A Memory of Violets: A Novel of London's Flower Sellers

by Hazel Gaynor

Overview

From the author of the USA Today bestseller The Girl Who Came Home comes an unforgettable historical novel that tells the story of two long-lost sisters—orphaned flower sellers—and a young woman who is transformed by their experiences.

"For little sister. . . . I will never stop looking for you."

1876. Among the filth and depravity of Covent Garden's flower markets, orphaned Irish sisters Flora and Rosie Flynn sell posies of violets and watercress to survive. It is a pitiful existence, made bearable only by each other's presence. When they become separated, the decision of a desperate woman sets their lives on very different paths.

1912. Twenty-one-year-old Tilly Harper leaves the peace and beauty of her native Lake District for London to become assistant housemother at one of Mr. Shaw's Training Homes for Watercress and Flower Girls. For years, the homes have cared for London's orphaned and crippled flower girls, getting them off the streets. For Tilly, the appointment is a fresh start, a chance to leave her troubled past behind.

Soon after she arrives at the home, Tilly finds a notebook belonging to Flora Flynn. Hidden between the pages she finds dried flowers and a heartbreaking tale of loss and separation as Flora's entries reveal how she never stopped looking for her lost sister. 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062316899
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	02/03/2015
Pages:	432
Sales rank:	219,883
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Hazel Gaynor is the award-winning New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of A Memory of Violets and The Girl Who Came Home, for which she received the 2015 Romantic Novelists’ Association Historical Romantic Novel of the Year award. Her third novel, The Girl from The Savoy, was an Irish Times and Globe and Mail bestseller, and was shortlisted for the 2016 Irish Book Awards Popular Fiction Book of the Year. Her most recent novel, The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter, was a USA Today and Irish Times bestseller, and was shortlisted for the 2019 Historical Writers’ Association Gold Crown Award. Hazel’s work has been translated into fourteen languages. She lives in Ireland with her husband and two children.

Editorial Reviews

Hazel Gaynor’s tale of divided sisters conjures a bygone era with a poignancy so exquisite one can almost smell the violets.” — Kate Beaufoy, author of LIBERTY SILK and ANOTHER HEARTBEAT IN THE HOUSE

“Gaynor once again brings history to life. With intriguing characters and a deeply absorbing story, her latest is a fascinating examination of one city’s rich history and the often forgotten people who lived in it.” — Booklist

“Given the awards she has already received, we are sure to hear much more from Hazel Gaynor-and that is a good thing.” — New York Journal of Books

“Gaynor’s talent for evoking a time and place, as well as her ability to write a beautifully heart-wrenching story with realistic characters, enables her to touch readers. The unexpected twists and turns of the plot and jumping of timelines holds readers’ attention to the satisfying climax.” — RT Book Reviews (4 Stars)

“Historical details and the unique perspective of penniless, physically challenged young girls could make Gaynor’s second historical novel a good book club choice. A tidy ending and sweet romance will satisfy readers hoping to exhale a long, contented sigh as they finish the last page.” — Library Journal

From the Publisher

Gaynor’s talent for evoking a time and place, as well as her ability to write a beautifully heart-wrenching story with realistic characters, enables her to touch readers. The unexpected twists and turns of the plot and jumping of timelines holds readers’ attention to the satisfying climax.

RT Book Reviews (4 Stars)

Given the awards she has already received, we are sure to hear much more from Hazel Gaynor-and that is a good thing.

New York Journal of Books

Gaynor once again brings history to life. With intriguing characters and a deeply absorbing story, her latest is a fascinating examination of one city’s rich history and the often forgotten people who lived in it.

Booklist

Hazel Gaynor’s tale of divided sisters conjures a bygone era with a poignancy so exquisite one can almost smell the violets.

Kate Beaufoy

Gaynor once again brings history to life. With intriguing characters and a deeply absorbing story, her latest is a fascinating examination of one city’s rich history and the often forgotten people who lived in it.

Booklist

This intriguing historical novel brings to life the culture of the flower and watercress girls of Victorian England. Narrated expertly by Nicola Barber, the novel weaves the stories of Irish sisters Florrie and Rosie in 1876 and that of a young English woman, Tilly, in 1912. As house mother at Violet House, Tilly discovers a diary written by Florrie that propels her to find out what happened to Rosie after the diary ends. Barber aids the listener in identifying the many characters with changes in accent, tempo, and tone. Her comfortable pacing draws listeners in as she seamlessly blends history and fiction while shining a light on the harsh existence of these outcast children of Victorian England who were rescued and trained for jobs that provided a safe, stable existence. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

JUNE 2015 - AudioFile