Flowers from the Storm

My favorite Kinsale

This historical romance is one of my all-time favorites. It was a 'can't put it down' read the first time, and remains pleasurably re-readable years later. I love it for many reasons: Kinsale's rich use of language throughout, but especially for the hero's point of view after his stroke, when he can't remember the words for things. She conveys his frustration so well; and it's a neat technical trick, to convey wordlessness in writing! I love the characters, too: Plain Archimedea Timms, caring for her worthy, blind father the mathematician and hoping only for a garden of her own, someday. Arrogant Christian, Duke of Jervaulx, so good at so many things, except being good... until he is brought low by fate (aka: a good writer). And the Duke's friends, who are his allies, and his family, who are the villains, except for his starchy Aunt... I love it for the unlikely romance between the Duke and the Quaker girl, taken in unexpected directions. And I love it for the widening scope of the story: each turning point increases the jeopardy for ALL the characters, not just the heroes. And I love it for Kinsale's use of religion as a source of conflict, and of personal honor, and of growth. And I love it because there is no chapter, no page, no paragraph, no sentence, no word of this book that strikes a wrong note. Every bit of it is a joy to read and to savor, on the page and in memory.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

If you love "wounded hero" romances, you'll find gold in this one.

This is my first Laura Kinsale novel. wow, she is a prolific writer. If you love wounded heros this is the book for you. I loved it. The rehabilitation of the stroke victim was amazingly portrayed. How the character felt and viewed his world as he recovered was so in depth that I was blown away. Sure our leading male hero had to recover some on his own, that is what romantic hero's have to do, show strength of character in the face of adversity and all that.Maddy helped him of course, but vacillating with her conflicting morals to hold our tension. I was angry with her at some point, but the story was well worth that for the end. A delicious ride of hope, and romantic tension.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

In the historical romance genre, it is unexpected to come upon a plot about a stroke victim, the struggles of Quakers to exist without prejudice, and the particular struggle of a young Quaker who is caught in the narrowness of her religion.

Christian Langland, arrogant rake Duke of Jervaulx is a mathematical genius whose fellow theorist is blind Quaker Timms. Archimedea (Maddy) Timms is the go-between for her father - she writes out his equations - and the Duke. Their breakthrough work is presented at the Analytical Society with resounding response. (Maddy has already made up her mind that Jervaulx and his world are distasteful. Her father is more accepting). Plans that were made for the mathematicians' continuing partnership come to naught when the Timmses learn that Jervaulx is 'no longer in this world'. (We know that he's had a stroke, but to the then medical profession he's lost his mind.) Months later Maddy brings her father to her cousin's model sanatorium where she will help out in exchange for their upkeep. Jervaulx is there, shackled, unable to speak; ill kempt, and secretly ill treated; word put out by his family is that he is critically ill (or dead). After making eye contact, Maddy knows her Work is to help him, and for Jervaulx she's his anchor in the storm. This is a wonderful love story and an engrossing look into Jervaulx's muddled perception of the world and how with Maddy's help he makes determined progress to overcome his infirmity. But can they keep the forces against them at bay - his family who wants to permanently commit him to gain power over the estate? her Quakerism and fellow Quakers who want her to leave him? The reader is swept up in a storm of interesting secondary characters and a dense, taut plot.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Excellent - well worth the read!

The plot was well-thought out and very unusual for a romance novel. But it worked well and the chemistry between the characters was great.
I'd recommend you check this one out.

Well worth the effort!

Kinsale did an amazing job with her hero in this one, portraying a man who underwent a devastating stroke. At times when the story was told from Christian's point of view, I almost felt as if I had to work as hard as he did to try and figure out what the people around him were saying and what was going on. His frustration with himself and his situation were brilliantly written, and for a good 7/8ths of the novel he was one of the most sympathetic heroes I've ever read.

Maddy, though, is a bit harder to love. She is wonderful in her patience with Christian and her determination to do whatever she could to help him. Her rigidity of faith, though, was disturbing. She was constantly at war with herself over what she wanted to do for Christian and what she believed her religion would find "right", and it caused her to say and do very hurtful things at times, both toward Christian and toward herself.

Of course it all comes out well in the end (if all a bit abruptly) and the prologue is delightful, and really, for much of the book I would have said it was a solid 5-star read. Both Maddy and Christian have some less-than-stellar moments toward the end, though, and behave in ways that just seemed a bit over the top to me, so it got bumped down to four; but still, it was a wonderfully written book that will definitely have me looking for more from this author.

Pleasantly surprised

The portrayal of the stroke victim's recovery was very well written. The weakness of the heroine was quite frustrating more often than not. However, the final show of strength of character of both individuals was satisfying and heart-warming.

Very well written with strong characters

I really enjoyed this book.

Expected More

From what I had read in the previous reviews I was expecting this to be an amazing book. I thought that the basic concept of the book was great and original. I also felt that the hero's struggles were well portrayed and the difficulty he suffered with communicating were quite realistic. Unfortunately, the heroine was quite weak. Her indecision was understanding at the beginning but by the end, it was frustrating for me.

A reviewer

Kinsale is an author that I really like, although several of her books have had major problems for me. This one was frustrating in the extreme because everyone surrounding the poor hero was an absolute idiot. For one thing, the heroine recognizes his situation immediately, and doesn't really do anything to help fix it. She just hangs out with him and gives him a few things. Does she teach him to do anything he did before? Not really. Not the obvious. Like TALKING! Or even saying his own name, the very thing he needs to do to keep from being put away. It goes on like that forever and the poor guy has to basically get better on his own while a bunch of selfish nitwits (including the heroine) prattle around him. But Kinsale is a good enough writer that I give her two stars for some nice scenework. Too bad. It starts very well -- it just doesn't hold up.

Yuck

Wow, I wonder if I read the same book as some of the other reviewers. I thought this book was awful. Truely disapointing. I thought both characters were annoying in the extreme. The hero was a whipped wimp and the heroine was a dominating prude who only seemed to be happy when she was being mean to the hero. And he just took it! Ughhh!!! I thought it was one of the LEAST romantic books I have ever read. This one couldn't get back to the used bookstore fast enough.

What a cover!

First, I have to tell you, the cover of this book cracks me up. It's sort of a romance novel cover cliche to have Fabio on the cover with his shirt somehow unbuttoned and tucked in at the same time, and usually, it has nothing to do with the content of the book. What makes me laugh is that in this case, there actually IS a scene in the book where the hero is wandering around outside in his shirt, unbuttoned and tucked in, clutching a bouquet of wildflowers. So, aside from his stupid grin, the cover is actually pretty accurate. Whodathunk? I read this book on the recommendation of some people in a writing group I'm in who said they loved it but it was on their never-read-again list because it was just so intense. It was definitely intense. It had a lot to do with religion, and, I think, even more to do with the choice between your background and family and the man you love. I think that theme strikes home with a lot of people, especially women, because it's something a lot of us have had to deal with: Marry the man your family wants you to marry, or marry the man you love. Even in modern times, it's a powerful question. I really enjoyed the story and the characterizations, and might even be convinced to read it again someday. I also liked the symbolism. There were several great symbolic moments, the 'flowers from the storm' scene being one. I love it when authors, particularly romance authors, do that sort of thing. It means they trust me (the reader) enough to include it, and not spell everything out. Good stuff. Very enjoyable read!

A HIDDEN CLASSIC

As a devoted reader I have never found a book that has ever been better than J.A.'s Pride and Predjudice, but now I have. Flowers from the Storm is a story that is so provactive and captivating that it really does rise above the trashy romance novel genre it is hidden in. I gave this book to my Womens Lit Professor to read, she added it to her reading list for our class, and every one loved it! It is now my favorite book of all time. The only thing that could make this book better, would be a sequel involving Jervaulx's daughter diana and her quest to find love amidst all the controversy that surrounds her...

waste of money and time

i have never had a harder time getting through a book. i had tears coming out of my eyes...tears of boredom. i don't know what the other readers read, but surely it could not have been the same book.

Iconic Romance Classic

This is one of the first romance novels I ever read, and I am now a romance editor at a large publisher! I can honestly say, hundreds of romances later, that this is still one of the very best books of any genre that I have ever read--Laura Kinsale completely deserves her reputation as an icon in the romance community.

Gripping love story

This is a beautifully written love story between two very unlikely people from diverse backgrounds. The book is full of humor and has many twists and turns to keep it from getting mushy and boring. This is very much a keeper- I have read it at least 8-9 times!

One of the Greatest Romance of All Time

This book has such an unassuming title to be such a 'gripping story'. The way Laura Kinsale takes you inside the head of a stroke victim, who was once brilliant and now disabled, is phenomenal. To see something that is a known disability, today, was once considered 'maddness' is reviting. The two main characters have such strong personalities at opposite ends of the spectrum; they truly symbolize the term 'When Worlds Collide'. You 'feel' the character's in this book. The book has 'replaced' Wurthering Heights as my all time heart rendering love story. I will read it at least once a year, and buy a new 'fresh' copy whenever I can find it.

One of my favorites!

Right from the beginning you are drawn into the story. I could not put this book down and have recommended it to everyone I know!

A great favorite of mine

I have a soft spot for 'Beauty and the Beast' type stories. In this one, the Beauty and the Beast both reside in the hero! The poor heroine is merely 'the Good' who discovers she is just selfish enough to close her hand around her prince when he falls into her grasp!

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