The Flower Sisters

by Michelle Collins Anderson Narrated by Andrea Gallo, Christina Moore, Graham Winton, Jim Frangione, L.J. Ganser, Laura Knight Keating

Overview

Drawing on the little-known true story of one tragic night at an Ozarks dance hall in 1928, this beautifully written novel, told through interwoven narratives generations apart, is a page-turning tale of love, loss, and reinvention ...
At birth, Violet and Rose Flowers were identical, save for a tiny bluish-purple mark gracing Violet's slender neck. By nineteen, their temperaments distinguish them, as different as the flowers their mother named them for-Violet, wild and outgoing, and Rose, solitary and reserved. Still, they are each other's world. Then, on a sweltering, terrible August night in 1928, an explosion rocks Lamb's Dance Hall in Possum Flats, Missouri, engulfing it in flames, leaving one twin among the dozens dead, and her sister's life forever changed.
Fifty years later, Daisy Flowers is dumped on her grandmother Rose's doorstep for the summer. A bright, inquisitive fifteen-year-old, Daisy bargains her way into an internship at the local newspaper-where she learns of the mysterious long-ago tragedy and its connection to her family. Rose, now the local funeral home director, grows increasingly alarmed as her impulsive granddaughter delves into Possum Flats' history, determined to uncover the horrors and heroes of the fiery blast.
For a small town, Possum Flats holds a multitude of big secrets, some guarded by the living, some kept by the dead. And through Rose, Daisy, Dash-a preacherwho found his calling that fateful night-and others, those ghosts gradually come into the light, forcing a reckoning at last.
This audiobook is narrated by Jim Frangione, Andrea Gallo, L.J. Ganser, Laura Knight Keating, Christina Moore, and Graham Winton.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Praise for Michelle Collins Anderson:

“Michelle Collins Anderson delivers what every booklover craves in her absorbing and exhilarating debut. Combined with an intriguing historical event and charismatic characters with deeply held secrets, the end result is a mesmerizing story about reconciling guilt and letting go of the past so new beginnings are possible.  Anderson’s talent is undeniable and held me spellbound until the very last page.” —Donna Everhart, author of The Saints of Swallow Hill on The Flower Sisters

“A vivid blend of sensorial writing, historical detail, and memorable characters await on the pages of The Flower Sisters. Poignant, compelling, and surprising, here is an insightful story of the weight of long-held secrets and the resulting hunger for truth.” —Susan Meissner, USA Today bestselling author of Only the Beautiful

"Anderson weaves a rich and poignant tale of a small Ozarks town's factual tragedy, its generational secrets and the juxtapose of searching and belonging. Vivid and evocative, this is a debut to savor." —Kim Michele Richardson, New York Times bestselling author of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek series on The Flowers Sisters
 
“Michelle writes stories with a big heart, on family and human relationships and the inevitability of change and loss.” —David Haynes, author of The Full Matilda

School Library Journal

05/01/2024

Gr 9 Up—Daisy Flowers, 15, is left in Possum Flats, MO, by her mom, who is moving to California. Living with her grandma Rose, the local funeral director, Daisy is bored and disgusted. During a trip to The Picayune to drop off an obituary, she is fascinated by the newspaper. Daisy uses moxie and salacious gossip to talk her way into a summer internship. Tasked with a weekly local history column, she learns about the Lamb's Dance Hall explosion 50 years earlier that killed 39 people, and that her grandmother had an identical twin who died in it. Fascinated by this piece of town history, Daisy sets out to interview the remaining survivors, but her requests lead to unintended consequences. The story is told from multiple characters' viewpoints and moves smoothly between eras, drawing readers into small-town life. For survivors, their lives prior to and after the blast are covered in detail. Daisy comes into her own as she learns more about Possum Flats, her family, and herself, and slowly finds acceptance in the town. The text includes her letters to her mother, revealing Daisy's fear of being forgotten, and her Picayune articles on the survivors show her journalism and writing skills. The prologue from the night of the dance foreshadows some plot twists, and the ending is a bit on the improbable side. VERDICT Anderson creates an engrossing story of tragedy, change, and laying the past to rest, with a fascinating cast of characters. Good first buy for larger libraries.—Tamara Saarinen

Product Details

BN ID:	2940191413778
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	04/23/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	491,705

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