A review by blessingo
A Memory of Violets: A Novel of London's Flower Sellers by Hazel Gaynor
Did not finish book.
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A winding, emotional, moving tale on family, loss, and longing sent in the cobbled paveways and streets of London's disabled and poor.
In Hazel Gaynor's novel, protagonist Matilda "Tilly" Harper ventures off torwards a smoggy early-1900s London from her hometown of Grasmere, determined to carve a new destiny for herself from her troubled past. She's picked up a job working for Mr. Shaw's Training Homes for Watercress and Flower Girls as new housemother.
But on her first day there, Tilly finds a "slim, wooden box" nestled in the corner of the room she's to sleep in. Inside the box contains a book–among other things, like a wooden peg, rag doll, and a single button—but when Tilly opens the book, she discovers a new tale marked with separation and depravity that she won't soon forget.
I loved how I walked alongside Tilly and the rest of the characters and literally watched them mature and develop before my eyes. You can see their lives flourish and change among the pages.
I loved the slight romance interwoven as well, although I personally don't like romance novels.
I'll re-read this Lord willing, to get even more of this tale.
P.S., it made me tear up a couple of times torwards the end. If you're also craving for a heartbreaker, this will probably be for you.
In Hazel Gaynor's novel, protagonist Matilda "Tilly" Harper ventures off torwards a smoggy early-1900s London from her hometown of Grasmere, determined to carve a new destiny for herself from her troubled past. She's picked up a job working for Mr. Shaw's Training Homes for Watercress and Flower Girls as new housemother.
But on her first day there, Tilly finds a "slim, wooden box" nestled in the corner of the room she's to sleep in. Inside the box contains a book–among other things, like a wooden peg, rag doll, and a single button—but when Tilly opens the book, she discovers a new tale marked with separation and depravity that she won't soon forget.
I loved how I walked alongside Tilly and the rest of the characters and literally watched them mature and develop before my eyes. You can see their lives flourish and change among the pages.
I loved the slight romance interwoven as well, although I personally don't like romance novels.
I'll re-read this Lord willing, to get even more of this tale.
P.S., it made me tear up a couple of times torwards the end. If you're also craving for a heartbreaker, this will probably be for you.