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In 1956, Olivia and her twin sister are born to a nun an old auto parts store turned convent in rural Mississippi. Little Olivia doesn't survive the day, but her spunky spirit hangs around and takes on the role of ethereal watchdog over her twin. When the Reverend Mother-and holy guilt-convince the nun's sister (a young pregnant newlywed) to secretly raise the baby as the twin of her own soon-to-be-born child, Olivia realizes the urgency of her presence and support. Not only is her aunt a fanatical Elvis fan, she's a renegade Southern belle, bent on self-indulgence and desperate to safeguard her multitude of sins.
Without revealing which girl is her twin until the end, Olivia takes the reader on a flower strewn tour of misguided love and maternal betrayal which culminates at Elvis' funeral, where they finally discover the truth of their parentage and unravel the generations of secrets that shadowed their lives.
ScoutJP
Posted November 27, 2010
I laughed. I cried. I recommended it to everyone I know. Definitly on my top five book list. I am a Southerner and it hits dead on. I was so amused, I laughed out loud and somewhere along the journey I cried out loud. Flowers for Elvis has it all, it is a must read.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Kay2001
Posted September 29, 2010
This was not one of my favorite books or one of the best that I've read but it held my attention. I liked the concept, twins born, one doesnt make it and becomes the self appointed guardian angel for her sister.
The secrets, the hiding, the fakeness of the characters was really hard for me to read and relate to. I understand all families have their secrets but there was just something about this story that I can't really put my finger on that didn't sit well with me.
It's quirky, funny and heartwarming and an easy weekend read. I think this would be a nice pick for bookclub discussions.
In my opinion this is one of the best things about having a Kindle and a Nook. eBooks at very nice prices that allows us to read outside of our reading box and some finds are better than others but it's always a good experience.
Single woman Willard gives birth to twins; one is white while the other is black. She knows that in the Eisenhower era in Mississippi she, the kids and her lover would be lynched. However, the black child Olivia dies, but instead of the newborn's soul going to heaven she remains at the portal to watch over her sister whose life will be difficult. Willard's sister Genevieve is also pregnant and the Mother Superior orders her to keep her niece (though she doesn't know it is her sister's child) saying she had twins.----------
Over the years Olivia's spirit watches over her twins whom she loves equally. They do not have an easy life because Genevieve is a bit touched, ignoring her children as they grow up; providing a terrible home-life due to drinking, stealing and turning tricks. As a young teen Louisa gets pregnant and her lover refuses to leave his wife. Louisa stays with him as his mistress; she has several miscarriages. Her twin Anna Beth tries to be supportive and though their lives are stretched neither breaks. However, their attitude towards their mom is different as they have given up trying to reach the horrid woman. Their spirit sister Olivia tries to console them as she knows God has a plan for each of them.------------
The poignant story line focuses on a dysfunctional suburban civil Rights Era dysfunctional Mississippi family. The narrator Olivia tells the tale of her sisters and like readers learns late in the plot what her purpose is and why God cannot take her to him at this time. Genevieve suffers from mental illness but little is understood about her illness. She is self destructs believing her patron saint is Elvis and she almost destroys the twins she neglects. Flowers for Elvis is a touching tale made stronger by a unexpected spin. ---------
Harriet Klausner
AerinRose
Posted August 23, 2009
Set against the backdrop of the 1960s South, <b>Flowers for Elvis</b> tells the story of fraternal twin girls. One of the babies, Olivia, dies immediately after being born. Meanwhile, her sister continues to be raised as the twin sister of her cousin, born three days later. Olivia's spirit, however, lingers, observing with a wry fondness the twists and turns of her sister's turbulent life.
Though Schuster's Catholic tendencies (which tend to be traditional, somewhat conservative, but not fundamentalist) are obvious, she uses them honestly in her perception of Olivia's story, rather than a tool with which to preach to the audience. Because the first chapters are about Olivia's birth and death and encounter with the Mother Superior who buries her, I worried a little about getting through the rest of the book. I stumbled, a bit, over Olivia's brief encounters with God and the capitalized pronoun "He," since that doesn't reflect my own theology nor a common use in progressive churches. I'm not sure whether Schuster's trying to capture the time period of the modernist church or just mirroring her own beliefs (she's a religion teacher in Memphis, TN.)
The good news is, things markedly improve once the awkward introductions have been made. I marked the page in this book where my interest was finally captured. Page 38. It takes Schuster, a fellow former Louisville-ian, that long to get into an otherwise strange and charming tale. Willard and Genevieve, Anna Beth and Louisa evoke the <b>Practical Magic</b> sisters or the women from Fried Green Tomatoes. They are strong, flawed characters, loving and willful and impatient and wise.
By the end of Flowers for Elvis, I was captivated by this story. It helps that there's a twist I didn't expect - it's hard to surprise me - and an ending that might be one of the most perfect (in that same strange, charming way) endings I've ever read.
If you're an Elvis fan, you should just buy this book. Every chapter is headed with an Elvis reference, and while the King never makes an appearance, Genevieve does regard him as her patron saint and ultimate Love Interest. If you're not an Elvis fan, you should still pick up a copy of this book. It's an excellent summer read, and, trust me, once you finish, you're going to want to pass it on so you can discuss it with your sister or mum or friend or book group.
Similar to:
Fannie Flagg
Barbara Kingsolver
Billie Letts
Julia Schuster entertains with a rollicking novel that is both poignant and hysterical. Twin sisters in a dysfunctional family try to survive in a world peopled with ghosts and cloistered nuns. Throw in Elvis and you have a fun, yet serious read.
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Posted November 24, 2011
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Posted June 26, 2009
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Overview
In 1956, Olivia and her twin sister are born to a nun an old auto parts store turned convent in rural Mississippi. Little Olivia doesn't survive the day, but her spunky spirit hangs around and takes on the role of ethereal watchdog over her twin. When the Reverend Mother-and holy guilt-convince the nun's sister (a young pregnant newlywed) to secretly raise the baby as the...