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readswithhounds's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
nelli_lakatos's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
ββπΎπ»π πΆππΉ πππ½ππ π πππ ππ'π πππππΎππ π½πΆπΉ πΆπππΆππ ππππΉ π½ππ ππ½π ππΆπ π·πππ. βππ π»πΆππ½ππ'π ππππ. π―π½π πππΆ. πππΎπΈπ β¬πππ. π―π½π πΈππππ ππ» πππΈπ½πΎπΉπ. πͺπ» π½ππ π·ππππ. πͺπ» π»πΆπΎππππΆππ ππππππ. πͺπ» ππππ. β¬ππ πππΎπΈπ'π πΈπππππππΆπ πππΉ. βπ πΆπππΆππ ππΆπ. π―π½π πΈππππ ππ» π»πΎππ. πͺπ» ππΆπππ½. πͺπ» π½ππΆππ, πΆππΉ πΈππππΆππ.β
2nd readΒ
Graphic: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Child abuse
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
cathyjemcloud's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Fire/Fire injury
writingcaia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
This is the coming of age of Alice Hart who at nine loses her father and pregnant mother to a fire, a fire she thinks she caused escaping her abusive, violent father. Initially, in very bad shape due to her fathers abuse, she stays in the hospital for a long time, and there she has only the librarian she met once reading to her, then a grandmother she never knew she had comes to take her when she is released, even though the trauma has taken her voice. And, there she goes into the unknown, into place that will be the secrets and the past hidden from her but always present, where truths and more lies lie, and the place where she will grow and love, and find that there, at Thornfield, where wild flowers bloom, a native flowers farm, florist and floriographist place, where abused and lost women - the βFlowersβ - care for it, she too will blossom. But, will her overbearing, stubborn grandmother June allow her to fully be herself, to fully bloom?
So many secrets, so much violence in this family story, in these enchanting places, from a beautiful and raw seaside, to the dry and flowered native desert, in an Australia of abused women, abused natives.
Alice will have to brave it all and discover if sheβs strong enough to break her familyβs cycle, to have her voice and not let it be taken from her, to be the owner of her destiny.
I could talk about it all at length. The characters are rich and the history of the family so dense and complicated. The flowers, plant ones and women ones, and how theyβll play such a great part in all of it. But, I donβt want to give it away. I want you to brave it all with Alice.
For me the novel only failed in that I would have liked to know more of the implied final romance and more of some of the βFlowersβ backstories and destinies, and the dog!!!
An absolutely gorgeous debut nonetheless, with, as you gathered, themes of family, abuse, coming of age, colonialism, and the good and bad people that shape oneβs life.
Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Rape, Animal cruelty, and Death
Minor: Animal death and Alcoholism
triciasreadings's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Animal death, Child abuse, and Violence
elysh_kaye's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcoholism, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Stalking, and Sexual violence
Minor: Animal death and Animal cruelty
ellie_reads_books's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Stalking
Minor: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Addiction, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Colonisation, Child death, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Sexual content, Stalking, and Terminal illness
waytoomanybooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Stalking, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Violence