The Flower Sisters

“The Flower Sisters” by Michelle Collins Anderson is not only a Great Read, it is a Powerful Read; and it is a book that you will remember long after you have closed its covers. With beautiful descriptions of the lives and interactions of the citizens of a small town, this is a story of events and personalities; surprises and secrets.The advertised catastrophe (as mentioned on the back cover) arrives within the first 10 pages and it arrives with a powerful emotional impact that is depicted by incredibly descriptive text dripping with tension, realism, and pathos.Anderson uses a chapter-delimited device that I call “character-first-person” where a particular character leads the exposition of each chapter. In far too many other books this technique devolves more into an unseen voice-over same-style narrator redundancy. But Anderson has worked hard, and successfully, to give each character their own voice... in terms of vocabulary, sentence structure, and speaking tempo/cadence. The result is an easy intertwining of your own interests and emotions with those of each character as they “tell their tale” throughout the book.While all text is descriptive by its very nature, Anderson uses it as a rapier instead of a broadsword. Each word is well chosen; each sentence is well-tuned; and the end result is a novel that gives us access to emotions, human processes, and the interactions not just among individuals, but between individuals and the social entity of the town itself.This is not a book that you might think of as “easy reading” – for the based on real-life events and characters are far too powerful to easily fit into that well-thumbed category. But, on the other hand, it is an easy (and intriguing and stellar) read because Anderson has an armamentarium of impressive writing skills and she has used them to craft and hone a true literary gem.“The Flower Sisters” ends with a chapter that is a memorable 'benedictus' to the characters and events from the beginning of the novel to its end. If you seek a well-crafted and realistic telling of a riveting, emotional, and fulfilling story, then you and this novel belong together.

Unique storyline, interesting cast of characters, and a few twists. The history of a small town, when combined with the power of personal stories, reveals unexpected surprises and connections.

This book was so good, I could put it down! It reminded me of my youth growing up in a small town in the Midwest. The way the author wove a story within a story was so sweet, so poignant. Ill look forward to her next work.

I loved the gentle weaving of religion and spiritual themes without being overbearing. The characters are delightful. The plot is intricately woven, at times a little rough, but always enticing.

Very well written, excellent story. However, the last chapter was a silly ending to a very good book.

This book had a slow start but once it got going it picked up speed. It was well thought out and the way the characters developed was pretty amazing. And the end. Just wow. I loved the imagery.

What a wonderful story with rich characters and an author who keeps me fully engaged.Having lost my husband three years ago, I love the ending. It gives us all hope that we will see our loved ones who have gone before us again.

This book started out a little slow for me. I had no idea where the story was headed. By the time I got to the second half of the book, I didn’t want to put it down. There were quite a few surprises along the way but the end was truly heartfelt. It was a wonderful finish to a wonderful small town love story.