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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I struggled with the strong violence against women themes with this one. Yet, it was still a captivating and moving story. A roller-coaster of emotions. I wanted to put this book down and forget about it many times, due to sheer frustration with the main character. But I stuck with it. I'm glad I did.
I feel like maybe my own experiences were getting in my way. Maybe my frustrations with Alice were a result of finding myself obligated to confront a lot of personal memories. In parts, I found myself revisiting (for a fleeting moment) 'snippets' in my own life that I have long since managed to detach myself from. Memories can creep up and confront us with the slightest trigger.
The life and characters woven around Central Australia were wonderful. The landscape and place were described beautifully.
I feel like maybe my own experiences were getting in my way. Maybe my frustrations with Alice were a result of finding myself obligated to confront a lot of personal memories. In parts, I found myself revisiting (for a fleeting moment) 'snippets' in my own life that I have long since managed to detach myself from. Memories can creep up and confront us with the slightest trigger.
The life and characters woven around Central Australia were wonderful. The landscape and place were described beautifully.
Really beautifully written. I’d recommend watching the adapted Prime show as well.
TRIGGER WARNING: domestic abuse / violence
TRIGGER WARNING: domestic abuse / violence
This book felt unfair and never really fixed that. But tis life.
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had hopes for this book which it didn’t quite live up to.
Firstly, the concept seems unique but having read ‘The Language of Flowers’ by Vanessa Diffenbaugh I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between the two books; two women building lives from traumatic childhoods, learning to navigate the world through their own ‘language of flowers’ while maintaining problematic relationships with mother figures, love interests and their own self-love.
‘The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart’ is loaded with gorgeous description of the Australian landscape from coast to desert, flora and fauna. The novel’s flaw is it’s lacklustre protagonist and plot which dawdles in one place, before racing through others.
Alice is a wallflower whose personality coasts on Mary-Sue territory. She is beautiful, artistic, aloof and ethereal in a way that the men in this story are all smitten by her. Her personal transformation occurs frustratingly late in the novel, rushed through the last forty pages or so.
Her story is predictable to the versed fiction reader; she is a girl from an abusive family who grows up to find herself in an abusive relationship. But she doesn’t find the ‘strength’ to walk away as expected- instead, her abuser leaves and accuses her of domestic violence, which she does nothing to dispel. And so she bears the brunt of not only the physical and emotional trauma of abuse but also the knowledge that her abuser remains free to repeat his actions. This unfinished plot point becomes a blemish in the ‘happy ending’ of the novel.
I feel like this will be a popular book club read of 2018. There’s a lot to discuss about the Australian landscape, domestic abuse, the relationship towards land and people.
Firstly, the concept seems unique but having read ‘The Language of Flowers’ by Vanessa Diffenbaugh I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between the two books; two women building lives from traumatic childhoods, learning to navigate the world through their own ‘language of flowers’ while maintaining problematic relationships with mother figures, love interests and their own self-love.
‘The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart’ is loaded with gorgeous description of the Australian landscape from coast to desert, flora and fauna. The novel’s flaw is it’s lacklustre protagonist and plot which dawdles in one place, before racing through others.
Alice is a wallflower whose personality coasts on Mary-Sue territory. She is beautiful, artistic, aloof and ethereal in a way that the men in this story are all smitten by her. Her personal transformation occurs frustratingly late in the novel, rushed through the last forty pages or so.
Her story is predictable to the versed fiction reader; she is a girl from an abusive family who grows up to find herself in an abusive relationship. But she doesn’t find the ‘strength’ to walk away as expected- instead, her abuser leaves and accuses her of domestic violence, which she does nothing to dispel. And so she bears the brunt of not only the physical and emotional trauma of abuse but also the knowledge that her abuser remains free to repeat his actions. This unfinished plot point becomes a blemish in the ‘happy ending’ of the novel.
I feel like this will be a popular book club read of 2018. There’s a lot to discuss about the Australian landscape, domestic abuse, the relationship towards land and people.
The age old conundrum - can you really judge a book by its cover? Can such a divine cover reveal a story to match the colour, the ornateness and even the magic of the title? In this case it sure can! Before getting onto the story, this is a lovely book to simply hold and flip through as it is generously sprinkled with drawings of flowers, every chapter and there are thirty of them, headed with a different, a little about it, a drawing, and it's meaning. I am not entirely sure if all the plants are strictly native to Australia, where the novel is set, but such a lovely device contributes to this being very much a novel of Australia, its landscape and people. So much to say even before starting on the story!
When we begin, Alice is nine years old, living with her parents on what I am guessing is a rural property. Her father is an extremely violent man, of whom she is terrified. Her mother is a gentle loving woman, who adores her garden, teaching Alice about the plants, and where she first learns the language of flowers. A terrible tragedy results in her moving to live with her grandmother Agnes whom she has never met before. Agnes lives on a flower farm, started by her grandmother, and of which she is now the owner and custodian. Over the years she has taken in many women escaping from their violent and tragic lives, who live and work on the farm. They are called the Flowers. It takes some time for Alice to find her feet and herself in this environment, but over the years she does, immersed in the beauty of flowers, the cycle of the seasons, the love and good will surrounding her. But always at the root of her soul is the horrific loss of her parents, and her previous life.
A betrayal when she is in her early 20s sends her a long way away from this life, until she ends up in the Australian desert at a National Park, picking up the pieces of her life and starting again. Nothing ever goes smoothly for poor Alice Hart however....., although there are always flowers and plants to ground her.
It seems to me there are two types of people - victims and survivors. Alice is definitely a victim due to her childhood traumas, and she spends her whole life trying to get to grips with it, move on, and survive. We know that people keep deep traumas to themselves, and often we know nothing about what has gone on in the lives of people we meet, like, but have difficulty understanding how they are wired. This story, I would like to think, encourages us all to be more tolerant and accepting of those who may deal with life differently from how we may do it. This story is full of damaged souls, and yet, mostly, they are all trying to live the best life they can, getting through the daily problems. Be kind people, to one another, give flowers and appreciate the beauty around us.
When we begin, Alice is nine years old, living with her parents on what I am guessing is a rural property. Her father is an extremely violent man, of whom she is terrified. Her mother is a gentle loving woman, who adores her garden, teaching Alice about the plants, and where she first learns the language of flowers. A terrible tragedy results in her moving to live with her grandmother Agnes whom she has never met before. Agnes lives on a flower farm, started by her grandmother, and of which she is now the owner and custodian. Over the years she has taken in many women escaping from their violent and tragic lives, who live and work on the farm. They are called the Flowers. It takes some time for Alice to find her feet and herself in this environment, but over the years she does, immersed in the beauty of flowers, the cycle of the seasons, the love and good will surrounding her. But always at the root of her soul is the horrific loss of her parents, and her previous life.
A betrayal when she is in her early 20s sends her a long way away from this life, until she ends up in the Australian desert at a National Park, picking up the pieces of her life and starting again. Nothing ever goes smoothly for poor Alice Hart however....., although there are always flowers and plants to ground her.
It seems to me there are two types of people - victims and survivors. Alice is definitely a victim due to her childhood traumas, and she spends her whole life trying to get to grips with it, move on, and survive. We know that people keep deep traumas to themselves, and often we know nothing about what has gone on in the lives of people we meet, like, but have difficulty understanding how they are wired. This story, I would like to think, encourages us all to be more tolerant and accepting of those who may deal with life differently from how we may do it. This story is full of damaged souls, and yet, mostly, they are all trying to live the best life they can, getting through the daily problems. Be kind people, to one another, give flowers and appreciate the beauty around us.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-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
4.5. Beautifully crafted and researched. I felt “in” the setting. Would have liked a better wrap up of Alice’s plans and while the author did an excellent job of exploring the emotional entrapment of Alice’s relationship with Dillon, I didn’t understand how she let the abuse go on so long