This book's got a bit of everything: inter-generational saga, romance, a touch of magic realism and even the odd bush noir overtone. Holly Ringland has created a deeply sympathetic heroine in Alice Hart. I quailed in fear right along with her as she weathered her father's terrifying rages, and I felt her bone-deep love of books and the transformative magic of a story.

Floriography was a Victorian fashion for saying things with flowers, for example, jonquils signified affection, returned. Ringland has adapted the 19th-century European fad to encompass a multitude of native Australian flora. This device allows our protagonist and other characters to express their emotions when words fail them, as well as driving a reasonable amount of the narrative. One of the joys of reading this book was the collection of beautiful illustrations, not only the cover art, which is outstanding, but the opening pages of each chapter. In this age of electronic books, it was so lovely to have this extra bonus of holding a beautiful object while I read. ( )

“Life is lived forward but only understood backward.”

This is the debut novel by Australian author Holly Ringland, a lyrical story that shifts between fairytale and reality, love and loss. Alice Hart grows up in coastal Queensland, a childhood that oscillates between the wonder and beauty of the sea, the garden, and her mother’s stories; and fear at her father’s rages and dark moods. One fiery night it all comes to an end and she goes to live with her grandmother June, on Thornfield, a wildflower farm full of secrets and silence, the language of flowers being the preferred speech. After a stunning betrayal Alice runs to the desert country and begins to work as a ranger on Kililpitjara, a meteor crater in the red centre of Australia. Here she meets the handsome Dylan and falls head over heels in love, not recognizing the danger he poses.

I found this to be a beautifully written book, with a feeling of magic and enchantment. There are many sad moments in the book, and family violence is a central theme but handled sensitively. There are troubled relationships, like that with her authoritarian grandmother, trying to protect but ultimately driving Alice away. There are also moments of sweetness like Alice’s friendship with Oggi and the dog Harry. Alice is an endearing child although as an adult mildly irritating at times. The use of invented places in central Australia with accompanying made up Indigenous stories did not sit well with me, as the sense of place was so vital to the story. I also found the audiobook did not quite live up to the story and struggled somewhat with the different accents. Nevertheless a great read I would definitely recommend. ( )

4.5* ( )

I thoroughly enjoyed "The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart". From the first page, I was captured by Alice and felt I was beside her as she journeyed through life. At times it was heartbreaking but she always found solace amongst the local plants.

Women and their stories played a vital role in this novel as did the sense of place, whether it was the can fields, the ocean, the river with its gigantic gum, Agnus' garden, the flower farm or the harsh beauty of the Northern Territory. They were brought alive by the talented penmanship of the author. The descriptions of Kililpitjara (Earnshaw Crater) fascinated me, especially with the Sturt desert peas growing in its centre. I desperately wanted to visit it and see this magical sight.

I liked how each chapter started with a description of a native Australian flower. While I knew a number of them, there were some I didn't know and had to Google them to see what they looked like. I would love to have seen a photo or coloured illustration included with the descriptions. I think that would have added charm to this novel.

Dealing with family, loss, love identity and secrets, "The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart" was a fabulous debut. ( )

There is so much sadness and so much beauty in this book. I loved that there was no tying together of different threads and characters in different places. There was no neat resolution because that’s not how life works, but there was hope. I felt bad for June. ( )