“They tell you that it will pass, that there’ll be a day when you wake up and your heart doesn’t ache, a day when you don’t cry, but laugh and smile and remember the person you’ve lost with great fondness. You can’t believe that day will ever come. But it does, doesn’t it? Somehow, it does.”–Hazel Gaynor, A Memory of Violets
This is a dual timeline book. It begins in 1876 and tells the story of two young orphaned sisters, Flora and Rosie Flynn, who sell flowers trying to support themselves. One of the sisters is nearly blind and her older sister always holds tightly to her hand. One day, however, they are separated and the decision of one woman changes both of their lives forever.
The second part of the book is set in 1912. Tillie Harper comes to London as an assistant house mother at one of Mr. Shaw’s Training Homes for Watercress and Flower Girls. These homes care for the orphaned and disabled flower girls to keep them safe from the streets. Tillie leaves behind a difficult situation at home and throws herself into her new role with the girls. In her room she discovers the journal of Flora Flynn and reads the devastating story of Rosie’s disappearance. Tillie determines to find out what happened to Rosie and ends up finding out a lot about herself as well.
Hazel Gaynor is a compelling storyteller and this story about London’s flower girls is no exception. I was fascinated to learn about the flower girls and their very difficult lives. My previous knowledge consisted of watching Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady and reading period romance novels where the men bought posies for the women they admired–so in essence, I knew nothing. The story has twists and turns although there are many clues that give you the sense of where things are headed. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of Hazel Gaynor’s work.
Content Advisory: Peril to children