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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
It's been a little while now since I read a truly gripping, wholly engaging book and I've been waiting for one to just click. I'd been sticking to tried and tested authors but it took me switching to someone new to find what I'd been looking for.
Right from the beginning Wildflower Hill was full of warmth and emotion. Starting with a prologue in which a grandmother tells her granddaughter that if she becomes a famous ballerina she will one day leave her a gift for the time when she can no longer dance anymore. Her granddaughter consumed only by her passion for dance tells her grandmother she won't need a gift but her grandmother promises it anyway.
The story then moves to a dual time story following ballerina Emma as a sudden accident ends her ballet career and she moves back home to Australia where her grandmother has left her an inheritance of a sheep station in Tasmania full of boxes filled with memories of her life as a wealthy businesswoman and also with secrets of a life she never shared with anyone. Running alongside this is Beattie's story, from growing up in poverty in Glasgow to finding herself on board a cargo boat to Australia pregnant with a married man's child.
The story was so well written, it sounds a little trite and predictable but that was the most refreshing part of this book, it had some truly wonderful twists in the story that made it stand out for me. Spanning the period between the two world wars and in a small town in Australia it raises great questions about how morally people could be misjudged and cast out for things today we wouldn't consider to be unacceptable.
It has such a lovely blend of tales of motherhood and love and the things we will do to try and keep our families provided for and safe. It was nice to find myself immersed so much in well constructed, strong and interesting characters.
I'm desperately awaiting the newest novel by Kate Morton this summer and had hoped to find a book as engaging as she writes to tide me over a bit till then. Kimberly Freeman was endorsed by Morton on this book and having read it I can fully understand why.
It's one of the few books I've read lately I would whole heartedly recommend without hesitation. It was superb and I'm now excited to read more by this author which have been hiding on my kindle for a while.
Right from the beginning Wildflower Hill was full of warmth and emotion. Starting with a prologue in which a grandmother tells her granddaughter that if she becomes a famous ballerina she will one day leave her a gift for the time when she can no longer dance anymore. Her granddaughter consumed only by her passion for dance tells her grandmother she won't need a gift but her grandmother promises it anyway.
The story then moves to a dual time story following ballerina Emma as a sudden accident ends her ballet career and she moves back home to Australia where her grandmother has left her an inheritance of a sheep station in Tasmania full of boxes filled with memories of her life as a wealthy businesswoman and also with secrets of a life she never shared with anyone. Running alongside this is Beattie's story, from growing up in poverty in Glasgow to finding herself on board a cargo boat to Australia pregnant with a married man's child.
The story was so well written, it sounds a little trite and predictable but that was the most refreshing part of this book, it had some truly wonderful twists in the story that made it stand out for me. Spanning the period between the two world wars and in a small town in Australia it raises great questions about how morally people could be misjudged and cast out for things today we wouldn't consider to be unacceptable.
It has such a lovely blend of tales of motherhood and love and the things we will do to try and keep our families provided for and safe. It was nice to find myself immersed so much in well constructed, strong and interesting characters.
I'm desperately awaiting the newest novel by Kate Morton this summer and had hoped to find a book as engaging as she writes to tide me over a bit till then. Kimberly Freeman was endorsed by Morton on this book and having read it I can fully understand why.
It's one of the few books I've read lately I would whole heartedly recommend without hesitation. It was superb and I'm now excited to read more by this author which have been hiding on my kindle for a while.
Really enjoyed this story, as per other readers - not so much Emma's parts, but the story of Beattie was a page turner.
I hoped that Beattie and Lucy would reunite sometime.
Beattie was a bit of a trendsetter without realising it at the time, a strong independent woman who had a true love with someone that times said she could not be with.
Wonder if there will be a book 2?
Really enjoyed this novel.
I hoped that Beattie and Lucy would reunite sometime.
Beattie was a bit of a trendsetter without realising it at the time, a strong independent woman who had a true love with someone that times said she could not be with.
Wonder if there will be a book 2?
Really enjoyed this novel.
Disclaimer: I love good books and I love good looking books. :)
Covergasm
Not so much, but it's a pretty enough cover. However it's not the type of art that I enjoy the most though.
Shelved?
No. It's was enjoyable, but not the type of book I keep on my shelf. I usually keep childhood memories and thought-provoking books on my bookshelves. So far childhood memories has the most space, unsurprisingly.
Real Review
While not an amazing book, this was hard to put down. I got a whopping 400 pages into it before I realized I needed sleep for work the next day. It's a rather pleasant read I think. It was in the staff recommendations section and the blurb on the back was interesting enough.
I love/hated the two main characters - which is probably why I liked the book so much. They were human beings to me, making decisions I didn't agree with but could see their side of it and understand why.
Also I have to admit I have a soft spot for discovering truth in your family history and learning from it. I'm an amateur genealogist in my family and I love discovering new things about where my ancestors went, what they did, etc. So for Emma to figure out her Gran's tragic/scandalous history was a big win for me.
Covergasm
Not so much, but it's a pretty enough cover. However it's not the type of art that I enjoy the most though.
Shelved?
No. It's was enjoyable, but not the type of book I keep on my shelf. I usually keep childhood memories and thought-provoking books on my bookshelves. So far childhood memories has the most space, unsurprisingly.
Real Review
While not an amazing book, this was hard to put down. I got a whopping 400 pages into it before I realized I needed sleep for work the next day. It's a rather pleasant read I think. It was in the staff recommendations section and the blurb on the back was interesting enough.
I love/hated the two main characters - which is probably why I liked the book so much. They were human beings to me, making decisions I didn't agree with but could see their side of it and understand why.
Also I have to admit I have a soft spot for discovering truth in your family history and learning from it. I'm an amateur genealogist in my family and I love discovering new things about where my ancestors went, what they did, etc. So for Emma to figure out her Gran's tragic/scandalous history was a big win for me.
I couldn't put Wildflower Hill down while I was reading it. I loved Beattie with all my heart. But most of the other characters, in the end, I didn't like them much. Especially Patrick and... the main girl, whose name I don't remember despite finishing the book just yesterday. Hmm.
When will goodreads allow me to give half stars... I ask you! Because this book wasn't a 5, but it also wasn't a 4. 4.5 is exactly right.
Loved this book...devoured it in a a couple days. The dual storyline was well connected, but I appreciated that it did not jump every chapter...large chunks of time were spent, especially in the past.
Enjoyed the story of both women. The story of the granddaughter was somewhat predictable, though.
Two touching journeys beautifully melded into one story. I was absolutely enraptured by both stories and I'm dying to know what happened after the epilogue!!!
This was a really great read. I enjoyed Beattie's story more as Emma was a little too self centered for me.
I was initially drawn to this book because of the narrator, Caroline Lee. The Husband’s Secret, by Lianne Moriarty, was also read by her, and what talent! However, Wildflower Hill does stand on its own. A rich, generational saga, this was a two tiered tale of an injured, highly successful ballerina, Emma, as she finds herself rethinking her goals and values in a vivid Australian setting, far from her London home. The other tier followed Emma’s stalwart grandmother generations before, while she forges a new life despite a series of grave misfortunes. Engaging from the start!