A review by littlelady_28
Roses by Leila Meacham

4.0

I really enjoyed this book and can see why there were comparisons of it to Gone with the Wind. Much like GWTW, Roses' main character was a strong female who was devoted to the land she owned and through her own hard-headedness ended up losing the love of her life. Roses tells the same story from several different points of view and jumps back and forth in time, but does so in a way that isn't confusing. It starts at the beginning of the 20th century and encompasses World War I and II, the Great Depression, and the Korean War, but still makes the story itself the focus instead of these events. I like that Meacham didn't hesitate to kill people off in the story, even beloved characters. There were times when devotion of the main character, Mary, to her family's plantation was a little farfetched, as was the likeness between Mary and her great-niece, Rachel. And Rachel and Matt's love was also a bit implausible since they hardly knew each other; the idea that their relationship mimicked Mary's and Percy's just didn't hold enough weight with me. But overall I enjoyed the book and the story. I give it an A-.