Title: Flowers from the Storm Author: Laura Kinsale
Published: October 13, 1992
Genre(s): Romance: Historical
Page Count: 565
Rating:
Summary from Goodreads:The Duke of Jervaulx was brilliant and dangerous. Considered dissolute, reckless, and extravagant, he was transparently referred to as the ′D of J′ in scandal sheets, where he and his various exploits featured with frequency. But sometimes the most womanising rake can be irresistible, and even his most casual attentions fascinated the sheltered Maddy Timms, quiet daughter of a simple mathematician.
Up until this point, I haven’t read (or cared to read) many romances that were published prior to 2010. This is partly because I haven’t read widely enough in the genre to have had the opportunity to do so, and partly because older romances have me suspicious of rape romanticization and other objectionable things. However, Flowers from the Storm is widely considered to be one of the greats, and it certainly sounded like a story I’d like, as neither of the characters are “typical” in any way. The female lead is a devout Quaker, and the male lead is suffering from severe aphasia in the wake of what modern readers recognize as a stroke. For those two characters, I was willing to bite.
The novelty of the characters’ situations drew me in, but I did think that Laura Kinsale did them justice. Maddy’s religious beliefs were never poo-pooed or, on the other hand, made to seem preachy. Christian’s difficulties and recovery seemed very real and authentic to me, as a casual lay reader. I bought into both leads as individuals, and I also bought into them as a couple, working together to solve problems. In that, I felt that Flowers from the Storm did an excellent job, and Kinsale lived up to the promise of her unique (and potentially problematic) premise.
Unfortunately, I didn’t care for the author’s prose, and I found the plot to get excessively dramatic in the final stages, as many romance novels are wont. I liked the characters, but found difficulty reading about them due to my lack of connection with the author’s phrasing, a difficulty that eventually made the (for me) over the top crisis and resolution in the final chapters even more difficult to deal with.
So, in short, Flowers from the Storm was good but not outstanding. I think it’s absolutely deserving of its recognition among the romance reading community—Kinsale breaks molds and really stretches what people think of when they think of genre romance. More than 20 years after this book first appeared on the scene, I can’t think of a single romance novel that touches on either disability or spirituality in the way this does. It’s a dang important book, in my opinion. On the other hand, it did use some tropes that I don’t care for, so I’m more reluctant to reward untempered praise. But, by and large, I think anyone who wants to see what historical romance can do would be remiss in not at least attempting Flowers from the Storm.
