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chaoticcrinoid's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
maria161985's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this book was cute, especially in terms of Ruby's dedication to create happiness for all of her customers through her well-arranged bouquets. I was happy on how things ended for some of the characters, such as Will, Jenny, Henry, Nora, and Jimmy. I was sad to hear about Captain Miller however, his position in the book is most admired, especially in terms of his final actions towards the end of the book. I wish that more was spoken about in terms of Johnny Cash and Ruby's relationship; I felt as though there was nothing in the beginning, then right away, they were together. I would have liked to read more about how they came together. The ending of the book was very touching, with all of the plot lines coming nicely together. I loved reading about the bouquets that Ruby put together; I actually looked up many of the flowers as I weren't sure what they were and they sounded delightful!
kle105's review against another edition
4.0
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest review. All opinions are my own. At the beginning I really started to not like the book. It could have been the overkill on the amount of flower types that I couldn't pronounce or have ever heard of, or the amount of characters to try and keep straight however as the book continued it shifted for me. The main character Ruby owns her own shop and has built walls around her due to her upbringing and her sister's death. Through the characters Ruby finds herself letting people in and breaking down those walls. Seeing the joy that love can bring in those around here help her to see what she is missing. There is love, death, friendship, and births that surround her shop and the arrangements of flowers she creates. This story touched me by the end and really left me thinking of the walls we build and what they keep out. Very moving story.
lovelyloro's review against another edition
3.0
Quite charming in several of its particulars. Beautifully captures grief and loss; however, some elements of the plot came together a little bit too nicely. There is a fine line between an author spoon feeding plot to his/her readers and trusting that they will make the conscious leap to where you want them. I believe this is Branard's first novel--overall a lovely read. Personally, however, I think The Language of Flowers is a much better story along the same vein.
taylor394's review against another edition
5.0
Super cute and sweet. A story about rediscovering love, and not just of the romantic variety. It had excellent flow and nice characters. Not an overly complex novel but leaves you with a happy heart and soul. I gave it 5 stars simply because I enjoyed it.
drusmilford's review against another edition
4.0
Love learning about life and the symbolism of flowers. Summer read.
beastreader's review against another edition
4.0
The Art of Arranging Flowers is a charming read! I loved Ruby. She has a kind heart, is a good friend, and has a special talent for choosing the right flowers for any occasion. All of the characters in this book were fun. They had such nice personalities, which made me want to get to know them better. In fact, Creekside is a place that you would want to visit and maybe stay forever at. I was already about a third of the way done with the book before I put it down to take a break. The relationship between Ruby and John was sweet. They made a cute couple. The ending was a good one. It let me with a smile on my face.
onespaceymother's review against another edition
4.0
This book was sort of a sweet and glossed over study of grief. Everything ends wrapped in a bow, but getting there is nice. Lots of good thoughtful paragraphs. The author uses flowery and poetic language but still manages to be clear and not too wordy. That is a rare skill! Will read more by her.
girlinthepages's review against another edition
1.0
I was excited to receive this title from NetGalley as I thought it would be a fun and easy beach read. Unfortunately, this book fell short of my expectations.
This novel was hard to get into, partially due to the slow pace and partially due to the lack of characters readers can relate to. The protagonist has gone through some tragedy, and her back story is interesting and deals with the serious topics of drug and alcohol abuse in her family, I felt her hard to connect with as she was so unbelievably sheltered and reserved, as she's a grown woman with almost no romantic experience, yet she has a role as the town "matchmaker" or "therapist" giving others advice when she herself lacks experience. The first half of the novel itself seems to lack a foreseeable plot, as most of the chapters focus on Ruby's interactions with her customers and brief introductions to their stories rather than an overarching plot that draws the reader in. About 30% into the novel, Ruby gets an exciting invitation to attend a really interesting and important function, and I was hopeful that the book was going to pick up, yet she leaves for the function at the end of a chapter and the next chapter begins with her return- the readers never get to read about her exciting adventure, rather they only get to see her prepare for it. It was at this point that I became solidified in my disappointment with the book.
Despite this book not being impressive to me, I was interested in the passages where the different healing properties and emotive influences certain flowers had. I enjoyed reading about Ruby's actual work as a florist, yet was disappointed that her actual everyday occupational work was more interesting and exciting than any of the actual events in the story.
Overall this book fell short of its potential by glossing over potentially interesting plot points and by stereotyped characters that didn't feel as though they had much depth to the reader. The book held glances of intrigue for me, such as the severity of Ruby's tragic back story, but these elements were muddled by the slow storyline and uninteresting plot.
I received this e-book from NetGalley for free with no expectations or compensations and have given it an honest review.
See more reviews at my blog!
This novel was hard to get into, partially due to the slow pace and partially due to the lack of characters readers can relate to. The protagonist has gone through some tragedy, and her back story is interesting and deals with the serious topics of drug and alcohol abuse in her family, I felt her hard to connect with as she was so unbelievably sheltered and reserved, as she's a grown woman with almost no romantic experience, yet she has a role as the town "matchmaker" or "therapist" giving others advice when she herself lacks experience. The first half of the novel itself seems to lack a foreseeable plot, as most of the chapters focus on Ruby's interactions with her customers and brief introductions to their stories rather than an overarching plot that draws the reader in. About 30% into the novel, Ruby gets an exciting invitation to attend a really interesting and important function, and I was hopeful that the book was going to pick up, yet she leaves for the function at the end of a chapter and the next chapter begins with her return- the readers never get to read about her exciting adventure, rather they only get to see her prepare for it. It was at this point that I became solidified in my disappointment with the book.
Despite this book not being impressive to me, I was interested in the passages where the different healing properties and emotive influences certain flowers had. I enjoyed reading about Ruby's actual work as a florist, yet was disappointed that her actual everyday occupational work was more interesting and exciting than any of the actual events in the story.
Overall this book fell short of its potential by glossing over potentially interesting plot points and by stereotyped characters that didn't feel as though they had much depth to the reader. The book held glances of intrigue for me, such as the severity of Ruby's tragic back story, but these elements were muddled by the slow storyline and uninteresting plot.
I received this e-book from NetGalley for free with no expectations or compensations and have given it an honest review.
See more reviews at my blog!
nixieknox's review against another edition
3.0
I really loved parts of this. It reminded me a lot of northern exposure. Some of the plot fell together a little too neatly for me but overall a good read.