The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart - Holly Ringland

Review by Julia

Best consumed with

A floral cocktail, in honour of the role that flowers play in this enchanting novel. I personally cannot resist anything with gin and elderflower - if I see that combination on the drinks menu, I usually get it!

What’s it all about?

The story is about Alice Hart, who at 9 years of age, loses both her parents in a fire related accident. She goes to live with her grandmother who she’s never met before - June Hart - who runs a native Australia flower farm that is also a refuge for women. Despite growing up in this idyllic surrounding, Alice is haunted by her past and learns that her family has a lot of secrets, some of which June isn’t yet willing to share. 

Why did I choose to read this book?

I stumbled upon this book while I was walking around my local area with my daughter and stopped at a “Street Library” - if you haven’t seen these before, they are little boxes where people can drop off and pick up books that others have left. The title and cover of this book intrigued me, and the synopsis on the back sounded interesting, so I decided to give it a go. I had no idea what a bestseller this was, nor that an Amazon Prime TV show had recently been made about it as well.

If you want to find more about Street Libraries, including how to get one for your home, see the website here: Street Library Australia. 

What did I love?

I’ll be honest, I had a really difficult time writing this review. Despite really enjoying the novel, I just couldn’t quite put pen to paper to explain what exactly I liked. The best way I can explain it is that this novel has a certain “vibe” and I read it so quickly because I loved the “feel” of it - which won’t be much use to you, I know! So below is my attempt at the review… 

Firstly, an important disclaimer that this novel includes depictions of domestic violence, and is focused on the consequences of domestic abuse.

With that in mind, I absolutely loved this novel. Once I started reading it I couldn’t put it down, and it really took my breath away. The novel deals with some very serious issues in our society in an incredibly beautiful and delicate way. 

In the beginning, when Alice is just a young girl, the violence is depicted through a child’s eyes and it is truly heart-breaking. As Alice grows up and engages in her own relationships, we witness her trying to make sense of her past abuse as an adult, and learn from her own mistakes and those that others around her have made. Through Holly’s writing you really get a sense of Alice’s growth as she develops from a curious and vulnerable young child to a strong woman - it’s a beautiful journey!

Alice, and the other characters in the novel, are all vulnerable and flawed in some way, which makes them extremely relatable and likeable. Most of the main characters are women, but they are all vastly different and three dimensional - which makes for extremely interesting dynamics. Alice’s relationship with her mother and grandmother are particularly captivating. Despite both women making mistakes in their lives which greatly impact Alice, you can’t help but empathise with them and their situations and wonder whether you would have made different choices.

What did I not love?

One criticism I have of Alice is that I think she’s unduly unfair to her grandmother June. In the middle of the novel, Alice and June have a falling out and I don’t think that Alice gives much thought to June’s side of the story, or the struggles that June herself had to face. Alice doesn’t show June much empathy and is quick to get angry at her. However, despite this, you can’t help but continue to root for Alice whilst at the same time feeling incredibly sorry for June. 

One of the key themes in the novel is Australian flowers and the meaning prescribed to the flower. Each chapter is named after a different flower, and starts off by describing the flower and what it means. Although this is a clever way to incorporate a central theme into the structure of the novel, I couldn’t quite connect with it as it felt quite forced. I found myself often skipping over the descriptions of the flowers to start the actual chapter. I understand what Holly was trying to achieve but for me it detracted from the story.

Book club recommended?

Definitely one for your next book club! I haven’t watched the Amazon Prime adaptation yet, but you could also discuss the book vs. the show.