Fresh Water for Flowers: A Novel Paperback – May 4, 2021

What a wonderful book. I read it once years ago and now recommended it to my bookclub.Its poetic and thoughtful and romantic and sad. I enjoyed it as much reading it a second time,.

In the mood for a very romantic novel, well told, this is a good one. I enjoyed the sweetness of Sasha’s presence. And all the gardening and frequent mentions of perfume. A very French novel:)

Valérie Perrin has created a new genre in how she has fashioned this story of Violette Trenet Toussaint’s passage through life. As Violette’s character comes to being a cemetery-keeper, she conveys so much more than her own journey … as her life encompasses the passage of those resting in her cemetery. Oh, all the stories! Violette’s existence begins as an orphaned waif, belonging to no one, and this beginning clearly draws the lines of who she becomes as a woman. Feeling invisible in a world that owes her nothing. The chapters in her story are typically short but full of significance. Her husband is clearly a cad, but a soul-searching mystery develops that is unexpected in the quiet life of a young woman who manages train barriers and then, a cemetery, a woman who seeks an uneventful life.I’m trying to avoid spoilers, for much of the story is revealed in flashbacks, which only increases the pull to read further. Yes, this is an un-put-downable book. Yet, the icing on the cake, beyond the mystery and the lyrical passage of a young woman’s years, are the helpers. Along the way, there are angels who reach out to Violette, who are generous with their time and kindnesses. I fell in love with them—especially Sasha, who was the keeper of the graveyard before Violette. Ms. Perrin reveals her characters in gentle ways, making you look for the good in the malevolent and suspect of motivations—flawed as we all are.There is delicate mysticism and beautiful scenes in the sea. The story holds so many details and subtle imagery, such as how Violette dresses, which so reveals her character. And family for a girl who came with none … the gravediggers, the priest (a father figure), and the undertakers, a dear friend she met by chance and generosity. And, of course, Violette’s daughter (mysterious throughout). There are stories within stories and unexpected twists. I loved Chapter 53 when we saw into Sasha’s heart, and how ironic when the author wrote the lines metaphorically about the end of a journal that she shares with us: “The way one closes a novel one has fallen in love with. A novel that’s a friend from whom it’s hard to part, because one wants it close by, in arm’s reach.” That would be this book! I never wanted it to end.And, of course, there are the ceaseless poetic words announcing each chapter … like splendid inscriptions on tombstones.

I loved this book so much. It got me out of a years long reading slump and reminded me why I loved reading as a child and how comforting it can be.I went into this book totally blind and I’m glad I did. The summary doesn’t quite do it justice and only describes a small part of the book. For me, this is a story of love, processing grief, hope, and the human potential to overcome and find/create family, purpose, meaning and peace. It was also a deep lesson on how things can be very different than they seem.I loved reading this book. The chapters are short, and the story is told in non-linear fashion without being confusing. While it’s told mostly from the protagonist’s point of view there are multiple pov’s that give deeper insight into characters and their contribution to events.The author writes beautifully and I really appreciated reading about certain elements from the perspective of a French woman. This is my first time reading something translated from French, as well as by this author and I will definitely be reading more of both.This book deserves all five stars. It was perfection from beginning to end. I highly recommend.

Initially, I found this to be a unique, intriguing and well-written book with a captivating protagonist, Violette. What reviewers on other sites are saying, which I discovered, is that it is also a very dark story with a number of grim events/themes: sexual violence and other brutalities, long narratives about sexual infidelity without much sentiment, revenge, negligence, indifference and loss— with a lot of drinking and cigarette smoking in seedy settings.The story’s charms are heavily shadowed by unsavory characters and their story lines and, as reviewers have also said elsewhere, I found myself skimming overlong narratives to hasten slogging through the disturbing plot lines; I thought the book needed editing. At times there are conversations in which it’s unclear who is saying what, and there are a number of characters I would rather have not ‘met.’The book stands out for Violette who ultimately creates a simple and satisfying life, captivatingly detailed, despite her horrific history. If you’re looking for a more consistently uplifting story about humanity, though, look elsewhere.One of Violette’s styles of dress—colors that peep out from a wardrobe of grey or black—is similar to the book. If you can stand all the darkness, the beauty and vibrancy one glimpses in “Fresh Water—“ are lovely and beautifully captured.

Beautifully written and translated. There were a few errors and it has a difficult timeline to follow, yet the story is too good for that to matter. A good, perhaps great, book. Read it and see!

Excellent read

Loved the characters..... So glad the concerning question was answered in a believable frame. Read this book!! You won't be sorry.