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    Flowers from the Storm
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    Flowers from the Storm
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    Flowers from the Storm
    Ebook634 pages9 hours

    Flowers from the Storm

    By Laura Kinsale

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    The Duke of Jervaulx was brilliant and dangerous. Considered dissolute, reckless, and extravagant, he was transparently referred to as the ′D of J′ in scandal sheets, where he and his various exploits featured with frequency. But sometimes the most womanising rake can be irresistible, and even his most casual attentions fascinated the sheltered Maddy Timms, quiet daughter of a simple mathematician.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateOct 13, 2009
    ISBN9780061743726
    Unavailable
    Flowers from the Storm
    Author

    Laura Kinsale

    Laura Kinsale is a winner and multiple nominee for the Best Book of the Year award given by the Romance Writers of America. She became a romance writer after six years as a geologist -- a career which consisted of getting out of bed in the middle of the night and driving hundreds of miles alone across west Texas to sit at drilling rigs, wear a hard hat, and attempt to boss around oil-covered males considerably larger than herself. This, she decided, was pushing her luck. So she gave all that up to sit in a chair and stare into space for long periods of time, attempting to figure out What-Happens-Next. She and her husband David currently divide their time between Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Texas.

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    Reviews for Flowers from the Storm

    4/5

    455 ratings37 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I keep wavering between four and five stars for this one. For most of the book, it was a solid five stars. I absolutely loved Christian. The way he was written post-stroke was just amazing...at times I almost felt I had to do as much work as he did when the story was told from his point of view, just trying to figure out what people were saying and what he was thinking and saying. His frustration and despair were just heart rending. His time in the asylum that his family (!) sends him to is horrifying, and his family itself is absolutely ghastly. And oh my goodness, his treatment of his illegitimate daughter! Heartbreaking! When he recognized her confused and bewildered expression as the same one he often had and kept buying her warm things so she wouldn't be cold up in Scotland...oh, sigh. Words are not enough. For much of the book, he was one of the best heroes I've even read.

      Maddy had her moments. Her determination to do whatever she could to help him and her patience with his difficulties were fantastic. Her love for her father was admirable, and her adherence to her faith was strong...but that's where she sometimes lost me. I guess I never realized from my (very limited, I'll admit--pretty much what is in social studies textbooks and my obsessive re-reading of The Witch of Blackbird Pond) knowledge of Quakers just how rigid and unbending they can be. The all men are equal and antislavery stances they take is certainly admirable. Their decision to forgo worldly treasures and pleasures is to be commended. (Not for me, mind you, but commendable.) Doing what they perceive as God's will to help others--wonderful. However, that Maddy constantly beat herself up over her feeling for Christian because he 1) had a less than honorable past 2) was a duke and therefore a member of the aristocracy and ridiculously wealthy and 3) wasn't a Quaker was frustrating. The attitude of her fellow Quakers toward her when they learned what she did was downright disturbing, as was her decision to cave in to their demands and "cancel her error" in such a public and self-condemning way. I was absolutely horrified with her thoughts, actions, and words throughout much of the last third or so of the book. Fortunately, it's a romance novel at the end so it ends well, though her turnaround was a bit abrupt and we don't actually witness it, we just hear her version as she tells Christian it so it isn't quite a satisfying as it could have been.

      The reason why I decided to go with four instead of five stars (and I'm still tempted to say four and a half, but this is what keeps me from rounding up) is that the last few chapters of the book just didn't seem to stand up to the same standards as the rest of the novel. Christian's wild spending, though I do get his reasoning--mostly--just seems to go way too far. He seems to lose it at a time when he was actually getting better and I don't understand his motivation, especially with the money he spent on Maddy that he had to know she really didn't appreciate. Maddy's attitude during this time was at its worst as well, and I spent much of that time just wanting to shake her. It always bothers me when supposedly deeply religious people use their religion as an excuse to be absolutely horrible and rigid towards others. She said some awful things toward the end that just went way over the top.

      That said, though, the epilogue is delightful, and almost--almost--makes up for the events before it.
    • 5/5
      Strong characters, but not your usual ones. A strong moral Quaker woman is tempted by an injured rake. Both characters face many challenges. Woman battles her beliefs and her desires. Man overcomes a stroke and no longer enjoys previous life. Life is never easy.
    • 4/5
      What a weird book! I don't know if it I like or not... Do I really want the Quaker girl to "get it on" with a man who was a womanizer before his disability had him committed? Do I really want to feel sorry for him and hope for it all the end perfect for him? My answer...YES! Which is exactly why this book confuses me. Worth reading? Yes, even though I find myself conflicted over what I think of it now that I have.
    • 5/5
      The sympathetic hero more than makes up for the annoying Quaker heroine.
    • 1/5
      I abandoned this book 50 pages in. Whereas the premise was interesting, I found the writing style too difficult to get into and the characters too flat and single-minded. I was getting increasingly irritated with the characters, so I gave up. I know, sacrilege considering this is a "classic," but I guess I feel that it's hard enough for men and women to communicate in a romance novel and the "stroke" plot device only made it worse and decidedly unpleasant. It turned the usual "miscommunication foibles" into something terrible and exhausting not to mention terribly uninteresting to read about. There was just such a huge gap between the characters and I guess I didn't feel like I wanted to plod through everything that it would take for them to bridge that gap and fall in love etc. etc. etc.
    • 3/5
      Some high, some lows. Some Quakers! The writing was good, the story was unusual and often moving, but there were really some points that could have been better explained.

      Why is this book called Flowers from the Storm? Did I miss something? Seems unnecessarily overwrought.
    • 5/5
      This book is a pinnacle for me. It really changed my concept of what could be done in "genre" writing. It's not an "easy" read. You cannot turn your brain off for this one. There is the whole issue of the atrocious treatment of the mentally ill in the late regency time, there is Maddie's faith and strict religious belief's, difficult issues that are handled with intelligence and not glossed over, and yet , at the heart of it all, there is an enduring love story,.This touched me, deeply, and I cannot recommend it enough.
    • 5/5
      This book was a recommendion. I am so glad that I picked it up. It is an intense, often disturbing, look at mental illness treatment during the late regency.Our hero, the Duke of Jervaulx (pronounced Shervoh), suffers a stroke leaving him with an impaired memory and loss of speech. Our Quaker heroine, Maddy, struggles to help him recover and escape from the cruelty of the treatment and his family. Some of the plot premise is not quite true but the intensity of the characters and action makes up for the plot holes. Well worth reading.
    • 5/5
      This is my favorite romance of all time. I have reread it many times. The characters feel so real to me and the situation has love, angst, some humor, and suspense. The plot is fresh, very unique. After the book ended, I desperately wanted to know what had happened to the characters.
    • 5/5
      I read this years ago and just reread it. Still one of the best romances I've ever read. I didn't just cry at the ending, I sobbed. LOVE THIS BOOK!
    • 5/5
      It's either an insult to call this "just" a historical romance, or it elevates the whole genre. A duke who has a stroke and a Quaker spinster. Could they be any more unsuited? Kinsale has a knack for really, really getting you deep into the characters' heads. The intensity just doesn't let up, and there aren't any easy answers.
    • 5/5
      Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale (10/10)Romance. I tend to read reveiws and commentary *about* romance than romance itself, and this book is always well received. When a friend asked me to get it from the library for her because hers didn't have it, I decided to read it first. I was surprised by just how much I loved it and found it a really good love story. (That said, the friend said she ended up skimming it.)
    • 5/5
      My second favorite Kinsale romance, after Shadow & the Star. More than anything else, her characters are amazingly well-drawn, and their love stories flow as part of the story.Can't rate this one high enough!
    • 5/5
      oh my god! this was so different from anything i've read. it's so haunting, so beautiful, so sad, and so sensual.
    • 5/5
      An emotionally exhausting but fantastic love story between two people from opposite sides of the social hierarchy in nineteenth century England.This book was not something I finished in a few days. I had to step away from it several times because it was so heart wrenching. Not an easy read but Kinsale is an excellent storyteller.
    • 5/5
      I think this must be one of the most carefully considered writings I have ever read. Even the smallest details were well thought out. Considering the times, the unbending social standards, the wide range of religious viewpoints, and the horrific accepted medical practices of the day, the story made complete and unrelenting sense. There were times I wanted to kick Maddy in the backside, but I think Kinsale was spot-on in her depiction of Maddy's angst. (Too much of that usually turns me against a book, but, here, it was necessary.) Even when Christian began spending freely and trying to act with a confidence he didn't feel, so others would once again have confidence in him, it made sense, particularly in view of his intellect. It was all so real. Amazing writing, but what is more, amazing insight into the human mind. What a phenomenal book! I would give it many more stars, if possible.
    • 3/5
      I was expecting more from this novel after all the glowing reviews I read. Granted, it is not your usual romance and has characters more complex and satisfying that the usual cookie cutter "Rich, Handsome Aristocrat" and "Beautiful, Delicate Girl". However, I found the writing style hard to get into. The prose was choppy and did not flow. I hate in when I have to read a sentence over. So, it's a good story, but in my humble opinion, could be written much better.
    • 4/5
      Strong, unusual characters drive this thoughtful and engaging romance. The story recalls Jane Eyre, with a strong, powerful man struggling with a crippling disability and saved by a modest, faithful woman. By turns funny and sad, this novel kept me curled up on the couch all day.
    • 5/5
      Good book, but very intense.
    • 3/5
      Interesting historical romance story. Very good prose and attention, on the author's part, to deliver rounded characters. I think she really succeeded with the heroine of the story, and the whole culture, station and religion beliefs clash was really interesting. In addition, she treats such delicate subjects with care and does not elevate one side of the argument above the other.

      The only part I thought weaker was the ending, while I liked the inevitable epilogue, the way the story got there didn't convince me, after all the care put in weaving it and its themes, I expected a less rushed and lukewarm wrapping up. However, heartily recommended to all fans of historical romance novels.
    • 3/5
      Finished Laura Kinsalle's Flowers from the Storm finally, while it is well written in places, it sort of fizzles out in the middle and becomes frustrating to read.

      The Quakers are depicted as a bit too pious and unrelentingly superior in their views and their cloistered existence, rendering them distasteful and unlikable in the extreme. Maybe they were like that in early 19th C England, I don't know - but I do know they aren't like that in the US or in recent history. So do not base your views of the Quakers or the Society of Friends on this silly novel, not that you would. The novel takes place between 1820-1830, during the reign of King George the IV. The Quakers (all Quakers) are portrayed as pious nitwits. The aristocracy comes across as much more favorable and less stereotypical with a broader range of characters. Clearly the writer is placing judgement on the time period and on religious individuals within that time period. Also is favoring the rich over the poor during that time period - a problem in a lot of historical romance novels.

      As a result, I found it difficult at times to either relate to or even like the heroine, Archimedia Timms. She comes across as a self-centered dolt. I just wanted to kick her. Jervaulx or Christian Langland, the Duke of Jervaulx is far more interesting and sympathetic.

      What worked for me was The Duke's stroke or cereberal hemorrage, which is mistaken for dementia. It results in an ephsia that makes it difficult for the Duke to speak, write or read well. The writer does a deft job of describing the frustration of dealing with aphasia, or the inability to access certain words, the tendency to say the wrong words, and how dependent we are on our ability to communicate - not to mention the intolerance and impatience of others regarding our ability to do so in a manner that they can understand. This portion of the book was interesting and did not fall into cliche. And I recommend the book for it, alone.

      The sex scenes were serviceable. The supporting characters under-developed and rarely seen.
      The main one's are suitably complex. There's little humor in the novel, and it is not so much dark as grim or melodramatic in places. Although not quite as melodramatic as the Brontes.

      Overall...it was okay worth about 2 1/2 to 3 stars, better than most, but also disappointing - no where near the rave reviews I'd read. The writing held great promise but fizzled out halfway through.
    • 5/5
      This was one of my all time favorite books and after re-reading it six years later it still is. The hero's struggle with his sanity and the heroine with her life-long values were both very powerful. Quaker Maddy is intrigued by her father's mathematical partner the rogue Duke of Jervaulx.
    • 5/5
      “She’s afraid of thunderstorms..” This is my favorite part. Intense read!
    • 5/5
      The quality of the writing in this book is excellent. Thoughtful and beautiful.
    • 3/5
      The story was really good but main heroine's behavior and her constant indecisiveness really got into my nerves.
    • 4/5
      Summary The Duke of Jervauix, is a Lord of the realm....a rake, but a very brilliant man. He has a love for science. When Maddy Tims meets the man her father works with on certain scientific endeavors, she is very intrigued by this man. But then one fateful day, she learns of some horrible news....that he has passed away. Maddy feels the loss even though she only had one interaction with Jervauix. When she joins her cousin to help with residents of an insane asylum, she is shocked to discovered that the Duke of Jervauix is there...chained and treated like a madman. After some interactions with Christian, she realizes that he is not insane. He is still just as brilliant, but confused and frustrated with unable to get the words he needs to explain himself. Maddie and Christian are brought together by fate, and they both realize, that together they can survive the coming tide of deceit and danger. But the enemy, Christian's relatives who seek his money, will stop at nothing to get what they want. Christian will do anything to keep from returning back to the asylum which was literal hell for him. He would rather die. But an unsuspecting desire sweeps Christian and Maddie away. Will they have the courage to fight for their love or let it be destroyed?The Hero Christian, The Duke Of Jervauix, only knew the life of what he was accustomed to. He was born as the Duke and as such came into titles, wealth and power. Christian's father died when he was young, and he had to grow up quickly. His mother is a religious zealot of sorts and has always raved at his horrible nature. Christian, although he lives a life of pleasure at times....there is so much more to him than enjoying a woman's bed. He is talented, smart in the sciences and well learned in politics and takes his own stand. But the true test of wills come for Christopher, is when he suffers from a stroke. Others believe him to be mad...but he knows different. He can still think and feel, but he has a hard time communicating. His one savior....Maddy Timms, he knows she is his only chance for survival. AThe Heroine Archimedea Timms is a Quaker, or also known as a "friend". Maddy has a strong belief in God and doing the right thing, no matter what. She has a honorable reputation for doing good. Maddy helps her father in his work, and since her father is blind, she is his aide especially with her mother having passed away. Maddy has a strict code that she lives by. Maddy in her mind, will do anything for what is right and dutiful to God no matter what others think of her. Now in some ways I really connected with Maddy. Since I am a religious person as well, I felt a kinship to her. She stands on her own, stands for what she really believes, and honestly doesn't care what others think. She can be a bit too intense at times though, and there are moments that I tended to get frustrated with her character. But in some ways I could understand where she was coming from. She didn't know any other way of life, and we see in this story the way she works through what she has always known....and going into unknown territory and trying to keep it good with her values.Plot and Story Line OH MY GOODNESS!!! Why have I not read this book before?? *head slam against wall* IDIOTA!! haha Like seriously, this is one of those romances that every one must read. Its overwhleming, intense, dramatic, stimulating, and twists every emotion and feeling. But what a story!! This is a book that is a TRUE ROMANCE!! This is not a romance for the faint hearted, and is quite a book in length. But what was so fabulous about this book is their journey to finding love and keeping it. This is what makes it epic and so worth fighting for!! We see their ups and downs, and the way that they find a balance in their relationship. Which is very difficult in making it happen. Many misunderstandings happen mostly because one, these two are so different from each other. Plus we have a hero who has a hard time conveying certain things, so it even makes the situation harder on them. This is a story to cry over, a romance to cheer for and a book that you might at times want to put as a trophy or chuck at the wall. The reader will go through a variation of emotions that you will feel more than overwhelmed.When I first decided I had to read it and it was on my list for the year to read, I had to decide what format. Which was a very difficult choice, but I knew I wanted to savor each moment of this book, so I decided on narration. Which was a win win in my book. Even though its long----18 hours----that is long. Which is why it took so long to read or listen to. But boy so worth the listening, because the narrator is amazing---which I will talk about more below.I wish that I could write a review that is worthy of this book, but unfortunately I will be unable to. I can't explain it enough how much I adored this story. Because I will admit, that there were times that I got frustrated, mostly with the heroine. What you have to understand about Maddy is how true she is to herself. Which on the other side of the coin I really admired. But there were some moments, I wanted to tell her what she was doing to Christian without even realizing it. Because Maddy is honest to a fault---like really, she can't tell a lie. So is super frank especially with Christian, and at times tends to hurt him without even knowing she is doing so. But good ole Christian...sees her as "My Maddy"---his thee and thou Maddy. We see into his mind at moments, we see the turmoil he is going through mentally and emotionally. But heart just about broke for his character. Like really, I would be listening to this at work and just want to break down in tears because of the horrors that he goes through. But we see through the story that its not all bad. No....my friends, there is so much more. There is laughter, friendship and a community that Christian finds again. We get to meet up with his closest friends and boy these two. I LOVED them. One is a military hero and the other is a devilish rake. But both are more worthy to be called Christian's family than his blood kin do. What is also great is the way they try to keep Christian and Maddy together. Boy did they crack me up...their humor and easy going manners. And once we see Christian meet up with them, we see how much he needs that friendship. Especially with no one believing in him other than Maddy and her father.From beginning to the VERY end was a wild and crazy story that I couldn't get enough. A must read for any romance lover, not an easy read, but one of the most satisfying romances I have ever had the opportunity to read.The NarratorOkay...this man is so going on the top of my list for favorite male narrators. He is utterly brillaint and made this story come alive for me. And oh man...his voice, I could keep listening to it. He portrayed the tone and feeling of the story so well. They definitely pick a fabulous narrator for a story like this one. If you have yet to listen to himThe Cover I love the classic look to this cover...I love the soft tones of colorsOverall View Flowers From The Storm is a love story that takes you on a roller coaster of emotions, vividly portrayed characters, and a story that will how the true testament to the strength of character and fortitude to overcome the greatest obstacles. A TRUE JEWEL OF A ROMANCE
    • 2/5
      I have such mixed feelings about this book. As a romance, it's nearly perfect. Obstacles are thrown in front of the two lovers until the very end. The love scenes were very sexy and the hero was unique in so many ways, most notably in his inability to elucidate his thoughts and feelings to the heroine, the biggest and best obstacle of the many obstacles Kinsale threw at them. Christian is easily one of the best romance heroes I've read.

      But I found the heroine, Maddie, insufferable for a large part of the book and thought her faith was sorely undeveloped. The author seemed to think the reader knowing Maddie was a Quaker was enough explanation for why she was a Quaker. Maddie lamented her marriage cutting her off from Friends but the author never showed Maddie having friends who were Friends. Maddie was obsessed with taking care of her father and what he thought of her marriage but when the opportunity came to talk about it, the conversation was brushed off. (I cannot stand non-communication as a plot device, unless it's due to a legitimate medical problem, like Christian's.) Wouldn't the knowledge her father didn't object to the marriage like she assumed be a better conflict than "I lust after my husband so I'm carnal and he's the devil because I want him so much and he's profligate and there's too much powder on the footmen, etc." Her objections were tedious and repetitive.

      If I'm not mistaken, there was only one love scene from Maddie's point of view, the first time, and she spends the entire scene saying "Stop" internally. Granted, this was written twenty years ago, but with rape culture so prominent in the news in 2014, the year I'm reading this, it was extremely uncomfortable reading a scene where the woman was saying "stop" to herself the entire time. (I listened to the audio version so I admit who said/thought what could be muddled if how it was written didn't translate well to audio.) We know Maddie comes to enjoy sex, much to her consternation, but we never again see them make love from her POV. Big oversight. Of course, maybe the author realized hearing Maddie chastise herself the entire time would be tedious for the reader, but she didn't realize Maddie's conflict was tedious, so maybe not.

      Would I recommend this book? Sure, with a big caveat that the heroine is a self-righteous, holier than thou, close-minded, hypocritical Christian. Based on the reviews here and on Amazon, I'm in the minority on my dislike for her. Still, I'm astonished reviewers are calling this the best romance novel ever written. Well-written and engaging enough to keep me listening to the audiobook to the end, but the best romance ever written? Not by a long shot.
    • 5/5
      This is a seriously powerful story. The blurb doesn’t even come close to doing it justice.

      The Duke of Jervaulx is fairly typical of young men in the Regency period who are rich and single. Wait, that’s not restricted to a single time period! Ha ha!

      He is self-indulgent and reckless. What makes him different is that he’s brilliant at mathematics. So is Maddy’s father, although that’s where the similarity between the two men ends. Maddy and her father are poor Quakers and because her father is blind, Maddy writes most of his mathematical notes for him.

      But the story really starts when the Duke, Christian, has (what is assumed to be) a stroke and he loses his capacity for language (both verbal and written) and his fine motor skills. In his time period, they didn’t have the medical knowledge to know what had happened to him, and they assumed he’d gone mad. Even though he was perfectly sane, he had no way to communicate that, and was sent to a very exclusive home for patients with mental health issues.

      It’s impossible as a reader not to be moved by Christian’s plight. It is too easy to see how he could end up in that situation, and too easy to imagine the horror of being trapped in our own body unable to communicate with the outside world but with full comprehension of what goes on around us. Even in today’s world of modern medicine, we hear of patients who are trapped inside their own bodies, unable to communicate. The only real difference is that we know they’re trapped and still mentally capable.

      Maddy gets a job working at the facility where Christian is being looked after, and she recognises him from interactions they’ve had over mathematics. She comes to understand that he’s not insane but rather trapped inside his body unable to communicate, and the story goes from there. It is by no means smooth sailing from there, and there were times when I wondered how the many issues in their world could be resolved. That Christian’s a smart cookie though.

      If you like historical romance, powerful stories, strong characters (Christian more so than Maddy) and something outside the box, I definitely recommend this one.
    • 5/5
      Fascinating perspective from the hero.
    • 5/5
      interesting, imagination, contemplating