Matilda "Tilly" Harper is looking for a fresh start and
the
job as an assistant housemother at Shaw's Training Home
for
Watercress and Flower Girls in London seems like the
perfect
fit. Tilly finds a diary written by one of the former
residents and soon finds herself engrossed in the story of
Florrie and her missing sister, Rosie. Will Tilly discover
that happened to Rosie?
A MEMORY OF VIOLETS is set in 1912 with flashbacks to both
1876 as well as earlier periods in Tilly's life. Journal
entries are also interspersed throughout the storyline as
well as a few letters. I like that not just one method is
utilized to share the past with us as it makes the
transitions flow seamlessly along while allowing us to see
the different voices of each character.
I love the concept of the Training Homes for Watercress
and
Flower Girls and am thrilled to discover that the
character
of Mr. Shaw is based on a true historical figure, John
Grooms. Hazel Gaynor does a magnificent job at showing
both
the poverty and the total lack of disregard that was given
to an entire populace. Some of the descriptions and
situations are nothing short of heart-wrenching.
A MEMORY OF VIOLETS is a beautifully moving tale that
shows
how people can transcend even the darkest of situations or
perceptions. In particular, I love how Tilly initially
identifies each of the women in the home by their
handicaps
but eventually learns that a person is more than a
disability. Hazel Gaynor ties all of the threads together
as
the story comes full circle to produce a hopeful and
inspiring tale that resonates with the reader long after
the
last page is turned. A MEMORY OF VIOLETS is highly
recommended!
The author of the USA Today and New
York Times bestselling novel The Girl
Who Came Home has once again created an
unforgettable historical novel. Step into the world of
Victorian London, where the wealth and poverty exist side by
side. This is the story of two long-lost sisters, whose
lives take different paths, and the young woman who will be
transformed by their experiences.
In 1912,
twenty-year-old Tilly Harper leaves the peace and beauty of
her native Lake District for London, to become assistant
housemother at Mr. Shaw’s Home for Watercress and Flower
Girls. For years, the home has cared for London’s flower
girls—orphaned and crippled children living on the grimy
streets and selling posies of violets and watercress to
survive.
Soon after she arrives, Tilly discovers a
diary written by an orphan named Florrie—a young Irish
flower girl who died of a broken heart after she and her
sister, Rosie, were separated. Moved by Florrie’s pain and
all she endured in her brief life, Tilly sets out to
discover what happened to Rosie. But the search will not be
easy. Full of twists and surprises, it leads the caring and
determined young woman into unexpected places, including the
depths of her own heart.
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