Review: The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE BOOK:
This is definitely on my list for book of the year! It was easily a favourite, for more reasons than I can express! I loved that it was Australian, romantic, and tragic. It is such a powerful read, I highly recommend this novel!

If you love books that have characters who love books: READ THIS NOW!!!
(Alice is like a mini-Matilda). Her saving grace is the library, and the librarian Sally.

CHARACTERS/DYNAMICS:
Alice:
Alice is completely pure and there is nothing wrong with her. You’re bound to like her and her curiosity. She has great intuition and an exciting life to follow!

June:
aka the most backstabbing, Gossip Girls meets Pretty Little Liars, grandma to ever exist.

And I loved it.

Her secrets run deeper than anyone thinks. Except for Alice– she has a great sense of character, even for her own family.

Dylan:
Dylan’s character was the most heartbreaking. When I read the blurb, I assumed Dylan would be her white-knight… He turns out to be everything bad in men from Big Little Lies. It’s disappointing (for my hopes) but makes Alice’s story much more cathartic at the end.

PLOT:
This book follows the complete life of Alice Hart.

It’s traumatising, it’s thrilling, and it’ll definitely make you cry.

STRUCTURE:
We see through the lens of Alice at ages; 5-6, 9, 19, 26-7. You’d be surprised how much (death) can happen in one-quarter of one’s life.

THEMES:
– Domestic Violence (I’m beginning to think whoever purchases the library audiobooks is recovering from something… every audiobook I encounter has to do with DV).
– Child Abuse
– Orphanhood
– PTSD
– Flowers (metaphorically of course)
– Duty and Legacy
– Long-lost Family
– First Love
– Toxic Love
– Outback Australia
– Cults

THE ENDING:
Cathartic: BUT I WANT MORE. I have grown so attached to these characters. I felt like I eventually was Alice. The remaining ‘family’ Alice will melt your heart, and make you feel they’re real people, believing in you.

IMPACT:
I want to reread this again and again. I want to cling this to my chest and never stop hugging it!

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