail and imagination, and centers around a house with a sunken garden (and more!). The residents of the house have their own secrets, and the modern owners Neil and Barbara Sanders have a mystery to solve – and survive. The references in the storyline to both the 1918 influenza epidemic and the recent COVID-19 travails provides an instantly relatable context to the modern reader. The dialogue and relationships throughout the book are authentic and create a memorable storyline with an incredible ending! Highly recommended.

*****

“The Sunken Garden” by Juanita Tischendorf receives 4 ½ stars from The Historical Fiction Company

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