A Fun Movie...and a good book, A Memory of Violets

"In writing A Memory of Violets, I was constantly struck by the cruel contradictions of the lives of the flower sellers. Here were some of the poorest women and children in society, living the harshest of existences, and yet every day they were surrounded by the beauty of the flower markets. Black -and-white images and shaky newsreel footage taken during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries give a fascinating glimpse into market life in London, but it is difficult for us to imagine what these scenes would have looked like in full color. Oddly beautiful, perhaps."



-Hazel Gaynor, author of A Memory of Violets and four other novels
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This afternoon I finished reading this novel by Gaynor, a sweet story that I think will encourage your heart as it tells the story of some incredibly strong characters who endured hard times in England beginning in the year 1876. The central character is Tilly, a young woman who leaves her home in Grasmere in the the Lake District to become a sort of "dorm mother" to girls in a special school in the city of London. The school is the Training Home for Watercress and Flower Girls, a place where blind and crippled girls can live under close supervision as they learn how to make beautiful artificial flowers of all kinds to be sold. When twenty-one-year-old Tilly settles into her new room in the home for the flower girls, she soon finds a box with some curious items in it as well as a notebook that was written by someone named Florie. She begins to read the notebook and thus she unravels a story from the past that intrigued her. The girl who wrote the journal, Florie, wrote a lot about her little sister that she lost while trying to sell flowers in a crowded part of London. The two girls were utterly alone, so they had no one to ask for help. The younger sister, Rosie, ended up being adopted by a wealthy couple who learned to love her deeply. When they first found her they didn't know that she was almost completely blind, but after years of surgeries and treatments, her vision returned. Nevertheless, after the day that the girls were accidentally separated, they never saw each other alive again.

Meanwhile, Tilly, the main character, begins to love her new home. She becomes close with the twelve girl under her guidance, and they begin to form a close relationship. Tilly keeps reading the journal and eventually is able to solve the mystery of what happened to the two orphan girls who were once considered to be filthy street urchins. It does have a happy ending but, of course, I won't reveal it here. I think you'll enjoy this story of love, relationships, and perseverance. Gaynor has a lovely way with words, so it's easy reading that won't take you long to finish. I read it in about a week. Again, this book falls into my recent favorite category of historical fiction, a story based in a time of English history when there were many, many impoverished children living on the streets of London. Gaynor researched extensively before she began the book. She discovered some information by Henry Mayhew, a social researcher, who had interviewed many of the London street sellers. She also read the book London Labour and the London Poor and realized that it was the story of the flower sellers that she wanted to tell. So she began to write. I have been to Grasmere and London, two of the settings that are used in the book, so reading this book was especially interesting to me. It seems like I've been reading a lot of books set in WW II in Europe, but this one varies in that it doesn't focus on war between countries. Instead, it is about poor children in London who find a way to have a happy and productive life.

Alright...now on to the topic of MOVIES. Every ow and then I talk about a good movie that I've seen so this is definitely a good movie: "Florence Foster Jenkins," the new movie starring Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant. We went to see it last weekend and we were not disappointed. Anything with Meryl Streep in it is going to be good, so this one is a winner as well. Streep plays the role of Florence Foster Jenkins, a lover of music who lives in New York and owns a music club. She is a wealthy woman who is married to St. Clair, the character played by Grant, a man who is completely devoted to her in every way. St. Clair does everything he can to make Florence believe that she is a great opera singer although she is TERRIBLE at singing. Everyone laughs at her while her husband makes excuses for their rude behavior. He pays her pianist (played by Simon Helberg from "Big Bang Theory") very handsomely to act as if he believes Florence's music is beautiful. He also pays her singing coach to encourage her in her quest to become an opera singer. It's a funny story and I admit that I actually laughed out loud at times, but it's also very sweet. It's sweet because Florence's husband is so devoted to her and wants, more than anything, to make her happy as she strives to make her dream come true. You see, since the age of 18 she suffered from syphilis and it affected her life for the rest of her days. This caused St. Claire to feel all the more devoted and sympathetic to her. So, it's true that Florence was clueless as to how to hit the right notes, but she was a very lovable character who was kind to others and just wanted to be able to enjoy her music to the fullest.

 

I hope you're having a good week. A penny for your thoughts...or should I say a sixpence for your thoughts??

-Melissa Hill
Book Blogger
E.S.L. Teacher
www.onegoodbookblog.blogspot.com