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libraryofdreaming's review against another edition
3.0
We history fans can sometimes be overly focused on the "pretty" side of history. We love the dresses, the manners, the big houses, the art, and the glamour of it all. Many novels shy away from taking a hard look at the stench & extreme poverty of people in our favorite historical eras. I am as guilty of overlooking the darkness as the next person, so it was both unsettling & extremely compelling to read a novel about the poor flower sellers of the late Victorian era. Unfortunately, this novel does not fully realize its potential and dragged on with multiple narratives instead of focusing purely on the most refreshing point of view: Florrie the flower seller.
I also think the author defeated her own purpose by revealing the answer to the mystery very early. It takes the characters much longer to realize the connections and by the time they do I was impatiently wondering when they would finally just get together and TALK to one another so the truth could come out. The ta-da moment could have happened a good 50 pages earlier with a lot of pain saved. I also picked up on the secondary reveal much earlier than the characters did. This made for a somewhat frustrating book, even though the setting itself was fascinating the flower sellers were not given their due. It dragged on in places and then didn't linger on others long enough. I thought Tilly's relationship with the flower sellers under her care could have been fleshed out much more. Instead the author just glosses over any particular moment between them.
Sadly, I will not be checking out Hazel Gaynor's other books. I respect what she was trying to do and the brilliance of her setting, but ultimately, my enjoyment was soured by a lack of cohesion and proper mystery.
I also think the author defeated her own purpose by revealing the answer to the mystery very early. It takes the characters much longer to realize the connections and by the time they do I was impatiently wondering when they would finally just get together and TALK to one another so the truth could come out. The ta-da moment could have happened a good 50 pages earlier with a lot of pain saved. I also picked up on the secondary reveal much earlier than the characters did. This made for a somewhat frustrating book, even though the setting itself was fascinating the flower sellers were not given their due. It dragged on in places and then didn't linger on others long enough. I thought Tilly's relationship with the flower sellers under her care could have been fleshed out much more. Instead the author just glosses over any particular moment between them.
Sadly, I will not be checking out Hazel Gaynor's other books. I respect what she was trying to do and the brilliance of her setting, but ultimately, my enjoyment was soured by a lack of cohesion and proper mystery.
kewt44's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A heart felt story that captures a reader's curiosity as to how the characters fit together as the clues are slowly revealed.
rr_author's review against another edition
I enjoyed the story and characters, but there was a creepy/weird ghost aspect which I didn't like!
amymarchlawrence's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
annalena2422's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
catherineamerica's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
ckshaw13's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
cahlacarla's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
bethsponz's review against another edition
4.0
I've been eyeing this book for many months and finally got to it on my never-ending to read list. I found it a fascinating look into the turn of the century London, the slums and all. It went back in forth in storytelling of about 30 years looking at the lives of 3 girls who were linked by a profession and environment of young, crippled girls selling flowers. The saving of the orphans by way of taking them in and letting them do something useful was life-changing, and I liked how the author took this piece of history to make this a worthy story to tell.