Title: A Violet Season
Author: Kathy Leonard Czepiel
ISBN: 9781451655063
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Format: Trade Paperback & ebook
$15.00 U.S./$17.00 Can.
Pages: 248
How I Read It: Trade Paperback from publisher
Rating: 4 Crowns
A MOTHER’S CHOICE IN A TIME OF CRISIS THREATEN THE ONE PERSON SHE MEANS TO PROTECT—HER ONLY DAUGHTER—AND FORCES HER TO MAKE THE BOLDEST MOVE OF HER LIFE.
The violent industry is blooming in 1898, and a Hudson Valley farm owned by the Fletcher family is turning a generous profit for its two oldest brothers. But Ida Fletcher, married to the black sheep youngest brother, has taken up wet nursing to help pay the bills, and her daughter, Alice, has left school to work. As they risk losing their share of the farm, the two women make increasingly great sacrifices for their family’s survival, sacrifices that will set them against each other in a lifelong struggle for honesty and forgiveness. A Violet Season is the story of an unforgettable mother-daughter journey in a time when women were just waking to their own power and independence. (from the back of the book)
My Thoughts:
First, I have to say that I loved the cover. It has the pick-me-up-and-read-me quality, which catches your eye.
To be honest the book was a bit slow for me. When I started the novel, I was hoping that it would speed up a bit although it stayed at a slow pace throughout. Set in the late 1800’s in the Hudson River Valley amidst booming violet industry we see the struggle of the Fletcher family as secrets and lies are uncovered reveling that people are not who they seem to be.
While this novel is rich in detail the pace is almost painfully slow however, the author was very crafty by keeping the novel suspenseful, which in a way makes up for the slow pace. The characters, for me, were another hit and miss, I found either that I thoroughly liked them or completely found them annoying.
What truly intrigued me about this novel was the fact that the author used the industry of violet farming as a background. I had never read a novel with this particular industry being front and center and I must say it gave the novel a fresh feel.
Key points of interest that made me continue reading:
-The family saga aspect
-The suspense
-The inclusion of the start of women’s suffrage
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2 comments:
I too just love the cover and the intriguing premise -- violets! -- but am a bit torn given your ambivalence about the characters. I'll add it to the TBR to see if it catches my fancy or not.
I love the cover. The story sounds interesting. Thanks for sharing your honest review- I like to know ahead of time if a book is slow. It makes me a little less impatient. :)
~Jess
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