Title: The Rose Girls
Publisher: Lake Union
Publish Date: June 1, 2014
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: Thirty-year-old Celeste Hamilton’s life is at a crossroads: she has just left a disastrous marriage, and her estranged mother has recently died, leaving the family’s rose business in jeopardy. Reluctantly, Celeste returns to the family home, a moated manor house in Suffolk, to help her two younger sisters sort out the estate and revive the business.
Having endured the fallout from her mother’s Narcissistic Personality Disorder when she was younger, Celeste is filled with self-doubt and crippling insecurities. But she must find the strength and courage to take charge and make some tough decisions to keep the old house from falling down around them.
The Rose Girls is an uplifting, tender and romantic story of courage, perseverance and the healing power of family.
Celeste, Gertie and Evie all have their secrets and all have been adversely affected by their mother's narcissistic personality disorder, but in different ways.
I enjoyed the story, especially as the sisters became closer to one another, but Gertie and Evie had such problems, that this book should have been longer to address how they came to be where they were at this point in their lives, and with Celeste, I would have liked to have known more about her failed marriage.
Where I liked all the sisters, I did find the story flat in that respect. Even when it came to displaying how their now deceased mother was really horrible, I would have liked more backstory when it came to the other sisters. She treated them all badly, but you really only see how bad through Celeste's memories.
Then there was Julian. He's the man in charge of selling the paintings. He had feelings for Celeste and his brother has the same issue has their mother. His feelings are so obvious, but Celeste keeps him at arms length and almost wrecks her chances with him.
I wanted more from these relationships, only Evie's wasn't disappointing, but at least two of the three sisters had a happily ever after.
The real star of the show is Esther, a tenant in the cottage at the manor, who they move into the main house. She's a lovable curmudgeon. I loved how she really brought the sisters together.
I was happy about the final outcome for the manor. I found myself wanting to shout suggestions to the sisters many times throughout the book.
This was a lovely read to pass the time. It was good, but not spectacular.
Rating: 4 flowers
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