Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, The
Ringland, HollyAlice Hart is a survivor: not just of the house fire that claims her parents' lives when she is nine, but also the betrayal she suffers at the hands of her grandmother June, and the dangerous lure of Dylan, a charismatic man of deceptive appearance. But to survive is not enough and Alice is on a hard-fought voyage of self-discovery, taking her from sugar cane fields by the sea to a flower farm, the Outback and back again.
Anchored in the language of native Australian flowers, this bittersweet story of transformation sensitively presents the prospect of overcoming personal trauma.
Pages
399
399
Year
2017
2017
Reviews
04-03-2024
Fabulous book, sad and full of emotion. Loved it.
08-08-2023
We were divided over this book. Some loved it. Some thought the plot was obvious and contrived.
03-03-2023
This book was very popular, and beautifully written describing the landscape. We thought the ending was a bit flat, but a great read.
08-11-2022
Our group was almost unanimous in enjoying the book. We loved the flower theme, the chapter headings and the poems. The Australian setting was beautifully described - the sayings and interweaving of Aboriginal ways were very satisfying. Thoughtful discussion.
10-09-2021
Most of the group enjoyed the book - a couple disliked it!!
10-09-2021
Very good, although somewhat violent.
10-09-2021
One member felt there were too many themes running through the story, but did enjoy reading about the Australian flowers and the setting. Another member didn't enjoy it but found it a compelling read. A predictable storyline. An easy read covering grief and violence. Liked the flowers.
06-09-2021
Our favourite this year.
01-06-2021
We all enjoyed the book, her writing style, the various settings, and the line drawings and beautiful cover. Meanings of Australian flowers compared with English ones drew interest and comments.
21-04-2021
We appreciated the poetic language, description of flowers and Australian landscape, but there was a bit of suspended belief regarding some plot details.
20-01-2021
A beautifully written book. The imagery and language were so carefully phrased.
23-09-2020
A promising beginning to the book, but it became a little superficial and even predictable. The book would have been improved by more insights into the behaviours and motivations of characters.
20-07-2020
Personally, I really enjoyed the book. It brought back many memories of my travels in Australia in our campervan many years ago. I dug out the old photos I had taken of the many beautiful wild flowers.