BOOK INFORMATION
A Memory
of Violets:
A Novel of
London’s Flower Sellers
By: Hazel Gaynor
Releasing February 3rd, 2015
William Morrow
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BOOK SUMMARY
From New
York Times and USA Today bestselling
author Hazel Gaynor comes a beautiful historical novel about Tilly Harper, a young
woman who finds the diary of an orphaned flower seller who was separated from
her sister in Victorian England, and her journey to learn the fate of the long
lost sisters. Gaynor’s research into the events that inspire her novels is
outstanding, and the world of the Victorian flower sellers on the streets of
London in the late 1800s is utterly fascinating.
In 1912, twenty-one-year-old Tilly Harper
leaves her sheltered home in the Lake District for a position as assistant
housemother at Mr. Shaw’s Home for Watercress and Flower Girls in London.
Orphaned and crippled girls wander the twisted streets with posies of violets
and cress to sell to the passing ladies and gentleman, and the Flower Homes
provide a place for them to improve their lives of hardship.
When Tilly arrives at Mr. Shaw’s safe haven, she discovers a diary that tells the story of Florrie, a young Irish flower girl who died of a broken heart after being separated from her sister Rosie. Tilly makes it her mission to find out what happened to young Rosie, and in the process learns about the workings of her own heart.
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EXCERPT
Inside
the box was a small leather-bound notebook, its tan cover creased and worn with
age. There was also a wooden clothes peg, a black button, a doll made of rags
and a postcard bearing a faded photograph of a group of young girls clustered
around a display of flowers. The label at the bottom read, shaw’s homes for watercress and flower girls,
1883. Tilly lifted each item
out of the box, wondering who they had belonged to. On the back of the
postcard, someone had written, “December
1884. You will find her. I know you will. Happy Christmas. Lily B. x” At
the bottom of the box was a delicate lace handkerchief, stained and spoiled a
little with age. Lifting it up to the light of the window, she saw the faint
outline of shamrocks stitched into one corner. Her thoughts flashed back to the
train. To Mrs. Ingram.
Walking
over to the bed, Tilly spread the dusty items across the counterpane. It was a
strange assortment of things. Why would somebody keep a peg – and a single
button? But she was most interested in the leather-bound notebook. Opening it
carefully, she read the inscription on the inside cover.
For
Little Sister.
All
flowers are beautiful, but some are more beautiful than others.
I
will never stop looking for you.
Flora
Flynn
Tilly
carefully turned the fragile faded pages, intrigued by the neat handwriting.
The paper smelled musty and crackled as she turned more pages, the same,
careful writing filling each one. As she turned a page toward the middle of the
book, something fell into her lap. A flower. A pale yellow primrose, dry as an
autumn leaf and paper-thin. She thought of her flower press at home, of all the
beautiful wildflowers she had carefully placed between the layers of blotting
paper: buttercups, harebells, bell heather, wild daffodils, summer snowflakes,
bluebells, foxgloves, and marsh orchids. She remembered collecting them, each
and every one.
Turning
the notebook upside down, she shook it gently, sending several more flowers
tumbling from their hiding place between the pages: purple hyacinth, pink
carnations, primroses and pansies, each fluttering gracefully into her lap,
like butterflies released from a display case. She picked up each flower,
running her fingers lightly over their delicate forms. She held a primrose toward
the window, rubbing the stem between her thumb and forefinger so that it
twisted back and forth, catching the light. It was almost translucent. She
gazed at the skeletal structure of the leaf, every vein and cell of the petals.
It was such a beautiful, fragile little thing. Looking back through the book,
she saw that on each page from where the flowers had fallen, was the faintest
of imprints; a shadow of each flower’s image left permanently on the paper.
Like a distant echo, the images spoke to her, whispering secrets of a forgotten
past. Whose hand had placed the flowers here? Who had written these pages and
pages of words?
As
the surroundings of her new home faded into the background, Tilly settled
herself against the pillow, turned back to the first page of the book and
started to read.
CAT'S REVIEW
"A Memory of Violets" by Hazel Gaynor. This is an incredible story about the London Flower Sellers. It's truly a beautiful story. I wasn't sure what to expect as this is not what I normally read but I am so glad that I did. Ms. Gaynor does a wonderful job of describing exactly what life was like for the poor in the 1800's in London and the reader feels like they are there. It's heartwarming and heartbreaking all in one. The story of Florrie and Tilly wrapped me up and I couldn't put it down - I felt every emotion and experience they went through. It was uplifting to read about Mr. Shaw and how helped those less fortunate too.
Living in today's society, it can be hard to think of life back then but Ms. Gaynor does an amazing job of doing just that. This is a must read and is already on my read again list. (received copy from Edelweiss for honest review).
★★★★★
AUTHOR INFO
Hazel Gaynor’s 2014 debut novel THE GIRL
WHO CAME HOME – A Novel of the Titanic was a New York
Times and USA Today bestseller. A MEMORY OF VIOLETS is her
second novel.
Hazel writes a popular guest
blog ‘Carry on Writing’ for national Irish writing website writing.ie and
contributes regular feature articles for the site, interviewing authors such
as Philippa Gregory, Sebastian Faulks, Cheryl Strayed,
Rachel Joyce and Jo Baker, among others.
Hazel was the recipient of
the 2012 Cecil Day Lewis award for Emerging Writers and was selected by Library Journal as one of
Ten Big Breakout Authors for 2015. She appeared as a guest speaker at the Romantic Novelists’ Association and Historical
Novel Society annual conferences in 2014.
Originally from Yorkshire, England, Hazel now lives in Ireland with her
husband and two children.
For more information, visit Hazel’s website at http://www.hazelgaynor.com/ or Facebook
page https://www.facebook.com/hazelgaynorbooks or follow her
on Twitter @HazelGaynor
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