Reviews

Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale

paigedonarum's review

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

marscandy37's review

4.0

This was a wonderful book, but for one flaw. The heroine was so self-righteous, it began to grate on me. She became very annoying, very quickly. Thus the 4 stars. She was just that bad that I had to knock down a whole star. Otherwise a marvelous story, unique and interesting throughout. Plus Christian was perfect. He is an example of the resilience of the human spirit. Overall really recommend this book to anyone, just be prepared to want to shove the heroine from the highest building you can find.

amandalachelle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Medical trauma, Forced institutionalization, Cursing, Confinement, Classism, and Ableism

Minor: Child death

rejena's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

suzysuzy34's review

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

An outstanding read and narration. 

A duke who I presumed had a stroke, he can’t talk and is sent to a lunatic asylum and only a modest Quaker girl can reach him.   I adored both Maddy and Christian.   This book will be re-read and listened to again and again. Marvellous writing by Laura Kinsale.

dajoyofit's review against another edition

3.0

Overall the story concept was super compelling. Typically in romance novels, we cheer for the heroine and eagerly look forward to her getting her happily-ever-after. NOT with this story. The hero, Christian, is the main attraction and the reason I kept listening. Christian was the perfect hero. I was cheering for him from the first page to the last. Maddy (a Quaker) was very self-righteous, which made it so difficult to like her. Many times I wanted to rip her from off the page and slap her hard, shake her, and strangle her. Her only saving grace is that she sincerely wants to do what is right. Sadly, her pursuit to do what is "right" leads her to fail in doing what is good. But despite her holier-than-thou tendencies and judgemental-ness, Christian loved her to the end, seeing past her character flaws, and truly seeing her. I was happy for just one reason, Christian, and elated that he got his happily ever after.

The narrator, Nicholas Boulton, was PERFECT! Pure talent. He definitely took this story and made it a 5 star experience. His performance was superb!

southerngirlinexile's review

dark emotional hopeful sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

katievaughn's review

adventurous emotional funny tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

kateped's review against another edition

challenging emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

kplight's review

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

While there is no doubt this book is written beautifully I also feel like it is one that I don’t really feel I need to read again.

In fact I felt like this book actually made me sad and the dining seemed bittersweet to me. The nearly the entire second half I felt a sick feeling in my stomach thinking of how wrongly matched the two mains were. And while Christians romantic declaration at the end was beautiful I still hesitate to think they can be happy in the future