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A review by andrewspink
Where the Wildflowers Grow by Terah Shelton Harris
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A couple of years ago, I read the completely brilliant book with exactly the same title by Leif Bersweden (here is my review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/91c8b99f-a234-4bca-aed3-67d0e0d24cae). Of course, I realised that this was not the same sort of book at all, but nevertheless, I was still drawn to it by the title. It is not that wild flowers don't play any role at all in the story, there are a couple of scenes where they are central (although one of those scenes even seems to involve destroying large numbers of rare wild flowers for a romantic gesture, which horrified me), but cultivated flowers are more important to the story.
The book starts as a thriller, and indeed gets off to a gripping start, and then gradually evolves to be more of a romance. I have to confess, that genre is not really my cup of tea. I don't know when I last read a romance, so I'm afraid that I'm poorly placed to judge that aspect. I guess it goes with that genre, but the characters in some aspects (especially physically) seemed to be more idealised than real people.
In general, the book is written in very flowerly (haha) language. "Every step forward felt like taking a step between normalcy and exposure". There is a widespread use of similes and metaphores which (at least for me) don't really work as they are often over the top and not really conjuring up the right image For example, "the sharp odor of alcohol crashed off him in waves". Phrases like that interfered with my reading rather than evoking a precise idea of what the author meant.
There were a few aspects to the plot which didn't work so well.When the bus crashes, the narrator says that no one will come looking for it. I immediately thought that surely when it doesn't arrive they will send out a search party. I had to wait about a hundred pages for the explanation. She says that in prison she had no time with nothing to do because she had to apply for a social security number. That doesn't make sense, even if there was a lot of work in that, she still would have had many idle hours in prison. The number of years of her prison sentence didn't seem to add up (although I might have missed something)
I see that I have written a series of negative things, but that is not really fair. There are also enjoyable aspects about the book. Many sections definitely have you wanting to turn the page to see what happens next. The sense of community of a small rural village is nicely evoked. The conflict in emotions of the main character is well portrayed.
In conclusion, if you foolishly choose this book hoping that wild flowers will be a big feature, you will be disappointed. But if you are looking for a romance in a small American village, with a touch of a thriller about it, then you will enjoy this book.
This review was made possible by a advance copy kindly supplied by the publisher via Netgalley.
The book starts as a thriller, and indeed gets off to a gripping start, and then gradually evolves to be more of a romance. I have to confess, that genre is not really my cup of tea. I don't know when I last read a romance, so I'm afraid that I'm poorly placed to judge that aspect. I guess it goes with that genre, but the characters in some aspects (especially physically) seemed to be more idealised than real people.
In general, the book is written in very flowerly (haha) language. "Every step forward felt like taking a step between normalcy and exposure". There is a widespread use of similes and metaphores which (at least for me) don't really work as they are often over the top and not really conjuring up the right image For example, "the sharp odor of alcohol crashed off him in waves". Phrases like that interfered with my reading rather than evoking a precise idea of what the author meant.
There were a few aspects to the plot which didn't work so well.
I see that I have written a series of negative things, but that is not really fair. There are also enjoyable aspects about the book. Many sections definitely have you wanting to turn the page to see what happens next. The sense of community of a small rural village is nicely evoked. The conflict in emotions of the main character is well portrayed.
In conclusion, if you foolishly choose this book hoping that wild flowers will be a big feature, you will be disappointed. But if you are looking for a romance in a small American village, with a touch of a thriller about it, then you will enjoy this book.
This review was made possible by a advance copy kindly supplied by the publisher via Netgalley.