The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart - by Holly Ringland (Paperback)

About the Book

"After her family suffers a tragedy, nine-year-old Alice Hart is forced to leave her idyllic seaside home. She is taken in by her grandmother, June, a flower farmer who raises Alice on the language of Australian native flowers, a way to say the things that are too hard to speak. Under the watchful eye of June and the women who run the farm, Alice settles, but grows up increasingly frustrated by how little she knows of her family's story. In her early twenties, Alice's life is thrown into upheaval again, forcing her to flee to the dramatically beautiful central Australian desert. In this otherworldly landscape Alice thinks she has found solace, until she meets a charismatic and ultimately dangerous man."--Back cover.

Book Synopsis

An enchanting and captivating novel about how our untold stories haunt us -- and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive.

After her family suffers a tragedy, nine-year-old Alice Hart is forced to leave her idyllic seaside home. She is taken in by her grandmother, June, a flower farmer who raises Alice on the language of Australian native flowers, a way to say the things that are too hard to speak.

Under the watchful eye of June and the women who run the farm, Alice settles, but grows up increasingly frustrated by how little she knows of her family's story. In her early twenties, Alice's life is thrown into upheaval again when she suffers devastating betrayal and loss. Desperate to outrun grief, Alice flees to the dramatically beautiful central Australian desert. In this otherworldly landscape Alice thinks she has found solace, until she meets a charismatic and ultimately dangerous man.

Spanning two decades, set between sugar cane fields by the sea, a native Australian flower farm, and a celestial crater in the central desert, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart follows Alice's unforgettable journey, as she learns that the most powerful story she will ever possess is her own.

Review Quotes

A dark, floral fairytale ... There is a reason Ringland's novel, her first, and already a bestseller, has been bought by publishers around the world, and it's not the native flowers ... The first half of The Lost Flowers is delicate and dark as a fairytale, with violent details that stick to you like burrs. But it is in the second half, with Alice out in the real world, where Ringland really gets into gear, and her talent is undeniable ... Ringland's storytelling is driven by an undimmed sense of wonder at the darkness and light, the damage and love in people. It makes for a determined investigation of abuse and survival accomplished with profound sensitivity.

--Sydney Morning Herald

At its heart, this book is about finding a way to care for yourself, in a world that sometimes likes to step on its flowers.

--Courier-Mail

Domestic violence and the lies that surround it--rarely is the topic explored in such a beautifully written, hopeful, and enthralling tale.

--Herald Sun

Lush, powerful ... This is an engrossing novel imbued with passion and reverence for the Australian natural world, with a cast of characters that inspire affection in the reader even as they make mistakes. Those who couldn't put down The Natural Way of Things will find a gentler but no less compelling journey of female survival in this novel.

--Books+Publishing

There's an aching heart beating through Holly Ringland's narrative that although at times seems almost broken, is stitched back together with shards of optimism that offer constant hope. These are characters we love, care about, and want to nurture ... A vivid and brave tale of love, loss, and inner power.

--Australian Women's Weekly

What can I say about The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart that would live up to the beauty of the words in this book? ... A gorgeous book inside and out.

-- "A Couple Reads"

An engrossing novel imbued with passion and reverence for the Australian natural world, with a cast of characters that inspire affection in the reader even as they make mistakes.-- "Books and Publishing"

An impressive coming-of-age debut.-- "Baking Bookworm"

This story about family, love, and reinvention is defiant in its sweetness and is stirring to its end.-- "Foreword Reviews"