Another surprising read

This book surprised me.  I liked it from the beginning, even if it wasn't the book that I expected it to.  Then, it got really good, and work was getting in the way of finishing the novel.  Then the end seemed to come and wrap up so fast!

This is a story of redemption, of love, of mothers and daughters, and of hope.  This is a good story.  I like how the author wove the present with the past, and how the threads of a life separate and then come back together again.  I cannot say that I always like the our heroine, Victoria, but I could certainly appreciate her.  I found the part with her baby and how she struggled with breastfeeding to bring back memories of my own struggles.  I am so glad to be beyond that now, but we very rarely ever discuss just how hard breastfeeding can actually be.  It may be natural, but learning how to do it is far from a natural gift!

I am glad that many of my favourite flowers have positive meanings (tulips, declaration of love, and red roses, love) for my wedding flowers.. I love my dahlias, dignity, and a few others.  It was certainly a different kind of book, and although the story moved towards a happy ending, I was glad for it, since it ultimately tied the pieces of the story together well.

It is hard to believe it is already August.  We did some pretty big yard work this year, pulled plants, moved some plants, cut some back, but we still have a wild yard.  It is nice to put down some roots, and  know we have time for things to change, grow, and evolve over time.  That is one thing I have learned since we moved here - everything doesn't happen at once.  I thought it would, that we had to everything done right away.. things wait.  Life moves on.  Other things become important.  Priorities shift.  All those buzz words to explain why I have four plants in their pots sitting out front, and the garden I cleared of yuccas now has a brand new crop growing in with the forget-me-nots that sprung up within a week of me clearing out the weeds.  Last year, I couldn't bear to pull out the yucca plants.  In a burst of energy, I pulled a bunch this year.  This is of course, before I learned just how determined these plants are.  They are growing everywhere.  So much for worrying about killing this plant.  It is back! As are the thistles.