EXCERPT: Flowers Funeral Home faces Main Street in downtown Possum Flats and my upstairs room overlooks the back alley, where Grandma takes her ‘deliveries’ twenty-four hours a day. Not much there except dumpsters and stray cats and, over the buildings, the tip-top of a church steeple. From the front sidewalk of the funeral home, you can see east down Main to the downtown square that has banks on opposite corners and a boring limestone courthouse in the centre with a silver flagpole waving the U.S. and Missouri flags. Possum Flats. Seriously? It sounds like roadkill – and it’s every bit as dead.
ABOUT ‘THE FLOWER SISTERS’: At birth, Violet and Rose Flowers were identical, save for a tiny bluish-purple mark gracing Violetâs slender neck. By nineteen, their temperaments distinguish them, as different as the flowers their mother named them forâViolet, wild and outgoing, and Rose, solitary and reserved. Still, they are each otherâs world. Then, on a sweltering, terrible August night in 1928, an explosion rocks Lambâs Dance Hall in Possum Flats, Missouri, engulfing it in flames, leaving one twin among the dozens dead, and her sisterâs life forever changed.
Fifty years later, Daisy Flowers is dumped on her grandmother Roseâs doorstep for the summer. A bright, inquisitive fifteen-year-old, Daisy bargains her way into an internship at the local newspaperâwhere she learns of the mysterious long-ago tragedy and its connection to her family. Rose, now the local funeral home director, grows increasingly alarmed as her impulsive granddaughter delves into Possum Flatsâ history, determined to uncover the horrors and heroes of the fiery blast.
For a small town, Possum Flats holds a multitude of big secrets, some guarded by the living, some kept by the dead. And through Rose, Daisy, Dashâa preacher who found his calling that fateful nightâand others, those ghosts gradually come into the light, forcing a reckoning at last.
MY THOUGHTS: After a breathtaking start in both timelines, I settled in for what I thought was going to be an exceptional read . . . but it didn’t quite work out that way. It sort of fizzled out and never really regained its momentum.
Of the two timelines, I much preferred the 1978 story. Daisy is a lovely character and I enjoyed watching her personal growth after her arrival in Possum Flats. I felt that a lot of the 1928 story could have been better told better in flashbacks as Daisy uncovered what actually happened. There are too many points of view, and we get the full background story on each and every one of them. It was just too much. And while they say there is no one so devout as a reformed sinner, the character of Pastor Emmonds (known as ‘Dash’ in his wilder days) was totally overdone. In contrast, his grandson Joe was a breath of fresh air.
The ending was a little too tidy for me – life just isn’t like that and it came across as manufactured and, dare I say it?, twee.
I really enjoyed the Author’s note at the end which tells the story of the explosion in her hometown in 1928 that was the basis for this novel, but the execution of the actual novel itself left a lot to be desired. While I didn’t feel compelled to abandon the read, my attention frequently wandered and I would have to backtrack to pick up the thread again.
ââ.9
#TheFlowerSisters #NetGalley
THE AUTHOR: Michelle Collins Anderson grew up on a farm in the Missouri Ozarks â a place and a way of life that has shaped her writing. Michelle has been an adjunct professor at the University of Missouri and Stephens College, taught creative writing at her local elementary school, and serves on the board of The Missouri Review. She and her husband, Clay, have three adult children and live in St. Louis, Missouri, with a rambunctious border collie and two sister cats.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Kensington Books via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Flower Sisters by Michelle Collins Anderson for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
Happy Sunday afternoon! It has been a beautiful day here in y corner of New Zealand, but now the wind is getting up and the temperature is dropping.
As you may have noticed, I’ve been running a bit behind with my posts the past couple of days. My brother-in-law who had a severe stroke in November and who has been in care at the local rest home since, has passed away. We have family staying on and off until after the funeral on Wednesday. So my erratic posts will continue for a few days yet.
I am currently listening to Red River Road, written by Anna Downes and narrated by Maddy Withington, who is a new-to-me and excellent narrator.
Katy Sweeney is determined to find her sister. A year earlier, just three weeks into a solo vanlife trip, free-spirited Phoebe vanished without a trace on Western Australiaâs remote and achingly beautiful Coral Coast. With no witnesses, no leads, and no DNA evidence, the case has gone cold. But Katy refuses to give up.
Using Phoebeâs social media accounts as a map, Katy starts to retrace her steps, searching for the clues that the police have missed. Was Phoebe being followed? Who had she met along the way, and what danger did they pose? Was she as happy as her sun-bleached, lens-flared photos seem to suggest?
Then Katyâs path collides with that of Beth, a young woman on the run from her own dark pastâand very recent present. And as Katy realizes that Beth might be her best and only chance of finding the truth, the two women form an uneasy alliance to venture forth into increasingly wild territory to find out what really happened to Phoebe in this breathtaking but maybe deadly place, and how her fate connects them all.
I am reading The Flower Sisters by Michelle Collins Anderson and this is certainly keeping my attention.
At birth, Violet and Rose Flowers were identical, save for a tiny bluish-purple mark gracing Violetâs slender neck. By nineteen, their temperaments distinguish them, as different as the flowers their mother named them forâViolet, wild and outgoing, and Rose, solitary and reserved. Still, they are each otherâs world. Then, on a sweltering, terrible August night in 1928, an explosion rocks Lambâs Dance Hall in Possum Flats, Missouri, engulfing it in flames, leaving one twin among the dozens dead, and her sisterâs life forever changed.
Fifty years later, Daisy Flowers is dumped on her grandmother Roseâs doorstep for the summer. A bright, inquisitive fifteen-year-old, Daisy bargains her way into an internship at the local newspaperâwhere she learns of the mysterious long-ago tragedy and its connection to her family. Rose, now the local funeral home director, grows increasingly alarmed as her impulsive granddaughter delves into Possum Flatsâ history, determined to uncover the horrors and heroes of the fiery blast.
For a small town, Possum Flats holds a multitude of big secrets, some guarded by the living, some kept by the dead. And through Rose, Daisy, Dashâa preacher who found his calling that fateful nightâand others, those ghosts gradually come into the light, forcing a reckoning at last.
I am also reading What Happened to Charlotte Salter by Nicci French
On the day of Alec Salterâs fiftieth birthday party, just before Christmas 1990, his wife Charlotte vanishes. Most of the small English village of Glensted is at the party for hours before anyone realizes Charlotte is missing. While Alec brushes off her disappearance, their four childrenâespecially fifteen-year-old Ettyâgrow increasingly anxious as the cold winter hours become days and she doesnât return. When Charlotteâs coat is found by the river, they fear the worst. Then the body of the Saltersâ neighbor, Duncan Ackerley, is found floating in the river by his son Morgan and Etty. The police investigate and conclude that Duncan and Charlotte were having an affair before he killed her and committed suicide. Thirty years later, Morgan Ackerley, a successful documentarian, has returned to Glensted with his older brother Greg to make podcast based on their shared tragedy with the Salters. Alec, stricken with dementia, is entering an elder care facility while Etty helps put his affairs in order. But as the Ackerleys ask to interview the Salters, the entire town gets caught up in the unresolved cases. Allegations are made, secrets are revealed, and a suspicious fire leads to a murder. With the podcast making national news, London sends Detective Inspector Maud OâConnor to Glensted to take over the investigation. Resented by her mostly male colleagues, she has no tolerance for either their sexism or their incompetence. And she will stop at nothing to uncover the truth as a new and terrifying picture of what really happened to Charlotte Salter and Duncan Ackerley emerges.
This week I hope to read, but probably won’t – Never be the Same by Luke Williams, an author ARC.
As Tom Rosemore heads to work, a jolting update shatters his world with the news that his boss has been found dead at the office. This grim revelation arrives amid Tomâs own struggles, compounding a tragedy that has fractured his family, leaving his teenage daughter to spiral into a depression, and his wife to waste away through a crippling exercise addiction. Amid the turmoil, Tomâs world darkens further as he becomes the prime suspect in his bossâs murder. Confronted by mounting evidence he cannot explain, including incriminating CCTV footage, he faces a tough battle convincing detectives of his innocence. Yet, beneath the surface lies the unsettling realisation that someone has tried to frame him. As accusations loom large, a greater horror unfolds with the sudden disappearance of his daughter on the very day he is questioned by police. Determined to find her in a race against time and the law, Tom is forced to take matters into his own hands. With police closing in, secrets begin to unravel, woven into the mystery of his bossâs murder.
With Winter Comes Darkness by Robbi Neal
A terrible accident burns down a family’s life on the same day a murder is committed. From the ashes of these acts comes revelation, darkness, and the truth. Psychological suspense and profound family drama meet in this heartrending and original Australian novel.
1975, Ballarat Alice is happy in her world and in return for her happiness the world is good to her. She has everything she needs – a lovely house and children, and a devoted husband. Even though her journalism job doesn’t pay much, she doesn’t have to worry about the bills. All is well with her world until a terrible accident rips a child from her, a profound betrayal is uncovered, and things fall apart.
On the same day Alice’s world collapses, a man is found brutally murdered on respected teacher Ellery’s farm. Ellery can’t remember what happened but there is blood on his clothes, and he is arrested.
Neither Alice nor Ellery realise that their paths in life are about to intertwine and a desperate bargain is about to be made. A bargain that could save or destroy them in their quest to draw some light and fathom the darkness that surrounds them.
Secrets of Riverside by Mandy Magro
Can love conquer all? A moving story of overcoming the past and second chances from bestselling Australian romance author Mandy Magro. Can their love heal the shadows of the past?
After losing her family in a tragic fire when she was a child, Amelia Price has battled to put the shattered pieces of her life back together. Even so, she’s never felt like she belongs anywhere, and she longs for stability and love. When a mysterious letter turns up at her apartment with hints that she’ll uncover the truth behind what happened all those years ago if she goes to the sleepy, picturesque town of Riverside, she sets off on a journey to tropical Far North Queensland.
Jarrah King owns and runs the Riverside Roadhouse. He loves the simpleness of country living, and the fact it gives him complete anonymity. Over the years he’s made a life for himself under a new name, however his past has never stopped haunting him.
When a sassy blonde takes up the new cook position, he can’t help but be drawn to her vivacious personality. But he can tell there’s also pain hiding underneath her bubbly facade and he longs to erase those shadows. However, lowering his defences to let her in may risk his new identity, as well as everything he holds dear.
Can Amelia show him that love is worth the risk? Or will the secrets of their entwined past tear them apart forever?
And, One Long Weekend by Shari Low
When all seems lost, hope remains… Val Murray has mislaid her most precious mementoes of the people sheâs loved and lost. Can her family, the wonders of technology and a little divine intervention somehow mend her shattered heart?
Sophie Smith had to take a rain check on a marriage proposal. Will her bid to turn back the clock lead her to her greatest love or yet another heartbreak?
Alice McLenn stood by her husband, Larry when a scandal cost them everything. When he hits the headlines again, Alice has an opportunity to leave â but can she find the strength to finally walk away?
Rory Brookes was forced to turn his back on his parents to save his career and marriage. Now, heâs lost his job and wife on the same day. Is it too late to make amends with the one person who never let him down?
Three days. Four broken hearts. Just one weekend to make them whole again.
Sorry, this post isn’t going to be a chatty one, and I am going to apologise in advance for probably not being able to visit everyone’s posts over the next few days, but I need to spend time with family. I am meeting a lot of extended family for the first time ever! Isn’t it sad that we only seem to catch up when someone dies. I am going to try and do better.
Sandy's Book a Day Blog 