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A review by conspystery
To Hold a Flower by Caroline Hamel
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
First, a note: I had the opportunity to read this book via Netgalleys, which is super cool, so a big thanks for that!
This book was lovely, start to finish! The story was slow-paced in the best way; it didn’t feel like it dragged along, rather took its time getting to the places it wanted to. The writing style was interesting, very formal and descriptive, so it took a while to get used to but it grew on me. It gave the whole narrative this atmosphere of present, dignified nobility that I think suits the characters and setting very well. Speaking of the setting: wow!! I love the world of this book. It always felt like there was more happening than what the audience was shown. Very alive, and I love that about it. I found the characters lovable and their relationships were decently compelling. The plot took a backseat to character development, but it wasn’t diminished because of that. This book shines in its characters more than anything else. Also, the way the book was broken up into chapters was really interesting to me— temporality is a bit unclear through the different vignettes but I think that’s the point. It gave the whole narrative a dreamlike, reminiscing feel that is subtle and hard to describe. It added a lot of depth to the central theme of familial relationships, which can often be tinged by memory to the point that they’re defined by recollection and perceptions (or misperceptions!). Really nice effect.
I do have a few criticisms: there is a tendency to tell more than show through this book, and while it didn’t ruin the writing, the whole story just would’ve shone so much more if that wasn’t an issue. Some of the dialogue also felt a bit clunky, possibly due to how formal the writing was, but it wasn’t a dealbreaker for me.
Regardless of that, though, this book is an obvious labor of love by the author; you can tell while reading it how much she clearly cares about the characters, their relationships, and the world they live in. That obvious passion for telling this story is I think what made it most compelling to me— it is so genuinely incredible to feel this much effort and love has been poured into a book. I liked it a lot.
This book was lovely, start to finish! The story was slow-paced in the best way; it didn’t feel like it dragged along, rather took its time getting to the places it wanted to. The writing style was interesting, very formal and descriptive, so it took a while to get used to but it grew on me. It gave the whole narrative this atmosphere of present, dignified nobility that I think suits the characters and setting very well. Speaking of the setting: wow!! I love the world of this book. It always felt like there was more happening than what the audience was shown. Very alive, and I love that about it. I found the characters lovable and their relationships were decently compelling. The plot took a backseat to character development, but it wasn’t diminished because of that. This book shines in its characters more than anything else. Also, the way the book was broken up into chapters was really interesting to me— temporality is a bit unclear through the different vignettes but I think that’s the point. It gave the whole narrative a dreamlike, reminiscing feel that is subtle and hard to describe. It added a lot of depth to the central theme of familial relationships, which can often be tinged by memory to the point that they’re defined by recollection and perceptions (or misperceptions!). Really nice effect.
I do have a few criticisms: there is a tendency to tell more than show through this book, and while it didn’t ruin the writing, the whole story just would’ve shone so much more if that wasn’t an issue. Some of the dialogue also felt a bit clunky, possibly due to how formal the writing was, but it wasn’t a dealbreaker for me.
Regardless of that, though, this book is an obvious labor of love by the author; you can tell while reading it how much she clearly cares about the characters, their relationships, and the world they live in. That obvious passion for telling this story is I think what made it most compelling to me— it is so genuinely incredible to feel this much effort and love has been poured into a book. I liked it a lot.