The Secrets of Flowers
As can be gleaned from the title, Sally Page’s novel is about flowers; she understands their importance to us; their symbolic representation of love—for a christening, a wedding, a birthday, a funeral. No matter the occasion, flowers bring comfort and connection. They weave through our own lives, and through the lives of two women—Emma in the present and Violet a hundred years earlier. Combining the timelessness of flowers with the timeless icon that the Titanic has become, in its many guises in print or on film, defines this as a true gem.
Emma is ungainly, and she feels it; tall, with flaming red hair and big feet, she stands out and doesn’t want to. Add to that her struggle to deal with her husband’s death, and life has become overwhelming. But she does understand the language of flowers, so after resigning from a professional position, she takes a job at a small independent florist, owned by Betty and Les. There she regains the footing in life which she had lost, with friendship and newfound family, her interest in Titanic sparked and encouraged by Betty’s unconditional friendship, and Les’s love of history. Initially a distraction against her pain, she becomes happily involved in researching who might have arranged the flowers on the magnificent ship.
Violet’s story unfolds more abstractly, as Page leads her reader along a path of discovery. This delightful novel is like the unfolding of flower petals where the vibrant richness of scent and colour slowly reveal themselves. To add more detail will inevitably contain spoilers. Flowing at a leisurely and comfortable pace, it takes a while to establish where the author is headed. That said, there are many reasons to delve into this unique and gentle tale where readers will feel richly rewarded.
