117 of 121 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lives up to it's reputation and then some! Excellent!, October 3, 2003
This review is from: Flowers from the Storm (Mass Market Paperback)
You know a book has a lot to live up to when you read things like "One of the world's most cherished love stories!" and "Probably the best historical romance ever published" and "One of the greatest love stories of all time" not to mention "A watershed in romance fiction". This book and this author (whom I've never read) seem to be much revered by readers and authors alike, so when this book was re-issued in June, I was glad of the chance to read it and see for myself what all the fuss was about. And let me tell you I was not only blown away, but I'll be searching out Ms Kinsale's other books for sure! A great book, compelling characters and a story to make you smile and weep and worry and hope that all will be well in the end!
When first we meet Christian Langland, Duke of Jervaulx, he is too handsome and charming for his own good, dissolute, completely reckless and full of hubris. He also happens to be a mathematical genius. He is working on a paper detailing a new mathematical theory with an unlikely partner - blind Quaker John Timms whose daughter Archimedea (Maddy) is his eyes and caregiver. Maddy is both fascinated and repulsed by the duke and his wild, worldly ways (he actually flirts with her!). When word comes that he has perished in a duel, both the news and her reaction to it shock her, as she weeps for this man she thought she did not even like!
Months later, Maddy and her father find themselves at Blythedale Hall, an insane asylum for the well to do where Maddy will assist her Cousin Edward who runs the place. On rounds to meet the patients, she is stunned to discover a disheveled, wild-eyed Jervaulx among the inmates! Before the duel could even commence, Christian was struck down by a stroke and is left unable to communicate, with damage to his motor skills and memory. In his frustration, he lashes out like an animal but when he recognizes Maddy, he calms. She is allowed to be his daytime caregiver and he latches onto her like a lifeline. His fear and frustration were nothing short of heartbreaking and the treatment and humiliation he endures from his "attendants" borders on cruel and masochistic - simply horrifying.
Maddy devotes herself to easing his fears, helping him to communicate and, when she learns that he must face a competency hearing (instigated by his greedy brothers-in-law) or lose his title and his freedom for good, she resolves to do what she can to prepare him. But all sorts of misadventures, manipulations and deceptions follow with Christian keeping a death-grip on Maddy while Maddy is torn between helping Christian and keeping to her father and her faith.
I won't say more about the plot, but the characters are so well written that they will make you laugh, cry, and bite your nails with anxiety for them. This book must have been exhausting to write! The author deftly conveys Christian's frustration, broken language and motor skills as well as his needy attachment to Maddy as it grows to love. And Maddy is so devoted to Christian that time and time again, she tests the bounds of her faith against what she feels is right. This is a truly moving, wonderful story that I highly recommend to those looking for more than just sex and light romance. This book is an investment in time and emotions - not a quick, easy read. If you like more complex books and authors like the Bronte sisters, George Elliot, Julia Ross/Jean Ross Ewing, Mary Balogh early Woodiwiss and maybe even Liz Carlyle or Gaelen Foley, I think you will like this book. Very highly recommended!!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Challenging but captivating read, October 30, 2001
This review is from: Flowers from the Storm (Mass Market Paperback)
"Flowers from the Storm" is a most unusual romance. Indeed, take away the silly cover and it probably could be placed in the literature shelf. The book certainly includes the growth of a relationship but it is so much more complex than 99% of the romance market. Indeed, it was a bit more of a challenge than I wanted at times (I read it while ill) but I'm glad I stuck with it.
The challenge lies mostly in the language of the book. For many authors it would be enough to have a Quaker character with all of the "thee/thou" language. Kinsale starts with not only the Quaker language but Maddy's struggle to be a Quaker falling in love outside of her faith. THEN, Kinsale creates a most unusual hero - a regency rake who's a mathematical genius. THEN, our hero has a stroke and we spend much of the book looking at (and hearing) the world through his impaired facilities. Both his speech and his hearing are damaged and the reader has to guess at what he says and hears. It can be done but it requires careful reading.
Bottom-line: An unusual romance that is worth the extra effort - but it is important to go into this reading experience prepared for a different experience.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Utterly devasting; utterly Kinsale!, April 26, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Flowers from the Storm (Mass Market Paperback)
I read Flowers from the Storm after reading about 20 other romance novels. What impressed me about Flowers was that for the first time in a romance novel, I encountered an author who assumes that romance readers have intelligence. Not only does she challenge her readers to follow the Quaker thee/thou speech, she also puts her readers inside of Jervaulx's mind and forces us to see and hear the world through his stroke-damaged perceptions--a world where simple English words have little meaning. She then takes this one step further, challenging us to follow along with her, by letting us feel Jervaulx's frustration and rage and letting us hear what he hears as he tries to understand Maddy's thee/thou Quaker speech. Ingenious! I've read somewhere that Kinsale's greatest skill is in taking a hero that no one could love and making you want to lick his boots by the end of the story. This is never truer than in Flowers from the Storm. This book needs to be reprinted!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192250339_.gif){kind=small}
