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A review by prolificliving
Wildflower Hill by Kimberley Freeman
5.0
If ever I have felt heartbroken for a book character, if ever I have wanted to rage with fury at the injustice of the world in their life, it is in this book and for Beattie Blaxland. Oh. My.God, Beattie. I hurt for you, I cried for you, I loved with you and I was in awe of you.
How I devoured this book? I listened to the audio version from Audible and in fact, it is by searching my favorite reader, Caroline Lee, that I found this book. She can read me bedtime stories to the end of time, Ms. Lee. I loved listening to Beattie read by a Scottish accent!!! She is one remarkable talented reader, and so now, I have luckily discovered a new talented amazing author, Kimberley Freeman.
This style of the book - powerful women characters, one in the past-time-frame in the previous century (20th) somewhere between England and Scotland and another, usually a descendant of those women in the 21st century - seems to draw me in. Very similar to the Kate Morton style of writing and story-telling. The Secret Keeper comes to mind as another fantastic novel, or the best one of the works by Jojo Moyes - no, not before me or after you or any of those, which were you good yes but The Girl You Left Behind. I find this genre of story telling stunning. The only slight problem is that I'd rather the whole story be about the older generation of women. The 21st-century parts of the novels, I need to tolerate, in order to get the other pieces.
Now, back to Wildflower Hill, this story captivated me to no end. Beattie's youth in Glasgow, her trouble in getting herself pregnant by stupid selfish egotistical Henry, the way her world started diminishing early on with this pregnancy and continued to grow worse. In every turn of struggle, I wondered how much more can the author twist the knife and torture Beattie. The strength of spirit is not the right word for how she gets through. Beattie is one unforgettable woman and I think she'll stay with me for a very long time.
The writing is exquisite. The only not-so-exciting parts of this book are when we switch to Emma, the new century character, and she's alright but certainly not one to remember. She is a typical lost & confused & selfish 30-something modern western woman with love/career problems and very little perspective on actual life problems. It's not her fault. I'm probably similar in some ways. It's the function of our world, which is precisely what makes the story of Beattie so much more fantastical, tragic as it is.
[Possible spoiler alert in this paragraph] What I really appreciated about Ms. Freeman is that she knew where to take the story in those impossible turns and junctures, and every single time, it felt real. It felt as if that could be the next thing that happened and I was totally onboard. My most favorite part was the gamble with Rafael. It was that moment when courage prevailed and when Beattie seized an opportunity that very few could glimpse. I could listen to that section all over again and be thrilled for her!
Favorite quote is easy enough. When Cora says to Beattie: "There are two types of women in this world, Beattie. Those who do things and those who have things done to them. Try and be the first kind!"
So are you looking for a sad unforgettable and powerful story? Are you happy to switch back and forth in timelines and wait to patiently connect the dots? Are you willing to take a chance to get your heart ripped out on at least two occasions for Beattie?
If so, you need to go to Wildflower Hill. I'm off to find another book by Caroline Lee or another story by Kimberly Freeman. Hopefully, I can achieve both goals in one go!
How I devoured this book? I listened to the audio version from Audible and in fact, it is by searching my favorite reader, Caroline Lee, that I found this book. She can read me bedtime stories to the end of time, Ms. Lee. I loved listening to Beattie read by a Scottish accent!!! She is one remarkable talented reader, and so now, I have luckily discovered a new talented amazing author, Kimberley Freeman.
This style of the book - powerful women characters, one in the past-time-frame in the previous century (20th) somewhere between England and Scotland and another, usually a descendant of those women in the 21st century - seems to draw me in. Very similar to the Kate Morton style of writing and story-telling. The Secret Keeper comes to mind as another fantastic novel, or the best one of the works by Jojo Moyes - no, not before me or after you or any of those, which were you good yes but The Girl You Left Behind. I find this genre of story telling stunning. The only slight problem is that I'd rather the whole story be about the older generation of women. The 21st-century parts of the novels, I need to tolerate, in order to get the other pieces.
Now, back to Wildflower Hill, this story captivated me to no end. Beattie's youth in Glasgow, her trouble in getting herself pregnant by stupid selfish egotistical Henry, the way her world started diminishing early on with this pregnancy and continued to grow worse. In every turn of struggle, I wondered how much more can the author twist the knife and torture Beattie. The strength of spirit is not the right word for how she gets through. Beattie is one unforgettable woman and I think she'll stay with me for a very long time.
The writing is exquisite. The only not-so-exciting parts of this book are when we switch to Emma, the new century character, and she's alright but certainly not one to remember. She is a typical lost & confused & selfish 30-something modern western woman with love/career problems and very little perspective on actual life problems. It's not her fault. I'm probably similar in some ways. It's the function of our world, which is precisely what makes the story of Beattie so much more fantastical, tragic as it is.
[Possible spoiler alert in this paragraph] What I really appreciated about Ms. Freeman is that she knew where to take the story in those impossible turns and junctures, and every single time, it felt real. It felt as if that could be the next thing that happened and I was totally onboard. My most favorite part was the gamble with Rafael. It was that moment when courage prevailed and when Beattie seized an opportunity that very few could glimpse. I could listen to that section all over again and be thrilled for her!
Favorite quote is easy enough. When Cora says to Beattie: "There are two types of women in this world, Beattie. Those who do things and those who have things done to them. Try and be the first kind!"
So are you looking for a sad unforgettable and powerful story? Are you happy to switch back and forth in timelines and wait to patiently connect the dots? Are you willing to take a chance to get your heart ripped out on at least two occasions for Beattie?
If so, you need to go to Wildflower Hill. I'm off to find another book by Caroline Lee or another story by Kimberly Freeman. Hopefully, I can achieve both goals in one go!